Syder Travel

The extraordinary preserved Trajan’s Arch at the Roman garrison city of Timgad  © Patrick Syder Images

Algeria has recently emerged as a safe destination to travel, especially the fertile East with its friendly peoples and enormously rich variety of archaeological and historical sites. Combined with stunning mountainous scenery and fine colonial architecture this is reason enough to warrant a comprehensive visit, particularly now before tourism takes hold. With a number of listed UNESCO World Heritage sites and some of the finest Roman remains in North Africa, this detailed 10 day tour is designed to allow for adequate time to fully appreciate Algeria’s capital and Eastern region

ITINERARY
Day 1 Fly to Algiers. Visit Algiers
Morning departure from London Gatwick on British Airways direct to Algiers. Lunchtime arrival and transfer to our centrally based hotel. We spend the afternoon with an orientation bus tour of Algiers city with its fine colonial architecture and include a visit to the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral. Welcome dinner at a traditional restaurant (D)
Day 2 Fly to Oran. Visit city
We fly to the coastal city of Oran in the west of Algeria this morning. With a wealth of colonial heritage we visit the main architectural highlights and the picturesque Santa Cruz area with its pretty church and fortress plus great views over the whole of the city. Two nights with dinner at the hotel (B,L,D)
Day 3 Visit Tlemcen. In Oran
We spend the day in the historic town of Tlemcen, famous for its olive plantations and vineyards. We visit the Grand Mosque, one of the most important Islamic buildings in North Africa, the ruins of 13th century Mansourah and the tomb of Sidi Boumedienne. We return to Oran in the late afternoon. Dinner in a local restaurant (B,L,D)
Day 4 In Oran. Afternoon flight to Annaba.
We spend the morning in Oran exploring the city including the Bey’s Palace and the 18th century Grand Mosque before our mid-afternoon flight to Annaba and transfer to our hotel for an overnight stay with dinner (B,L,D)
Day 5 In Annaba. Drive to Constantine via Guelma
We visit ancient Hippo (Annaba) including the ruins of Hippo Regius and the modern Basilica of locally born St Augustine before continuing to Guelma to view its restored outstanding Roman theatre. Our destination is Constantine, capital city of Eastern Algeria and unquestionably its most beautiful, dramatically situated on the Rhumel Gorge, where we spend two nights (B,L,D)
Day 6 In Constantine. Visit Tiddis
We spend the morning in beautiful Constantine and have a tour of ‘the city of bridges’, which are suspended over the spectacular gorge. We include visits to the excellent museum and the city’s other architectural wonders such as the Roman aqueduct, the Palace of the Bey and view the impressive Mosque of Amir Abdel Kader. In the afternoon we drive the short distance to Tiddis, a Roman site built into the hillside that displays some very impressive architectural features for its time (B,L,D)

      Statue of Serapis at Guelma Theatre © Patrick Syder Images

Day 7 Visit Timgad and Lambesis. Drive to Batna
The fabulous and incredibly preserved Roman city of Timgad founded in 100AD by Emperor Trajan is one of Algeria’s major highlights. We spend the day at the site with a guided tour and time to wander at leisure. We continue to the modern city of Batna for two nights, stopping to visit the ruined legionary fortress and amphitheatre at nearby Lambesis (B,L,D)
Day 8 Visit oasis town of Biskra
A wonderfully scenic drive through the Aures Mountains and the Balconies of Ghoufi, Algeria’s own Grand Canyon, brings us to the oasis town of Biskra known as the ‘gate of the desert’. We stop for lunch before a short drive to Sidi Oqba, named after the man who brought Islam to Algeria in the 7th century and where we can see his tomb and the town’s mosque and koranic school. We return to Batna via the dramatic El Kantara Gorge and Roman bridge (B,L,D)
Day 9 Visit Zana and Djemila. Drive to Setif
We pause at the ruined triumphal arch and forum of Zana, littered with inscriptions and perfectly set at the base of Jebel Mestaoua before continuing to Djemila, the most outstanding of Algeria’s Roman antiquities. A remarkable setting and extensive ruins, Djemila, meaning ‘beautiful’, lives up to its name in every way as much for its location as its remarkably preserved architectural features. We spend the afternoon in the site with a guided tour and time to wander at leisure. Overnight in the nearby town of Setif (B,L,D)
Day 10 Drive to Algiers. Visit Algiers
We drive to Algiers this morning and spend the afternoon with further sightseeing in the capital and include visits to the Museum of Antiquities, and the UNESCO listed Casbah. Two nights in a centrally located hotel in Algiers (B,L,D)
Day 11 Visit Roman Tipasa and Cherchell Museum
We drive west to the UNESCO listed Roman site of Tipasa, beautifully located on the shores of the Mediterranean below Mount Chenoua, an extinct volcano which rises dramatically from the sea. We also journey to the historic city of Cherchell with its famous museum, which houses an unrivalled display of statues, mosaics and busts. (B,L,D)
Day 12 Visit Botanical Gardens. Fly to London
After a leisurely breakfast we visit the Jardin d’Essai, Algiers own tropical botanical gardens. Mid-afternoon transfer to Algiers international airport for our early evening departure to London Gatwick with British Airways (B,L)