ALGERIA SAHARA PHOTO TOUR
MARCH 13 -20 2027
The Algeria Sahara Photography Tour is an 7-day small-group desert photo expedition led by photographers Isabella Tabacchi and Alex Wides through the Tadrart region near Djanet, Algeria.
TRIP DETAILS
- Guides: Isabella Tabacchi and Alex Wides + local tuareg guides
- Group size: Max 12 participants
- Price: USD 3790 / EUR 3300 approx.
- Deposit: USD 1137
- Pick up and Drop-off: Meet up in Rome FCO and fly all together to and from Djanet
- Accommodation: hotel on the first and last nights; camping in between.
- Comfy single occupancy tent and camping gear provided by us.
- Portable Toilets
- Chef and kitchen tent
Join Our Exclusive Algeria Sahara Photo Tour
There are places where photography becomes much more than documenting a landscape. The Algerian Sahara is one of them.
From March 13 to 20, 2027, join professional landscape photographers Isabella Tabacchi and Alex Wides for an extraordinary 7-day photography expedition through the remote desert landscapes of southern Algeria.
Our journey begins together at Rome Fiumicino Airport, where the group will meet before travelling together to Algeria. From there, we enter a completely different world: monumental sand dunes, immense sandstone formations, natural arches, narrow canyons, prehistoric rock art and some of the darkest night skies imaginable.
For most of the expedition, we will leave conventional roads and hotels behind and travel deep into the Sahara in 4x4 vehicles accompanied by experienced local Tuareg guides and drivers.
Our days will revolve around photography.
We will wake before sunrise to photograph the first light touching the dunes, explore remote desert landscapes throughout the day, position ourselves carefully for sunset and, whenever conditions allow, continue photographing beneath the stars.
With a maximum of 12 participants, this Algeria photography tour is designed as a genuine photographic expedition rather than a conventional sightseeing trip.
Whether you want to strengthen your landscape photography, develop your compositions, experiment with desert photography and astrophotography, or simply experience one of the most extraordinary wilderness areas on Earth, this expedition is an opportunity to discover the Sahara through photography.
Why Photograph the Algerian Sahara?
A 7-Day Landscape Photography Expedition with Isabella Tabacchi and Alex Wides
When people imagine the Sahara, they often picture an endless landscape of sand.
Southern Algeria reveals something much more complex.
Around Djanet and the Tadrart region, enormous dune systems meet dark sandstone towers, natural arches, labyrinths of rock, narrow canyons and vast desert plains.
Thousands of years of wind and erosion have sculpted the landscape into formations that sometimes appear almost extraterrestrial.
For photographers, this variety is extraordinary.
At sunrise and sunset, low-angle light creates long shadows across the dunes, revealing curves, ridges and textures that can almost disappear during the middle of the day.
Sand shifts from pale gold to intense orange and red, while the surrounding sandstone formations catch the last light.
Telephoto lenses can transform distant dune ridges into abstract layers of color and shadow, while wide-angle lenses reveal the enormous scale of the Sahara.
Then the sun disappears.
Far from major cities and artificial light pollution, the desert offers remarkable opportunities for night photography and astrophotography.
Natural arches, isolated rock towers and dunes become foregrounds beneath a sky filled with stars.
It is this combination of geology, isolation, changing light and immense scale that makes the Algerian Sahara one of the most fascinating destinations for landscape photography.
Included & Excluded
Included
- Accommodation during the tour
- Domestic flights Algeri - Djanet - Algeri
- Accommodation in hotel during the first and last night.
- Award- winning landscape photography guides
- Local guides and drivers
- All transportation in 4x4 vehicles - 3 people per car
- All meals during the expedition
- Camping gear: chairs, thick foam mats, pads, pillows, sleeping bags and single occupancy tents
- Portable toilets
- Professional local chef
- Group equipment: Generators, Refrigerators, Water
- Entrance fees to National Parks
- Big tent for kitchen
- Online editing sessions
Excluded
- International flights but we will issue the ticket as an extra service for you
- Visa fees if needed
- Travel insurance
- Alcoholic drinks
- Personal expenses
- Tips
- Anything not mentioned in the included list
A Photography Expedition, Not a Standard Photo Tour
This expedition has been created specifically around photography.
We are not following a conventional tourist schedule where every stop is dictated by a fixed timetable.
Our priority is the landscape and the light.
Whenever possible, our days will begin before sunrise. We will position ourselves at carefully selected locations while the desert is still dark and wait for the first light.
After our morning photography session, we may return to camp for breakfast or continue exploring, depending on the location and conditions.
During the day, our 4x4 vehicles allow us to travel deeper into the Sahara, scout compositions and reach our next photographic locations.
Late afternoon is dedicated once again to photography as the sun becomes lower and the desert begins to transform.
After sunset, we may continue into blue hour or prepare for a night photography session beneath the stars.
The itinerary remains deliberately flexible.
Landscape photography depends on nature, and nature does not follow our schedule.
Weather, wind, atmospheric conditions and light can completely transform a location. Isabella, Alex and our local team may therefore adapt individual shooting locations or timings when doing so provides better photographic opportunities or is necessary because of local conditions.
Photography Guidance with Isabella Tabacchi & Alex Wides
Throughout the expedition, participants will receive photographic guidance from Isabella Tabacchi and Alex Wides.
The purpose of the workshop is not simply to bring you to beautiful places.
We want to help you understand how to interpret those places photographically.
The Sahara presents fascinating compositional challenges. Its landscapes can initially appear minimal and empty, but creating a powerful image requires learning to recognize subtle relationships between light, dunes, shadows, textures and geological formations.
We will work directly in the field, discussing compositions while the conditions unfold in front of us.
Algeria Sahara Photo Tour Itinerary
01 | March 13
Welcome to Algeria
Our adventure begins at Rome Fiumicino Airport, where the group will meet and depart together for Algeria.
Upon arrival, we will continue to Djanet, the gateway to the Algerian Sahara, where we will meet our local Tuareg team and prepare for the expedition ahead.
This first day will be dedicated to arrival, introductions and preparation. Isabella and Alex will introduce the photographic approach for the week, while our local team will brief us on the logistics of travelling and camping in the Sahara.
Overnight: Djanet
02 | March 14
Into the Sahara Desert
After breakfast, we leave Djanet behind and begin our journey deep into the Tadrart region of the Algerian Sahara.
Travelling by 4x4 with our Tuareg guides, paved roads gradually disappear and the immense desert landscape begins to unfold around us.
Our first day in the Sahara introduces us to the extraordinary combination of golden dunes, sandstone formations and vast open spaces that will characterize the expedition.
We will begin photographing immediately, working with the afternoon light before reaching our first desert camp.
After sunset, weather and sky conditions permitting, we will have our first opportunity to experience and photograph the incredibly dark skies of the Sahara.
Overnight: Desert tented camp
03 | March 15
El Berdj Canyon & Erg Admer
We begin the day around El Berdj Canyon, where dramatic sandstone formations create a completely different photographic environment from the open dunes.
Morning light reveals the textures, shapes and colors of the canyon, giving us opportunities to work with layers, natural frames and more intimate landscape compositions.
Later, we continue toward the immense dune system of Erg Admer.
Here, waves of sand extend toward the horizon and become an extraordinary playground for landscape photography. As the sun gets lower, ridges catch the light while the valleys between them fall into shadow.
This is one of the best environments of the expedition for working with minimalism, patterns, abstract compositions and telephoto landscape photography.
Overnight: Desert tented camp
04 | March 16
Moula Naga & Wan Nagn
Today we continue deeper into the Sahara toward Moula Naga and Wan Nagn.
The landscape combines unusual geological formations, vast desert vistas and traces of the ancient civilizations that once inhabited this region.
We will also encounter prehistoric and Neolithic rock art, offering a fascinating glimpse into a period when the Sahara was a very different environment from the desert we see today.
Throughout the day, Isabella and Alex will work with participants on composition, scale and finding strong photographic subjects within seemingly endless landscapes.
We finish the day photographing the changing colors of the desert during the golden hour and sunset.
Overnight: Desert tented camp
05 | March 17
Stone Forest & Tilalin
After our morning photography session, we continue toward one of the most surreal landscapes of the journey: the Stone Forest.
Thousands of years of wind erosion have sculpted the sandstone into unusual pillars and formations rising from the desert floor.
These structures provide endless opportunities for creative compositions, particularly when low-angle light creates long shadows across the landscape.
Later, we reach Tilalin, characterized by monumental sandstone towers surrounded by open desert.
We will position ourselves for the best available sunset light and, if conditions are favorable, continue photographing into blue hour and beneath the night sky.
Overnight: Desert tented camp
06 | March 18
Tilalin, Timghas & Tikobawin
We begin with another photography session around Tilalin before continuing our journey through Timghas toward Tikobawin.
This section of the expedition brings together many of the elements that make the Algerian Sahara so visually extraordinary: sculpted sandstone, natural arches, immense empty spaces and prehistoric traces of human presence.
At Tikobawin, natural stone arches provide particularly interesting opportunities for composition, allowing us to use the rock formations as frames for the desert beyond.
As always, our precise schedule will depend on the light and conditions. If the skies cooperate, the arches and rock formations can also provide spectacular foregrounds for astrophotography.
Overnight: Desert tented camp
07 | March 19
Tikobawin & Return to Djanet
Our final morning in the desert gives us another opportunity to photograph the landscapes around Tikobawin in the soft early light.
After breakfast, we begin our journey back toward Djanet, stopping along the way whenever conditions and photographic opportunities allow.
After several days surrounded almost entirely by sand, rock and sky, we return to civilization and spend our final night in Djanet.
This will also be an opportunity to reflect on the images and experiences of the expedition after an intense week of landscape photography in the Sahara.
Overnight: Djanet
08 | March 20
Farewell Algeria
After our final morning in Algeria, it is time to say goodbye to Djanet and to the Tuareg team who accompanied us throughout the expedition.
We travel together from Algeria back to Rome Fiumicino Airport, where our 8-day Sahara photography adventure officially comes to an end.
After a week of photographing dunes, canyons, natural arches, prehistoric rock art and some of the darkest skies on Earth, we return home with much more than a collection of photographs: an experience of one of the world's most extraordinary desert environments.
End of the expedition: Rome Fiumicino Airport
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this tour suitable for non-professional photographers?
Yes. The tour is designed for passionate photographers of all levels who want to learn and improve their landscape photography in exceptional locations.
What kind of accommodation is included?
You will stay in comfortable tents in the field and enjoy well-organized camping with mattresses, portable toilets, and full support from our team. It's also included the first and last night in a hotel in Djanet.
Do I need special equipment?
Camera, lenses for landscape photography, especially wide-angle, ball-head tripod. A more detailed packing list will be sent one month before the tour
How remote are the locations?
Very remote. That is part of the experience. We use 4x4 vehicles to access the most spectacular shooting spots in Algeria.
Is Wi‑Fi available during the trip?
Unfortunately Starlink is not available in Algeria, however in some locations close to Djanet there is data connection.
Do I need a drone license? Are there restrictions?
Bringing a drone to Algeria is forbidden and may be confiscated.
What is not included in the tour price?
International flights, visa fees if needed, travel insurance, alcoholic drinks, tips and personal expenses are not included unless otherwise stated.
Is it safe to travel to Algeria?
Travelling in the Sahara requires preparation, local knowledge and respect for current security regulations. For this reason, our Algeria photography expedition is not an independent or self-drive journey. The Djanet region has an established system for organized desert tourism, and the areas normally included in tourist itineraries are monitored and protected by the Algerian security authorities. Official travel guidance recommends that visitors who travel in the Algerian Sahara do so as part of an organized group, with recognized local operators and authorized guides, while following the instructions of local security authorities. This is exactly how our expedition is organized. From the moment we arrive in Algeria, we travel as an organized group and are accompanied by an experienced local Tuareg team of guides and drivers who know the region, desert routes and local procedures. We travel through the Sahara in dedicated 4x4 vehicles and follow established authorized itineraries. We do not independently explore restricted areas or alter routes without consultation with our local team and the relevant authorities. Our itinerary is also deliberately focused on the established tourism areas around Djanet and the Tadrart, rather than independent travel through sensitive border regions. Security conditions can change anywhere in the world, and no expedition can guarantee complete safety. Before and during the tour, we monitor current conditions and follow the instructions and restrictions issued by the Algerian authorities. If security considerations require an itinerary adjustment, safety will always take priority over reaching a particular photography location.Travelling in the Sahara requires preparation, local knowledge and respect for current security regulations. For this reason, our Algeria photography expedition is not an independent or self-drive journey. The Djanet region has an established system for organized desert tourism, and the areas normally included in tourist itineraries are monitored and protected by the Algerian security authorities. Official travel guidance recommends that visitors who travel in the Algerian Sahara do so as part of an organized group, with recognized local operators and authorized guides, while following the instructions of local security authorities. This is exactly how our expedition is organized. From the moment we arrive in Algeria, we travel as an organized group and are accompanied by an experienced local Tuareg team of guides and drivers who know the region, desert routes and local procedures. We travel through the Sahara in dedicated 4x4 vehicles and follow established authorized itineraries. We do not independently explore restricted areas or alter routes without consultation with our local team and the relevant authorities. Our itinerary is also deliberately focused on the established tourism areas around Djanet and the Tadrart, rather than independent travel through sensitive border regions. Security conditions can change anywhere in the world, and no expedition can guarantee complete safety. Before and during the tour, we monitor current conditions and follow the instructions and restrictions issued by the Algerian authorities. If security considerations require an itinerary adjustment, safety will always take priority over reaching a particular photography location.
Why to travel to Algeria with us
Why Travel to Algeria With Us?
✓ You are never travelling independently in the Sahara. The expedition operates as an organized group from arrival to departure.
✓ Experienced local Tuareg guides and drivers accompany us in the desert. Their knowledge of the terrain, authorized routes and local conditions is fundamental to the expedition.
✓ We travel with dedicated 4x4 expedition vehicles, suitable for the remote desert environments included in our itinerary.
✓ We follow authorized routes and local regulations. Our itinerary is coordinated with our local team and adapted whenever local authorities or conditions require it.
✓ We stay together as a group during our journey through the Sahara rather than allowing independent excursions into remote areas.
✓ Our itinerary focuses on established photography and tourism locations in the Djanet and Tadrart region.
✓ We monitor conditions before and during the expedition and can modify the itinerary if circumstances require it.
✓ The journey begins and ends together. Participants meet at Rome Fiumicino Airport and travel as a group to Algeria, returning together to Rome at the end of the expedition.
For us, experiencing the extraordinary landscapes of the Sahara and travelling responsibly are inseparable. Our aim is to give you the freedom to concentrate on photography while the logistics, local navigation and organization of the desert expedition are handled by an experienced team.
Meet Your Guides
Two award-winning photographers combine field expertise, creative vision, and expedition know-how to create a seamless experience in Algeria.
Isabella Tabacchi
Landscape photographer
Isabella is an internationally recognized landscape photographer known for her evocative, emotional, and dreamlike style and brings a refined artistic perspective to the tour.
Isabella is Fujifilm ambassador and her award-winning work has been featured on National Geographic, Times, Forbes and many other international publishers.
Her presence ensures strong creative direction, beautiful locations, and a premium photographic experience.
Alex Wides
Landscape photographer specialized in panoramas and startrail
Alex is an award-winning landscape photographer specializing in extreme panoramic photography and remote expedition logistics. With experience leading photo tours in demanding environments, he brings technical precision and field wisdom to every journey.
Alex won several awards including Siena Awards and Epson International Pano Awards.
His approach combines authentic wilderness experience with hands-on photography guidance.
Questions?
Testimonials of our Photo Tours
