Exclusivity can be staying in the largest suite of the best hotel. It can be flying by private jet or holidaying on a big yacht in the Med.
Or it can be experiencing something, or somewhere, new.
Very few places in the world remain virtually untouched by tourism. These places lack the infrastructure for tourism, like good hotels, or even good roads and airports. They are remote, with wonders yet to be discovered.
There can be real luxury in a holiday nobody else has had, in an experience nobody else can even dream about. In a place that will be trendy in the years to come.
A holiday in an unexplored place certainly isn’t for the majority of our clients.
It is for the few people who dare to explore and accept they must sacrifice some comfort to experience something completely different.
We’re continually seeking ways for our clients to explore new destinations, while providing a suitable level of ease, safety and comfort.
Our newest project? Algeria.
All photos in this article were taken by Ksenija Olmer. We deliberately them published without edits or captions.
Creating Holidays in Unexplored Places
Youssef Touggui: They say the ocean cleans our body and the desert cleans our soul.
A trusted local partner is essential for almost all our holidays, even more so in the least visited destinations.
It’s through local partners we can create exclusive, one-of-a-kind experiences. Like entry to places normally closed to the public. Or meeting the people behind a place, such as winemakers, curators and artists. Or finding a way to explore the unknown.
We learnt about Youssef Touggui through a mutual friend Ksenija Olmer who said: “I don’t even know if I want people to know about Algeria, because it’s such an amazing place, that I would rather very selfishly keep to myself.”
Ksenija is one of the most travelled people we know. She had her honeymoon on a safari in Tanzania, 40 years ago. She’s visited 130 countries, including many that rarely see tourists, like Benin. Ksenija says:
“We wanted to visit Algeria for years and were elated when the government finally opened up the Sahara. Luckily we were introduced to Youssef through a photographer friend. He’s a Touareg from the Algerian desert, fluent in five languages who got his phD in Istanbul.
Currently we live in California and our grandchildren are in Prague. During this summer in Prague I knew Youssef was closeby in Poland. So I thought of Stepan Borovec from EliteVoyage.
The three of us met together in Prague to discuss the possibility of EliteVoyage clients visiting Algeria.
Guide Youssef Touggui introduces Algeria
We asked guide Youssef to explain what Algeria can offer. He said:
Algeria is a healing place, a place that will calm you and reduce your stress. It is totally safe.
Before 2011 there were tourists in Algeria. Due to political instability the country closed. We opened again two years ago, when it was completely safe to do so.
The government has really bolstered security along its Saharan borders and this is key to its new tourism strategy, along with the introduction of a visa on arrival. Algeria is very safe to visit.
Warm hospitality is the norm in my country and there is a nationwide effort to create a welcoming environment for tourists, quite a contrast to countries like Spain right now.
You really discover the beauty of the Sahara in Algeria, its nature, culture and the ancient civilisations dating back 12,000 years.
There are two main Saharan desert regions, namely Azjer and Hoggar. Tassili N’azjer region, bordering Libya to the east and Niger to the south, is distinguished by its towering dunes of sand, its sheer-sided canyons, its beguiling “forests of rock” and over 15,000 rock carvings and painting.
We travel by four-wheel drive and camp on our own, out in the desert, with nobody anywhere even close to us.
In the desert you can camp anywhere. We take all our own equipment. We camp by sand dunes, canyons, oases, caves and prehistoric rock art.
The more basic option is to move the camp each day. My team sets up the camp. Every day we sit, relax and eat comfortably in an amazing new setting.
Another option is to establish a bigger camp, with a toilet and a shower. Then we go exploring in different directions each day.
I come from a nomadic Touareg family in the Sahara, in southeastern Algeria. My father was born in the desert and became a tour guide in 1992. Seeing him invite tourists into our home was an inspiration for me.
Touareg people are deeply connected to the desert and have a profound love for this harsh yet beautiful landscape. We are eager to share our knowledge and passion with visitors.
By travelling with Touareg people you can experience authentic desert life, from the music and cuisine to stargazing and multi-day camel treks if you wish.
12,000 years ago the Sahara was a savannah and the people were as advanced as those in Egypt. An ancient civilisation existed here, then the people were forced to move because of desertification.
Their heritage is preserved in tens of thousands of rock paintings and carvings. You will see stories painted in the desert, of giraffes, camels, elephants and much more.
You can be the first foreigners to see some of this art. Algeria is not very touristic yet. You discover the beauty of the Sahara on your own, go to places that very few people have ever been.
I love this desert for its diversity of rock formations, the colour of the sand dunes and the history of the art. It’s the largest open-air museum on earth.
Then we have the majestic Atlas Mountains and lush coastal area. Many guests tell me that Algeria’s natural beauty is unparalleled compared to the other countries they’ve visited.
People are coming, slowly, slowly. Like Ksenija Olmer and her husband.
What’s it Like to Travel in Algeria?
Ksenija told us about her own personal experience in Algeria.
“The number one thing in Algeria, especially for people who have travelled a lot, is that this is an untouched destination. Where else in the world can you find such a thing?
We saw a few French tourists, a few Germans on motorbikes crossing the Sahara, that’s it.
I really appreciate a country that offers a lot of different things, not just the beach or mountains. Algeria has spectacular nature, culture, antiquities, Roman towns, the sea and beaches. It’s an inspiring place to travel because they all connect.
The people are another reason to visit Algeria. They are not spoiled by tourism, they don’t have an agenda which you sometimes experience in Morocco. They are surprised and excited to see that somebody from outside came to visit.
They want a photo with you, to chat with you, to take you home for tea. The only other place I’ve experienced this is Iran, it’s so wonderful.
And wow, this Sahara. I have seen many deserts in my life. I don’t want to ride a camel on the dunes at sunset, I’ve done that decades ago.
This Algerian Sahara is the most beautiful desert I’ve seen, even more majestic than Namibia. Many deserts are monotone, yet in Algeria there’s something new around every corner, over every ridge.
Sand dunes in different colours. Rock palaces, rock cities, rock formations. Some of it black, some of it sandstone shaped by wind and water. There are canyons and oases, over 15,000 recorded rock art sites.
We felt very safe in Algeria as well. The government is careful about where it opens to tourists and large areas still remain off bounds.
There’s only one way in and out of the desert, through a military checkpoint, so there’s control over people’s movements.
Travelling with Youssef we always had a driver and a four-wheel drive. Youssef hired a local guide in each place, to provide very in-depth knowledge and answer personal questions.
I’ve had many guides on my travels and Youssef is on another level, bringing this completely Western approach to doing things in Algeria. He’s so organised and reliable.
We camped on the edge of a small village and a local took us to rock art sites he knew, paintings that probably no tourist has ever seen, paintings that are not even recorded as sites.
It was half a day scrambling over rocks and climbing into caves. Even if you don’t like art it’s magnificent.
In Algeria you really see how the place was and how the place is now. The art and artefacts aren’t in a museum or gallery. The access isn’t restricted. It’s open to anyone. Anyone who knows where to find it.
There’s no bathtub with a view. It’s tents, mattresses, sleeping bags. But you have the whole desert to yourself. And it’s magnificent.
A Holiday in an Unknown Destination
All destinations were unknown and unexplored at some point in time.
Destinations can also change quickly. How many people had visited the Maldives twenty years ago?
Destinations develop because there’s some underlying beauty and allure, something exceptional that the first visitors hadn’t experienced anywhere else.
The Maldives wouldn’t have so many top luxury resorts if it wasn’t a stunning place to go in the first place.
That’s not to say Algeria will develop like the Maldives. Or even like Namibia in terms of top luxury lodges. Nobody knows what tourism will be like in Algeria in 20 years.
We only know what it is like now, an untouched destination where you can be one of the very first.
Maybe the desert isn’t your idea of a holiday. Some clients tell us of their dream to visit very unknown island destinations, like Papua New Guinea. Or mountain destinations like the Chilean Andes.
Creating holidays anywhere. Every time. That’s what we do at EliteVoyage. Behind the scenes we’re making the connections that make this possible.
So what’s the faraway place you have dreamed about visiting? The place where you don’t even know if a holiday is possible?
