THE SECRET SAHARA

12,000 years ago, the Sahara – the world’s largest desert – was green, with forests, lakes, streams, woodlands, and an astonishing abundance of wildlife, making it a Paleolithic hunting paradise.  One small remnant remains, in the deepest heart of the Sahara, high on a roadless uninhabited plateau where the ancient hunters left the greatest profusion of prehistoric rock art on our planet amidst an extraordinary geological wonderland.  It is called the Tassili n’Ajjer.

I first explored it almost 20 years ago.  Now I’m going to do it again.  My son Jackson was with me when he was 10 years old.  He loved every minute of what was a fabulously memorable adventure.  So will you if you decide to join me.  Here’s a glimpse of what we’ll experience.

The Tassili is one of UNESCO’s remotest World Heritage Sites, which states: “Located in a strange lunar landscape of great geological interest, this site has one of the most important groupings of prehistoric cave art in the world. More than 15,000 drawings and engravings record the climatic changes, the animal migrations and the evolution of human life. The geological formations are of outstanding scenic interest, with eroded sandstones forming ‘forests of rock’.”

Note the human figures dwarfed by the giant stone pillars

To reach the Tassili Plateau, we clamber up a foot trail to 1,500 feet above the desert floor.  Pack mules carry all our supplies for the plateau is uninhabited with no facilities of any kind.  We camp in tents with our Toureg guides and staff preparing our meals and caring for our every need. We’ll sleep comfortably and will be well-fed.

Our exploration of the plateau starts with a scramble down into a deep chasm that provides a protective environment for Cupressus dupreziana, the Saharan Cypress, that once covered much of the Green Sahara millennia ago and is now found only here.  They are over 2,000 years old, among the world’s rarest and oldest trees, and they are magnificent.

Every day now, we hike in the morning to our next campsite, exploring on the way.  After an enjoyable lunch in camp, we spend the afternoon locating the most spectacular geology and investigating the most exceptional pictographic depictions of prehistoric life in the surrounding area.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Tassili’s geology is its profusion of giant rock arches, over 300 in all – more than any other geological location on earth.  A geologist’s paradise.

Yet more than anything, the Tassili n’Ajjer is a paleo-anthropologist’s dream come true.  You can see ancient man’s cultural evolution literally before your eyes.  From 12,000 years ago (kya) or 10,000 BC to 7kya or 5,000 BC, hunter-gatherers without pottery or metal depicted large wild animals they hunted or revered.

While depicting themselves dancing, in ceremonies, and revering their shamans.

This Shaman figure is nicknamed by researchers the “Martian God” for it is well over seven feet tall.

Now please realize, the photos you see here are only the slightest glimpse of what you will see and understand in the Tassili yourself. We will spend seven nights and days exploring what we call the Secret Sahara for a magical experience you will treasure for the rest of your life.  Here’s Jackson assuring you of that.

The dates are Tuesday January 25 to Thursday February 03, 2022.  I’ll be able to offer a special discount to TTPers but you’ll need to let me know soon.  Contact me via [email protected] if you’d like to make the Secret Sahara a part of your life.