Algeria

Dreams are one of the best things we can have in this world. When we chase them, we are actually growing ourselves in the process. One of my biggest dreams, until recently, was to reach the Hoggar Mountains.

Algeria is the largest country in Africa, with over 90% of its land covered by the Sahara. And not just an ordinary Sahara, the real deal. Raw, fascinating, wild, and magnetic. It's not just about the size, though it's on a completely different scale than Morocco for axample. The Algerian Sahara hides incredible places like the Hoggar Mountains, the plateaus and canyons of Tassili n'Ajjer, and the red sands of Tadrart Rouge.

I knew these places from old Dakar Rally photos. I imagined them while reading Chris Scott’s travel stories. They were always my dream destinations, but for years, not really within reach. Algeria became a dangerous place, attacks and tourist kidnappings that started in the early 2000s and peaked around 2013 never truly disappeared. Overlanding there almost died out, visas became nearly impossible, and later just very hard, to get, and most travel was limited to organized convoys with guides and military escort.

It took me over a year to prepare. There were setbacks along the way, but in the end, the great reward, an Algerian visa. I did everything I could to improve my chances, planning tracks carefully and trying to make this trip happen on my own terms, without a guide or escort.And then there was just one question left, what would this dream actually feel like?

Short answer, amazing. We pulled off the whole plan. For now, I'm sharing just 12 photos, just enough to give you a small glimpse of what this adventure through one of the most incredible places on Earth looked like. More stories coming soon.

For now - her majesty Algeria. Captivating, inaccessible, challenging, yet welcoming. A place with many faces. A place where I truly felt what freedom tastes like.