Algeria

Algeria is Africa's largest country. One of its main tourist attractions is the Sahara, which is the largest desert in the world consisting mainly of rolling sand dunes, rock-strew plains and sand seas that cover almost one-third of the African continent. The Sahara is almost entirely rainless, although a few underground rivers flow from the Atlas Mountains and irrigate isolated oases in the high desert. Temperatures in the Sahara are hot during the day all year round; however, because the air is so clean, the heat quickly dissipates after sunset. As a result, the night hours in the Sahara Desert can be quite cool.  Algeria has 10 national parks. Three of the most popular national parks are Tassili n’Ajjer National Park, El Kala National Park and Tlemcen National Park. Each of these national parks feature spectacular North African landscapes and some extraordinary wildlife. In the north, the native species are Algerian Oak, Atlas Cedar and other conifers. On the coast grapes are indigenous. Date palms are found in some oases in the Sahara. Acacia and wild olives are the dominant flora in the rest of the Sahara. Many of Algeria’s national parks contain relatively remote archaeological sites, or offer have such sites nearby. Hiking enthusiasts have access to the vast mountains of Kabylia. Algeria is home to gorges, wetlands, grassy desert-like areas and a wide variety of wildlife. The most commonly seen animals include wild boars, jackals and gazelles. Barbary Macaques are the only native monkeys. The diversity of bird species makes the country an attraction for bird watchers. Algeria is home to 104 mammal species, of which three are critically endangered, two endangered, ten endangered and three near-threatened. There are also a number of reptiles in Algeria, including Desert Monitor Lizard, Boomslang, Cobra, Horned Desert Viper and Saw-Scaled Viper.