A Postcard From Algeria: Risks & Rewards

There were many unknowns and potential challenges with our first Road of Empires tour, with the bulk of those concerns being around how our time in Algeria would go. As far as we, and the Algerian tourism contacts we’ve met, are aware, this is the first time a commercial cycling tour has crossed so much of Algeria. For this reason, no one could exactly say how it would go.

>>2027 Road of Empires tour details

Having reached the end of our time in Algeria, we can now say that the experience has far surpassed expectations and alleviated our pre-tour concerns. To give an idea of what kept us up at night in the months (year) before the tour…

The visa: This is one of the more demanding tourist visas to attain, with an often lengthy and bureaucratic process. However, by following specific instructions provided by consulates and our local support, the visa was processed much quicker than expected for most participants.

The ferry from Spain to Algeria: It was difficult to learn in advance any clear details on the ferry experience, as well as boarding procedures and disembarkation procedures. Even the schedule was not 100% released until after our tour dates were announced, and we had to have faith they would leave the schedule as it was. In the end the ferry experience worked very well, with friendly officials and relatively smooth sailing. Just a bit of patience required.

Hotels and food: Having seen the hotels on the scouting trip the previous year, we had a clear idea of the accommodations, yet still how all would work for a larger group, and whether the more remote hotels, as well as the one government run hostel, would allow us to stay with them was uncertain. How the hotels would cope with food preparation for a large group of cyclists was also not clear. The welcome we received from hotels and the quality and quantity of food the local chefs prepared was excellent.

The police and local officials: Algeria tightly controls how groups of tourists travel within the country, with it written in their constitution that foreign groups must be escorted by the police while moving across the country. With a cycling tour where the participants are spread out along the road, cycling at their own pace, there was no way to be fully sure the police would understand this concept, and not try to force the group together each day. In the end, with a lot of explaining by our local support company to all the officials, police and gendarme, we had very few challenges and were only held up for brief periods on a couple of occasions. Not only that, but all the police and gendarmes who escorted us during our time in Algeria were incredibly kind, and genuinely wanted our cyclists to be safe, and to have a positive experience along the way.

The experience as a cycle tourist: Fortunately, Algeria has a truly welcoming culture, with enormous appreciation for their land, their struggle against colonialism, and their independence. While tourism is an economic industry, the people we were fortunate enough to converse with continually expressed gratitude for visiting their nation and welcomed us with genuine hospitality, far beyond a monetary exchange.

For TDA it is great privilege to help start a trend towards further cycle tourism in Algeria, and to have the opportunity to work with the incredible local partners in Algeria who were essential to the success of our tour. We’re also privileged to have trusting alumni who understand that doing something the first time involves more unknowns, and more risks, and were willing to come along for the adventure, and the rewards.

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