The three and a half million square miles of desert that make up 80% of Algeria's land mass, whilst part of the Sahara Desert, is also known as the Algerian Desert and is one of the driest places on earth. The Algerian desert starts soon after the coastal area is left behind ~ at first rocky areas then as you progress further inland vast swathes of sandy desert, occupied by just over 2% of the Algerian population.

The south of the desert rolls into the Hogger Mountains, a bleak and arid range which peak at Tahat Mountain at some 9852 feet high (the peak of Ben Nevis is just 4409 feet above sea level by comparison). This mountain range harbours a city, Tamanrasset, with some 60,000 inhabitants, mostly 'drought refugees' from other parts of the Algerian desert and part of the Berber and Taureg tribes.

The south-west of the Algerian desert is home to 165,000 Saharawis living in semi autonomous refugee camps at Tindouf, having fled the troubles Western Sahara. Temperatures there often soar above 50 degrees and there is little or no vegetarian. Food, water and supplies are furnished by international aid agencies, however, despite this, a high proportion of children suffer from malnutrition. This video allows you to experience the solitude and beauty as well as the harshness of the Algerian Desert.

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