(N.B. This article was originally written in 1985, obviously much of this information will be obsolete but this report is included on this site for general information to would be expeditions).
Using local contacts and a lightweight approach the authors spent three weeks exploring the caves and karst of Western Algeria. No discoveries were made but a number of previously explored caves were visited. An insight into the problems and potential for an expedition along with descriptions of the known caves is presented.
Since the revolution in 1962, with the departure of the Prench, Algeria has had an elected socialist administration. This is the only party in the country and elects its president every five years. The present incumbent is the second to hold office since 1962. The government is trying to return the country to an Arabic state and is throwing off the vestiges of French rule.
The country is a Muslim state with religion followed fervently by the older generation but with must less enthusiasm by the young, who are not quite so anti-French as their elders. There is a small Catholic minority in the country left over by the French. As women are treated throughout the country as second rate and play no active part in the way of life whatsoever, any expedition wishing to visit the country with women rs would have to put up with the kind of chauvinism which existed in pre-Victorian days in Britain. If you do not like this, then Algeria is not for you.
We stayed close to the coast and so had the benefit of a cooling breeze for most of the day. Even so we found we could do little between noon and 3pm. Even in the mountains we adopted a routine of walking before Ilam and after 4pm. The midday temperature is anything from 35 C upwards. In the caves in the west air temperature is 21 C and that of water 16 C.
All the roads that were used are reasonable, equivalent to the British B roads. The driving system is the same as the one used in France and beware of traffic police who have immense power to fine and imprison. Always carry your passport and licence when driving as there are frequent stops on the maJor roads. In the towns, speed limits should be adhered to as there are police on every corner. Buses are very cheap but vary in quality depending on your route. They are also packed but seem well organised and leave on time. car hire is expensive at £70 a day, petrol is £2 a gallon. There also exists an extensive internal flight system between the dozen largest towns. Expect delays and take a good book, for example, 'War and Peace'.
The official exchange rate is 7 dinars to the pund. this can be quadrupled in good cafes. When you enter you are given a form to fill declaring your currency and the form it is in. When you exchange money the bank will alter your form accordingly. So if you do intend to use a cafe which likes to say 'yes' do not declare all your currency upon entering the country, or you may have trouble leaving again unless you can account for your expenditure.
Using an exchange rate of 7 dinars to the pound makes Algeria an expensive place to visit. The towns are considerably more expensive than the villages, especially for fruit and vegetables. Most villages will have a shop where you can get almost everything you can get in the towns. Important items that you cannot get in Algeria are ; carbide, pork, tinned meat, the latest edition of Descent and Barry Manilow tapes. Mbals out and alcohol are prohibitively expensive. Typical prices are something like 8 dinars for a bottle of beer, 5 dinars/kg of melons and 4 dinars for a postcard.
Everybody speaks French as the second languages although English is now being taught as the second language in schools. Street signs are in Arabic and French, but signs are wholly in Arabic on buildings such as hospitals, post offices and banks. All business is conducted in French.
Running parallel to the coast and up to 300km inland are scattered limestone massifs forming a continuation of the Atlas mountains of Morocco. Although in general, lower than their Moroccon counterparts they do reach 2300m in th Djebel Djurdjura, 80km east of Algiers.
Principal Limestone Areas of Algeria
The most interesting areas are the Djebel Djurdjura for the vertically minded caver and the Monts de Tlemcen for thos interested in river caves.
The above scan shows sketch surveys of the two deep caves so far discovered. Anou Ifflis is reported to have had its sump at -975m passed to -1007m with the cave still continuing, (-1225m at present). The area is a National Park and visiting cavers must adhere to all the rules and regulations concerning foreign expeditions to he country. (Permission is now desperate for this region.)
In this area we were able to go caving on a more normal basis, the region possessing some very fine river caves. The Tlencen massif is situated in the north-western corner of Algeria, stretching from Oujida in eastern Morocco to Ain Tellout in the west of Algeria. Total area of limestone is of the order of 12,000km and rises to a height of 1400m. With the surrounding plateau at between 900-lOOOm in height the depth potential the is limited to approximately 300-400m.
Rainfall in the region is 500-700mm per annum concentrated in the winter, November to February. The rest of the year sees very little rain and with temperatures averaging in the mid-30's (°C) during summer. The vegetation is mainly of the semi-arid type, consisting mainly of thorn scrub, cacti and small trees. Surface features are not prolific due to a layer of topsoil covering most outcrops of limestone. Angle of dip is fairly consistent over the massif at 30° to 40°.
Due to the thick layer of topsoil, very few shafts are actually known and none have any great length of passage associated with them. The main caves seem to fa11 into three categories. These being:
1. Active Caves (e.g. Ain Berd Zaa E1 Kbira).
These contain a large stream during winter and never dry up, even during years of drought. They tend to be fairly sporting in nature, with large amounts of calcite everywhere. All of them tend to be sumped upstream and are still waiting to be dived.
2. Warm water resurgences (e.g. Hamman Sidi Abdelly).
A number of these resurgences are situated on the flanks of the massif which is the source for nearly one quarter of the available water. Water flow is constant throughout the year, with flow of 1001/8 at 34°C out of Hamman Sidi Abdelly and 801/s out of Hassi Dermam. None of these resurgences have been visited by cavers.
3. Overflow resurgences (e.g. Rhar Bouma'za) .
The most interesting caves of the massif include these large river caves which are some of the longest in Africa. Predominantly fault-controlled these caves have a large cross section (up to 10m wide by 20m high) with large amounts of ponded water. They become active during the seasonal rains taking a large volume of water (up to 15 cumecs). Cave and water temperatures are 21 C and 16.5 C respectively.
Location:
Take the road from Terni to Ain Ghoraba lkm outside Beni Hadiel. A large tree (the only one) can be seen on the right about 50m from the road, adjacent to a dry stream bed. Several holes in the hill directly above the tree can also be seen.
Description:
Warning - A11 water levels quoted are as we found them in mid-August. The cave obviously floods during the wet season and ¶the entrance could sump). ¶The cave is 1805m long, the majority of which is active streamway. The entrance is a 5m climb down under the tree to the stream. Downstream there are two sumps. Upstream three ducks are entered immediately with 9m rope running through them. The first is chest deep, the second quite low and the third is a wet crawl. This emerges in a pool with a wooden ladder to help negotiate the first of Six cascades. The water is followed throughout except through a series of squeezes. The cave continues as walking passage in a fine rift 5m wide by 25m high. This leads to a breakdown area of low beddings where the water flows over a superb calcite floor. Beyond this are the squeezes which by-pass a small uninviting sump at the end of a series of awkward bends. The squeezes are in 30m of passage with obvious signs of hammering required to gain a way through. The last squeeze drops into another series of low beddings which soon open up into more rift passage until the second cascade is reached. This is the last to be tackled with gear and has a ladder and rope in situ. The next four cascades do not require tackle. E e cave now continues as walking/wading passage until after the sixth cascade the cave becomes a long canal section with a muddy inlet entering just before a lake which has to be swum. This leads shortly to the sump which has yet to be dived.
Location:
The Tafna is easy to find by taking the road from Tlencen to Sebdou. Thirteen kilometres after passing through Terni the cave entrance is on the left, clearly visible from the road. It is possible to drive to the cave by taking the left turn at the sign 'Rhar Boumaza' and following this past the quarry and following the road to the right. The cave is 300m further on.
Description:
The Tafna is a flood resurgence, active for only a few weeks each year. The entrance is directly below the large rock shelter and leads straight into a 20m low swim to a climb out into an 8m by 8m phreatic passage. After 300m of easy walking leading past a large bat colony to a slightly longer swim and from there to a 200m walk. After this the true nature of the cave emerges starting with a 600m swim in a 12m by 12m passage. Water temperature is 16.5 C whilst the depth often exceeds 10m. A 30m walk follows to a 400m swim to the first calcite barrier. A climb of 2.5m to the left leads to 30m of stooping over large gours. A swim of 300m with less than 1m of airspace is followed by the second calcite barrier, 1.5m high.
The next 2km consist of a gradual narrowing of the passage to 2m wide interspersed with just submerged calcite barriers to a 10m by 4m dry mud floored chamber. This is the last dry land before the sump reached by 100m of swimming upstream.
The sump is spacious, being approximately 5m by 3m in cross-section and is passed after 60m at -5m to a low airspace passage for 100m. Again more swimming leads to a fork. Right has been pushed for 2km to no firm conclusion. Left leads to more swimming with another fork. Both ways have not been pushed to any conclusion at the time of writing, but do intersect a 20m by 30m fossil passage again not pushed to a conclusion. Passage length beyond the sump is lOkm+ at the time of writing. This is without the results of an 8 day camp by the French this year (1985).
Location:
Situated off the Tlemcen - el Abed road 12km south of Khemis take a track which climbs to the east, just after crossing a small bridge. Follow this track up a valley to a water pumping station situated directly above the cave.
Description:
The large entrance is gated. This leads to 300m of passage and a junction. To the left a 12m fixed ladder gives access to the river which is seen between boulders in the right hand passage. A 50m swim leads to a 2-3m sump and a further 100m of swimming. The end of the swim is marked by a 3m wet climb into a 4-6m by 10-12m passage. Cascades and deep basins make this a superb sporting cave. After 600m a second sump is met. A short fossil gallery bypasses this sump and leads to a climb back to the river and sump 3. This has been dived to -30m and a gravel floor with no obvious way on.
Location:
Following the Tlencen to Sidi Bel Abbes road the village of ain Fezza is met after 12km. Just prior to leaving the small village a metalled road leads off to the right. (On the right before this junction 200m on the right, is the mayor's office). The road is sign posted to the cave and climbs steadily to a small parking area at the entrance of the cave, about 8km along the road.
Description:
The cave is a show cave and the guide can be found at the major's office if he is not at the entrance. Both this cave and Aven Yebdar consist of old fossil passage, large chambers and a profusion of calcite.
The cave is probably one of the finest show caves we have ever seen. A second entrance is securely shut off and the only one other likely lead was blocked by 190m of concrete in 1953 because the cave was rumoured to ¶connect with Morocco 53km away! The first 600m of passage consists of three chambers, the first of which is enormous - dominated by a fine display of calcite in its centre. The other two chambers are somewhat smaller. Although of little interest to the sporting caver the fantastic displays of calcite and beautiful lighting make for a very enjoyable visit.
Description:
Situated only 500m to the east of the show cave it is similar in nature, but entered by shafts.
A 20m entrance pitch lands on a debris covered slope leading to a heavily decorated ledge. Large stal columns act as superb belays for the next 16m pitch onto a boulder pile. Two ways on are possible; down a slope to a huge mass of stalagmite central in a large chamber, and in the opposite direction almost back under the entrance shaft.
The latter leads down over loose rock to a flat mud floored passage, magnificently decorated. Several climbs up, all ending in stalagmite blockages, are passed until after 60m the passage ends. In the opposite direction to the entrance shaft the passage continues 40m high and 15m wide. The floor is covered with thick mud, possibly indicative of flooding during the brief rain season. Climbing up to the right of the huge central calcite mass the passage continues, getting smaller until a 10m pitch is met. This lands in a breakdown area with several crawls leading to the same choked rift. This rift continues opposite the pitch and it is possible to climb the calcite to the top of the aven overlooking the pitch.
Only a small proportion of the area was visited and so the conclusions below are tentative.
1. None of the known caves have any evidence of flood debris, suggesting that all of the water is percolation, and no way exists into the river caves by way of sinks.
2. All shafts examined were choked by either collapse or calcite, although draughts were encountered in a number of them. This tends to corroborate point 1 above.
3. All of the active river caves have a sump at some point in their course. This seems to be a potential area for new discoveries.
Bernard Collingnon, INRH, B.P.172, Tlemcen, Algeria.
Algerian Consulate, 54 Hiolland Park, London. W11 3RS.
Algerian Embassy (Cultural Section), 6 Hyde Park, London, SW7.
British Embassy, B.P.43, Algiers Gare, Algeria.
