At 2,180 m high, on top of the black mountains of the Hoggar, the Assekrem resembles an eagle’s nest. But fate has wanted it to be a hermitage. Almost 30 years ago, two Brothers of Jesus, Edouard and Alain, discreetly shared this wonderful landscape, offering their visitors, in the best of cases and when time allowed, an impressive panoramic view of the Tahat, the highest peak. from Algeria, and in the worst case a glass of tea and some pastries.
The brothers Edouard and Alain know the price of this hospitality break in a universe of drought where temperatures are extreme. His monastic life is dedicated to Charles de Foucauld, the founding father of his congregation, who stayed for five months at the Assekrem before being assassinated by looters in Tamanrasset, 80 km away.
To get to Assekrem there is no use being a great walker. A 4×4 easily goes up to the refuge where you can spend the night. It takes about five hours by road. From there, a path dug into the rock leads to the hermitage (15-minute easy climb). The busiest times for a group of tourists are at sunrise and sunset.
