Once one of the most closed-off nations in the world, Algeria is beckoning travelers at last. The vast Sahara offers an unforgettable introduction.

Getty

I woke up in the small hours of the night. Orion’s Belt was directly above where I lay on a thin roll-up mattress, zipped into a canvas sleeping bag. The hunter’s three luminous studs stood out in a canopy awash with stars from horizon to horizon, the Milky Way a glittery paint stroke across the scene. Aside from an occasional shuffle or snuffle from my fellow campers, the night was draped in a thick blanket of stress-shrinking quiet . It’d been days since I had cell reception . I could practically hear my nervous system thanking me.

A breathtaking canopy of stars illuminates the vast Algerian Sahara.

Heather Richardson

You don’t need to sleep al fresco while camping in the Sahara Desert—I could crawl back inside my own pop-up dome tent at any time—but I’d certainly recommend it.…