A Road leads to the N. from Bordj-Ménaïel through the Isser valley, avoiding the sand-hills at the mouth of the stream, and then skirting Jebel Djinet, the ‘frontier pillar’ of Great Kabylia, to (10 M.) the small bay, opening towards the W., of Mersa Djinet, near Cape Djinet (164 ft.), whose basalt-quarries have yielded paving-stones for Algiers.
The train leaves the Isser and ascends to the E. in the valley of the Oued Chender to (51 M.) Haussonvillers (492 ft.; Hôt. des Postes), peopled by settlers from Alsace-Lorraine. We are now carried over four viaducts, each over 100 ft. high, and through tunnels on the N. slope of the finely-shaped Beni Mekla hills (2920 ft.), down to the Sebaou Valley, the chief valley of Great Kabylia. In the distance appears Jebel Belloua (p. [254]).
56 M. Camp-du-Maréchal (184 ft.; Hôt. Frœliger), peopled by Alsace-Lorrainers, has a Tuesday and a Thursday market. Cork-tree woods in the environs.
From Camp-du-Maréchal to Dellys and Tigzirt, see pp. [254], 255.
We cross the Bougdoura. 60½ M. Mirabeau (154 ft.; Hôt. Caratero, humble).
From Mirabeau to Boghni, 18¾ M., light railway (continuation of the line from Dellys), in ca. 1¾ hr. (2 fr. 25 or 1 fr. 65 c.). The train at first runs to the S. on the Dra el-Mizan road (p. [254]), through a eucalyptus avenue in the broad and featureless lower valley of the Bougdoura, to beyond (4½ M.) Tléta. A little farther on it leaves the highroad and penetrates very narrow cuttings up the winding upper Bougdoura valley, past (12 M.) Maatkas, in the territory of the tribe of that name, to (18¾ M.) Boghni (755 ft.; Hôt. Ricard, Hôt. Grossiard, both humble). The little village lies in the fertile green valley of the stream, here called Oued Boghni, between the lower hills and Jebel Haïzer or Haïzeur, the chief peaks of which are Râs Tachgagalt or Pic Ficheur (7044 ft.) to the E. and Tamgout Haïzer (6965 ft.) to the W. From Boghni to Aïn-Sultan and Fort-National, see pp. [258], 257.
From Mirabeau to Dra el-Mizan (26 M.). The highroad, beyond the cuttings near Tléta (p. [253]), crosses the Bougdoura and runs to the W. for a short time in the valley of the Oued Aguergoun, in view of the fine S. slopes of the Beni Mekla Mts. (p. [253]). It then bends to the S.W. into the pretty and secluded valley of the Acif Tléta or Oued Kessari, which here intersects the lower hills and for a distance of 17 M. contains not a single human habitation. The hill-sides, however, are carefully cultivated by the neighbouring villagers, and are well planted with fig and olive-trees, eucalypti, and cork-oaks. We then ascend a high plateau, with a superb view of Jebel Haïzer (see above), to the village of (26 M.) Dra el-Mizan (1525 ft.; Hôt. Bellevue, Hôt. du Commerce, both humble), once famed for its textile fabrics, situated on the N.W. spurs of the Beni Smaïl Mts. (p. [250]; 10 M. to the W. of Boghni; diligence). A picturesque road (7½ M.; diligence) leads from Dra el-Mizan, to the S.W., across the Tizi el-Arba (beyond this, another view of Jebel Haïzer), to the rail. station of Aomar-Dra el-Mizan (p. [250]).
The train next crosses the Oued Sebt, approaches the Sebaou after a long bend to the N., and then ascends past the Alsatian village of (64½ M.) Bou-Khalfa (161 ft.), near the wooded W. slope of the finely situated Jebel Belloua (2280 ft.).
66½ M. Tizi-Ouzou (620 ft.; Hôt. Lagarde, R. 3–5, B. 1¼, déj. 3, D. 3½, omn. ½ fr., quite good; Hôt. du Square and Hôt. du Roulage, unpretending; pop. 29,620), the chief town and market (Sat.) in the interior of Great Kabylia. Jebel Belloua may be ascended hence, and the poor and dirty Kabyle village at the N. end of the little town may be visited by the curious.
From Tizi-Ouzou to Fort National and Michelet (Tirourda Pass), see R. 39.