Is Oran Safe? Crime Rates & Safety Report

While Oran is a wealth of culture and history, it’s important to follow these safety tips to ensure you have an incident-free trip:

1. Avoid Demonstrations. Demonstrations and other protest types are subject to different restrictions, so always take precautions to ensure your personal safety by avoiding demonstrations. While these may appear peaceful at first, they can escalate and become violent quickly. If you can’t avoid them, follow the instructions provided by the local authorities.
2. Avoid Photographing Sensitive Sites. Don’t take photographs of airports, government infrastructure, military installations, or the police. The security levels across the country are high, and civil workers don’t take it lightly when you choose to disobey the law.
3. Carry Medical Supplies for Personal Use. The medical facility standard varies across the country with the best locations in major cities. While you can find adequate medical treatment in Oran, locations in remote areas outside of the city may be limited or non-existent. Private health services are much better than government-funded public healthcare, so it’s crucial to pay for travel insurance.
4. Don’t Travel to Remote Areas. Some criminals dress as police and set up illegal roadblocks in remote areas so that when you stop, they hijack your car or rob you. If you’re planning to leave Oran, go with a tour guide or experienced driver who can ensure your safety when traveling between locations.
5. Don’t Visit Deserted Beach Areas. Deserted beach areas are subject to robbery and carjacking. Many criminals are opportunistic, so don’t give them the chance to conduct a criminal act with nobody around, even during the day. Instead, visit popular and frequented beaches to avoid this issue.
6. Drink Bottled Water. Your body gets used to drinking tap water in Oran, but you could be mildly sick when first visiting the country. It’s always advisable to drink bottled water or boil tap water to kill bacteria. Those with sensitive stomachs or who are visiting for a short period should purchase bottled water, not order raw foods like salad, and don’t order drinks with ice. It is not advisable to drink tap water in remote areas as the sanitization levels are poor.
7. Follow Local Dress Standards. Although Algeria is a conservative Muslim country, the government has not set rules regarding the dress code. However, the rules are imposed through social norms, so tourists cannot wear whatever they want all the time. For instance, women must cover their shoulders and head when visiting religious places but are not required to do this in public. Regardless, it’s important to dress modestly by wearing long dresses, pants, and covering your shoulders. Oran is the most liberal city in the country, so you are able to wear less conservative garb but dress accordingly when you leave the city.
8. Have Local Contacts Readily Available. Given Algeria’s instability, it’s crucial to have the basic emergency numbers programmed into your phone including the police and fire departments, poison control, ambulance, and other services. It’s also critical to know the location of your home country’s embassy in case there are any issues.
9. Stay at International Hotels. Given the constant terrorism and kidnapping threats, always stay at international hotels because they employ a separate level of security who are hired to protect the guests. While you may be fine staying in a hostel or ma and pa hotel, they won’t provide the necessary security as with an internationally branded establishment.
10. Use Insect Repellent. Insect-borne diseases are common in Oran and across the country including malaria, West Nile Virus, leishmaniasis, and chikungunya. To ensure you don’t catch a disease from an insect, consistently apply insect repellent, wear light-colored, long, and loose clothing, and ensure your accommodation is insect-proof. It’s also advisable to take malaria pills before traveling to Algeria.