Catalytic activity of Ni/MgO-AN prepared from alcogel derived MgO was studied for the dry reforming of methane under atmospheric as well as high pressure (1.5 MPa). Different catalytic performances are observed in the atmospheric and high-pressure reactions; while the catalyst was highly active and extremely stable under atmospheric pressure it shows a self-stabilization process under high pressure. The self-stabilization process was characterized initially by a decrease in deactivation rate with increasing the reaction time-on-stream (TOS) up to ca. 12 h and then by a thereafter stabilization during the reaction. Characterizations of the coked catalyst with TPO, TEM, SEM, TPH and XRD techniques detected very little carbon deposits (ca. 0.2 wt% of the catalyst charge) on the used catalyst under atmospheric pressure. In contrast, large amount of whisker carbon deposit (ca. 100 wt% of the catalyst charge) were formed on the used catalyst under high pressure. In the high-pressure reaction, the activity decline during the initial stage was closely related to the amount of carbon deposits on the catalyst, which also became stabilized after the catalyst had served the reaction for ca. 12 h. The carbon deposits on the used catalyst in the high-pressure reaction contained two different components (alpha-carbon and beta-carbon) while the carbon deposits in the atmospheric pressure reaction were in the form of alpha-carbon. No notable sintering of metallic nickel was detected by XRD on the used catalyst in the reaction under atmospheric pressure whereas unavoidable sintering of metallic Ni particles happened within the very first hours of the high-pressure reaction.