DEPARTURE FROM ZARZIS GREAT TRIP IN SOUTH TUNISIA
TOZEUR - NEFTA-DOUZ - KSAR GHILANE - TATAOUINE
DESERT TRIP FROM ZARZIS
THE GREAT SOUTH TUNISIAN
TATAOUINE, DOUZ, TOZEUR, NEFTA, KSAR GHILANE
To discover all aspects of the great Tunisian south
We will pick you up from your place of stay in Zarzis.
Our tour begins with the southeast region. the Jebel Dahar,
where we discover many Berber villages.
The best known as Matmata, Toujane and Chenini, but also
magnificent ksour off tourist routes.
All these places bear witness to the rich cultural and historical past
of this beautiful Berber region.
Our circuit continues towards the west, at the edge of Chott El Jerid,
these are the largest oases producing dates "Les Deglet Nour", then we cross this salt lake to reach Tozeur and its Medina.
Even further west, in the mountains, not far from the Algerian border, springs spring up and small oases offer their shade, Tamerza and its waterfalls, Midès and its canyons
and finally the very beautiful oasis of Chebika.
We go even further south of these oases where the vegetation disappears and gives way to the Sahara.
As far as the eye can see stretch the dunes of the great oriental erg, the sand
is white towards Douz and becomes Ocher Safran towards Ksar Ghilane.
During your tour you can sleep in the Sahara either in a bivouac or in a camp.
The night under the starry desert sky is an unforgettable experience!
This region is really the ideal place for 4 × 4 tours
because many places are not accessible for vehicles
tourism.
Matmata.
This village is renowned for its remarkable cave dwellings
which make it one of the high places of Tunisian tourism.
Star Wars movie scenes were filmed there.
Douz.
Known as the "gateway to the Sahara". During Antiquity, it was the oasis
the largest in the region. Until recently,
it was an essential stopover for caravans during their journeys between the Sahara and northern Tunisia.
In December it held the International Festival of the Sahara.
The Chott El Jerid
Salt lake, nearly a hundred kilometers long from East to West.
The Chott El Jerid has no altitude below 15 meters,
it is above sea level, in contrast to a strongly held belief.
Tozeur
Located northwest of Chott El Jerid, It is one of the oases at the gates of the Sahara Desert.
Tozeur is a city with an important and known religious past
for his scholars.
This city is also a large producer of dates, 35,000 tonnes, of which 4,000 come from organic farming and two-thirds of the production is the variety Deglet Nour (Light finger).
In the past there was the "Red Lizard", Metlaoui tourist train, located between Tozeur and Gafsa, is a must for visiting the region.
This legendary train crosses the mountains through the tunnels and the Selja gorges. Unfortunately, a landslide blocked
the valley and the rails in 2018, the road is still not open.
THE MOUNTAIN OASIS
Chebika is, along with Tamerza and Midès, one of the three most famous mountain oases in Tunisia. 1 hour drive northwest
from Tozeur, after crossing the chott (salt lake) el-Gharsa, the oasis
Chebika mountain clings to the side of desolate rocks. Chebika is an oasis located in a deep gorge.
If you climb to the mausoleum, you will have a magnificent view
on the chott, the oasis and the mountains.
Tamerza
Located in a small valley on the mountainside, Tamerza stretches
on the south bank of Horchane wadi facing jagged massifs
and offers a splendid lunar landscape. In Tamerza. The wadi springs
rocks, bathing palm trees. It is in this region of oases
mountains with its waterfalls, that certain scenes from the film "The English Patient" were filmed .
Midès
Hanging on the edge of a canyon where we find fossils
and colored minerals. The new village of Midès is at the heart
from the neighboring palm grove which provides dates, oranges and figs.
The site was notably used for certain scenes of the shooting
the film "The English Patient and Fort Saganne".
Ksar Ghilane
The southernmost of the Tunisian oases and one of the gates of the Tunisian Sahara Desert, the oasis is supplied by a spring,
which irrigates the palm grove
This oasis serves as a refuge for around fifty families of nomads living from the exploitation of the date palm, the breeding of goats and sheep. You can optionally take a walk
by camel or quad to visit the ancient Roman fort of Tisavar
Chenini
Very beautiful site and also the most visited located 18 km west of Tataouine, perched on a ridge. you will discover the cave dwellings, built in the rock.
Guermassa
It will take a 4x4 to reach the ancient village of Guermessa, this Berber town clinging to the hillside village preserved unfortunately less than others.
Ksar Ouled Soltane
Ksar with 4 floors, Ouled Soltane is an Arab Ksar and not Berber,
unfortified.
Made of the finest ghorfas 4 floors of the region.
Ksar Hadada
5 km north of Ghomrassen, consists of 380 one-storey Ghorfa. It served as a set for the movie "Star Wars" in 1999.
TUNISIAN GREAT SOUTH TOUR FROM ZARZIS
FOUR DAY TOUR
Day 1
Pick-up at your place of stay in Zarzis and departure for Matmata,
Homestay cave house visit
Berber museum visit
Departure for Douz and lunch in a restaurant
Camel trekking between oasis and sand dunes
Dinner at the restaurant and overnight in a gite hotel in Tozeur
Day 2
Departure for Tozeur by Chott El Jérid
Visit of the palm plantation irrigation system
Visit the petrified dunes
Crossing of Chott El Jerid, the salt lake
Lunch in Tozeur and visit to the Tozeur museum
Visit of the Star War decor in the desert at Ong Jmal
and sunset.
Dinner at the restaurant and overnight stay in a hotel in Tozeur
Day 3
Departure for the mountain oases.
Visit the oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Mides
Return to Douz for lunch
Departure for Ksar Ghilane by the track or the road according to the season
Free time for visit and bath in the hot spring
Optional: Camel ride or quad ride
Departure by track for dinner camp and tent accommodation
in the desert.
Day 4
Free time in the dunes of Eastern Sahara
Departure for the visit of the village of Chenini
Lunch in a restaurant in the village of Guermassa
Visit to the citadel of Guermassa
Visit of the Ksar Ouled Soltane
Visit of Ksar Hadada
Return to Zarzis and drop off at your place of stay or at the airport
Trip on 4 days from Zarzis
Our tours include meals and accommodation,
either at the hotel or homestay.
Price per person, based on 4 people: 315 €
Price per person, based on 3 people: 375 €
Price per person, based on 2 people: 415 €
(*) The price includes:
Transportation by 4X4 car based on a minimum of 2 people
by car, the services of an ONTT certified guide,
accommodation, full board lunch
from the first day to lunch of the last day, the camel ride.
The following are excluded from the price: Drinks of all kinds.
All that is not mentioned in the section "the price includes".
