Tunisia > The mountain oasis near Tozeur

Instead of a free morning in Tozeur, I choose a combined excursion to the mountain oasis of Chebika and a jeep safari through the desert. At eight o’clock, three off-road vehicles are ready in front of the hotel. Via the center of Tozeur, we drive back to the city gate. After about twenty kilometers, we turn off. We now drive towards the foot of the Atlas Mountains, which form the border with Algeria. It is astonishing how flat the desert we are driving through is and how the mountain range rises on the horizon. In the mountain range lies the Chebika oasis. In the 1960s, the village of Chebika was destroyed by weeks of heavy rain. At the foot of the mountains, the new village has been rebuilt. From the parking lot, we walk upward through the ruins of the village. Occasionally, we have to climb or pass through narrow rock crevices. Below me, I already hear the water from the oasis. Mohamed points the way on how to safely descend. Via a stone staircase, I finally reach the water. On the left is the spring of the oasis. The water comes out of the ground here. The small stream, surrounded by palm trees, forms a beautiful whole.

Tunisia - The beautiful Chebika oasis

We follow the creek to the waterfall. The path along the edge is narrow and has become wet from previous visitors. I feel I have little grip with my shoes. Carefully, I step from stone to stone. Without problems, I reach the small plateau with the waterfall. One fellow traveler is less lucky. She slips and injures her arm. Souvenir sellers try to sell me all kinds of things. I’m not very interested here. From the other side, we walk back to Chebika. The travelers who do not join the jeep safari return to Tozeur in one vehicle. Two vehicles drive into the desert. The driver accelerates considerably on the sandy track. As far as I can see, there is only sand. Occasionally, we pass rock formations. The driver drives the vehicle against a slope, causing us to lean sideways. Then he repeats this on the other side. We also drive up a slope without knowing what lies behind it. He lets the vehicle roll down the loose sand on the other side of the slope. It is a beautiful environment, and I have the impression the drivers know what they are doing.

Tunisia - The 4x4 vehicles drive through loose sand

The spectacular ride ends at Mos Espa. This is the location where the Star Wars film was shot. From a small hill, we see the set city. We walk down the hill. I immediately feel the sand getting into my shoes. I’ll get it out later. When everyone is down, the drivers let the vehicles drive down the slope. A spectacular sight. The fictional village of Mos Espa was built as a film set in the desert and was used as the home planet of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars. The set includes Anakin’s house, sandstone buildings, and marketplaces. After wandering around for about fifteen minutes, we drive out of the desert with the jeeps again. We arrive just before Nafta on the main road. From there, we drive to Tozeur for the medina. The medina Ouled el-Hadef of Tozeur is, unlike the earlier medinas, built of bricks. This gives the network of narrow streets a very different appearance. Before we leave Tozeur, we have lunch. Today’s menu is camel meat with spaghetti or couscous. As a starter, we get Tunisian Tajine. This savory pie is a local specialty.

Tunisia - The salt plain Chott el Djerid

South of Tozeur lies the salt flat Chott el Djerid. The lake is fed by mineral-rich water from underground springs. When the water evaporates, the salt remains. A highway has been built straight through the salt flat. The expanse is enormous. Along the route, a French company is extracting salt. The salt must be separated from the desert sand that regularly blows over the lake. At the end of the afternoon, we arrive in Douz. The city of Douz in Tunisia is known as the "Gateway to the Sahara" due to its location on the edge of the vast desert. In Douz, there is also the option to ride a camel at sunset. Two fellow travelers have chosen this. While they head into the desert on camelback, I take a seat on a chair and order a cola. Dusk falls. It is already dark when we drive the last hour and a half to Matmata. According to the traditional custom of the Berbers, the hotel is carved out of the rocks. This means the rooms are underground. The Berbers lived underground to protect themselves from the scorching heat in summer. After dinner, we have a drink in the bar. The bar is located in the basement. A large, somewhat uninviting room. When I go to bed, I notice how dark it is underground. I can’t see anything at all when the light goes out.

Tunisia - We sleep underground in Matmara