The Lure of the Oases
Amid southern Tunisia's magnificent rugged scenery lie fertile oasis towns and villages: fascinating places to soak up desert warmth when it's cooler by the coast
The Tunisian Sahara is far more varied and beautiful than you might imagine and most of it is accessible by road: good roads which easily negotiate dry wadis, dramatic roughly-chiselled heights or wide, undulating landscapes dotted with tenacious scrub. Here, goats and camels graze and, in rocky crevices, small gazelles and long-eared desert foxes hide. Often, tufts of yellow grass create a haze of subtle colour, while by the roadside spiky agaves and pale blue desert flowers bloom.
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The Chott el Jerid is something else: wastes of impacted salt left from some long-ago sea. Even with the odd long-distance lorry thundering by on the highway, the Chott seems a place forsaken – until you come to a roadside shack selling soft drinks and crystalline "desert roses". Then, there is the dune desert with sand as fine as flour, great sweeps and troughs of it, the wind ruffling the surface into a kaleidoscope of patterns – picture-book Sahara where camels are the only transport.
In between all of this are the oasis towns and villages where you can stay in top-class comfort yet have an entrée to the spectacle of the wilderness and its ancient Berber settlements. Since time immemorial desert peoples have managed to tame the Sahara, tapping into underground streams to work the miracle of irrigation. In the oases, vast tracts of date palms flourish, beneath them oranges, olives and apricots, while at the lowest level cabbages, lettuces, tomatoes and onions thrive. Where there is water, there is life. And in Tozeur, Tamerza and Ksar Ghilane, there is also the good life...
Touchdown in Tozeur
Tozeur's Palmery is Tunisia's largest oasis, covering over 2,500 acres. It is the raison d'être of this pleasant market town with fancy brickwork the colour of powdered ginger. The old quarter's sandy lanes lead to buildings dating back to the 14th century, and a small museum explains the history of the oasis. Outside the medina are a wealth of handicraft shops, cafés and restaurants. A walk through the beautiful Paradise Gardens, laid out in 1935, is a must. Here, it is extraordinary to see English cottage favourites like hollyhocks, daisies, roses and violets growing alongside bougainvillea, henna plants and pomegranates. A small zoo shows some of the desert's natural inhabitants – sidewinder snakes, lizards and moufflons. Our hotels in Tozeur are in a smart new suburb away from the bustle of the town, but its attractions are only a taxi ride away.
The road to Tamerza
It’s an hour’s drive from Tozeur to Tamerza: a fascinating route, at first straight as a runway, passing windbreaks made from dried palm fronds, irrigation systems like Shinto temple gates and green gashes of smaller oases. After the Chott, the road winds up through stunning terrain towards the Chebika oasis, its pretty waterfall, café stop and shops. Finally you come to the remote mountain oasis town of Tamerza. An easy but memorable drive, affording some of the best scenery in the country. Tamerza's spectacular location – seen in the Star Wars film, Episode 1 The Phantom Menace – and that of the nearby small village of Midès, presiding over its canyon and cascades, are truly unforgettable.
Ksar Ghilane – a view of infinity
Now that the road leading to the oasis of Ksar Ghilane is resurfaced, you can make your own way by hire-car; or, if you feel more adventurous and choose to experience the rough tracks, you can opt for a four-wheel-drive and an expert driver. Your destination is a tiny oasis in a sea of sand with its palm grove and hot spring, a haven of peace where camels await to take you on a sunset or sunrise trek over the dunes.
How to get the best of the oases
Based at Tozeur, you can do a day excursion to Chebika and Tamerza. Or you can split your time between the two. But an excursion to Ksar Ghilane is unforgettable. Most people choose to stay there one or two nights but if you wish you can stay longer. Once again, flexibility is the key. Wigmore can arrange any permutation of these three places to stay.
Excursions
Mountain Oases By 4WD. Visit to the three mountain oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Midès including waterfalls, Berber village ruins and canyons.
Half day: £15 (minimum 4)
Onk Jmel and Nefta By 4WD vehicle across El Gharsa salt lake, the dunes of Lariguette. Visit the Star Wars film set then Nefta oasis and watch the sunset on the dunes outside Nefta.
Half day: £12 (minimum 4)
Red Lizard & Mountain Oases Ride through the Selja Gorges aboard the Red Lizard train and proceed by 4WD to visit the mountain oases of Midès, Tamerza and Chebika.
Full day: £44 (minimum 4)
Tozeur, Kebili, Douz By 4WD vehicle across the Chott El Jerid salt flats, visit the oasis of Douz and the dunes of Zaafrane.
Full day: £28 (minimum 4)
All excursions, which are subject to availability, must be booked on arrival and paid for in dinars. Prices are approximate. Full-day excursions include lunch.
