Camels, Hammams and Birds in Tunisia
Please read first (advice as of 31 October 2026). Look up the latest US State Department and UK FCDO advice before you book, because some border and military zones are closed to tourists. Washington puts Tunisia at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, and London’s FCDO, in its 24 July 2026 update, names zones near Chaambi, Kasserine and the Libyan and Algerian borders where it says to stay away. Insurance can be void if you travel against that advice. The activities here are all outside those zones.
Active Tunisia in six pieces
- Desert on camelback (Douz). Douz sits where the palm groves end and the Grand Erg Oriental dunes begin. Rides range from a sunset hour to a night in a tent camp. The season is October to April. Pick a licensed operator, and watch how the camels are treated: shade at rest, water and a sensible load. Any price you hear is indicative until written down.
- Star Wars country by 4WD (Tozeur). Jeeps with a driver run from Tozeur to Ong Jemel and the Mos Espa set. Book a day ahead through your hotel or a certified driver. Hotel Sidi Driss at Matmata, a basic cave hotel, was Luke’s family home on screen, and the cantina exterior was a former bakery at Ajim on Djerba.
- Steam and scrub (the medinas). A traditional hammam gives you a hot marble slab, an olive-oil soap wash and a rubdown with a coarse mitt. Sessions are separate for women and men. Roughly 10 to 20 TND covers entry, soap and scrub. Gammarth, Hammamet and Djerba hotels sell spa packages for more.
- Wetland birds (Ichkeul). The lake near Bizerte is brackish and its salinity swings with the seasons. Come between November and February for geese, ducks and flamingos. Flamingos nested there for the first time on record in May 2026. Ask at the gate about entry and the visitor centre.
- Reefs and rock spires (Tabarka). The north-west coast is the diving base, with the sandstone needles known as Les Aiguilles and red coral. Diving runs from May to October. The cliff path along Les Aiguilles has been shut since a January 2026 landslide, so check locally before you set out.
- Walking in the old towns. The medinas of Tunis and Sousse reward unhurried walking. See the walking-tour page for routes.
The salt pan is not a lake
Crossing Chott el Djerid between Tozeur and Kebili, you stay on the raised P16 road. The chott is a dry salt crust with treacherous mud beneath it, so nobody boats or swims on it. Tozeur itself is a palm oasis watered by springs and has no lake for boating.
Heat and timing
Between June and August the coast is lively but the desert towns of Douz, Tozeur and Tataouine hit 40 to 46 degrees Celsius. In that season, go out only at dawn or dusk. Winter days in the Sahara are sunny at 18 to 22 degrees, with nights falling to between 3 and 7 degrees.
Paying and getting about
Shops and tours price in Tunisian dinars. Bring a bank card and exchange cash after you land. Hold on to every exchange slip, because changing dinars back at the airport is restricted. Louage shared vans and SNCFT trains link the cities, and Tunis has a metro and the TGM line to the northern suburbs.
Read more: our day trip planner and the guide to Tunisian sites .
For Sahara outings, compare operators on Viator . Reference pages: Discover Tunisia and FCDO advice for Tunisia .