Sahara Camping and Camel Treks from Douz

Before you book, read the latest US State Department and UK FCDO travel advice for Tunisia. Parts of the far south are military or border zones that tourists cannot enter, and desert trips should go through a licensed local operator.

The longer trips out of Douz are what many travellers come to Tunisia for: nights in the sand sea, a caravan of camels, a sky with no street lights. They are also the trips where preparation matters most. Pick a licensed operator based in the area, travel between October and April and read the closing section before you sign anything.

Sahara camping with camels

On a camel trek, known locally as a méharée, a small caravan heads south from Douz into the Grand Erg Oriental for anything from two days to a week. Camels carry the water, food and bags. The guides walk, and guests ride part of the way. Camp is made in a hollow, tea is brewed on the fire, flatbread is baked in the hot embers and everyone sleeps in a tent or on a mat. Pricing depends on duration, group size and standard, so ask operators for a written quote of what is included. Visit the animals before booking and walk away from any outfit whose camels carry heavy loads, have no shade or limp.

4x4 trips toward Jebil National Park

Jebil National Park protects about 150,000 hectares of dunes and desert, with its northern edge about 80 km south of Douz along a track. Tours of two or three days in a 4x4 finish with a night in a desert camp. The camps themselves are booked through the operator, who will say where they are and what they offer. Details on the park are in the Jebil National Park article .

Staying at Ksar Ghilane

Ksar Ghilane sits roughly 130 to 145 km from Douz, around 2 hours by road. Staying overnight gives time for the warm spring (about 29 C, from operator listings), the Roman fort of Tisavar under 1 km from the palms and a clear evening sky. Accommodation ranges from camps to a tented hotel and a guest house, and you can see current options on Ksar Ghilane accommodation search . Go with an operator and do not drive it yourself.

A road loop with Matmata

Some visitors link Douz, Ksar Ghilane and Matmata in a loop of two or three days. Matmata, with its houses dug into the ground, lies about 1.5 hours from Douz by car.

Staying safe in camp

  • Shake out boots and bedding every morning. Horned vipers and scorpions live in the sand, so never walk barefoot at dusk or at night.
  • Carry more water than seems necessary, plus a hat and a scarf.
  • Move into shelter if a sandstorm arrives. Drivers should leave the road and stop.
  • Slow down at checkpoints and never photograph military sites.
  • Refuse offers to hold fennec foxes for photos. Captive animals are sold to tourists, and owning one is illegal.

Closed areas

Douz, Kebili, Tozeur and Ksar Ghilane are not named in the UK Foreign Office warnings. The same page does advise against all travel in the militarised zone south of El Borma and Dhehiba, against all travel within 20 km of the rest of the Libyan border north of Dhehiba, and against all but essential travel within 75 km of that border. Check the FCDO warnings page and its map before leaving. No route toward Borj el Khadra, El Borma, Dhehiba or the Libyan and Algerian frontiers belongs in a tour plan.

Read more: shorter outings by car , or a trip for two .