Walking Tours of Douz: A Two Hour Town Circuit

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.

Douz can be seen on foot in an easy morning. Formal walking tours are not a feature here, so this page is a do-it-yourself route plus a warning about walking beyond the last houses. The whole town circuit is flat.

Route through the centre

  1. Begin at the Place du Souk. The arcades keep the sun off, and leatherworkers stitch slippers while weavers sell wool.
  2. Follow the road a short way to the Musée du Sahara, in the centre of the town. Check locally for hours and the ticket price.
  3. Head south until the paving thins and sand takes over at Henchir El Rmah, the festival ground, with dunes on the horizon.

Allow about 2 hours with stops. Bargaining is normal in the market, and prices are in Tunisian dinars.

Walking in the oasis

Tracks run among the date palms toward the nearby village of Zaafrane. The shade and the irrigation channels make the route restful. Stay on the main tracks so that you do not lose your bearings, and take water. From October to December you may see the dates being harvested.

A Thursday start

If your stay includes a Thursday, spend the morning at the weekly souk and livestock market. The camel trade there varies from week to week.

Beyond the last houses

The sand sea is no place for an unguided stroll. Dunes move, wind wipes out footprints, landmarks are scarce and the body loses water fast. Trouble can start within about 1 km of the edge of town. To see the dunes properly, go on a guided camel ride, or hire a licensed operator for a trek.

Walking advice

  • Between October and April, any hour is fine. In summer, walk only around dawn and dusk, because the heat is extreme.
  • Wear closed shoes. Scorpions and horned vipers live in the sand, and barefoot walking at dusk is risky.
  • Take water, plus a hat and a scarf to keep sand out of your face.
  • If sand starts to fly, shelter indoors.
  • Touts near the dunes may show you a fennec fox on a lead. Do not pay for a photo, since that fuels the trade, and a captive fennec is illegal to keep.

Guided options

A camel ride from the dune fringe costs about 30 TND for one hour. A guided walk or ride can be compared through walking tours in Douz . The FCDO safety page explains checkpoints, sand drifts and heat.

Read more: the sights worth a stop , or outings beyond town .