# Southern Tunisia and its oases in 7 days Seven days and six nights in southern Tunisia: two nights in Djerba, the road through Matmata and Tamezret to two nights in Douz, the crossing of Chott el Djerid, then two nights in Tozeur with its medina, palm grove and the Star Wars sets, before flying home from Tozeur. Source : https://sabaro-travel.com/en/ideas/tunisie-sud-oasis-7-jours/ ## East to west, one way This trip crosses southern Tunisia from the sea to the desert in three two-night stages: the island of Djerba, Douz on the edge of the Sahara, and the oasis of Tozeur. You fly into Djerba and out of Tozeur, so you never retrace your steps. Djerba is a few hours' flight from Europe's main cities, direct or with one stop and Tozeur a few hours' flight from Europe's main cities, direct or with one stop. Distances are longer than on the coast but manageable: 129 km from Houmt Souk to Matmata, then on to Douz, and 121 km from Douz to Tozeur across Chott el Djerid, about two hours without stops. The price does not include transport; on these roads, a car with a driver is the easiest option. ## Stage 1: Djerba (days 1 and 2) ### Arrival Djerba-Zarzis airport is 18 km from the hotel. You stay at the [Hasdrubal Prestige Thalassa & Spa Djerba](/en/hotels/hasdrubal-prestige-djerba/) on Sidi Mahrez beach: 219 suites, an 11,000 m² thalassotherapy centre and a private sandy beach. Rates start at about €150 a night with breakfast, for a stay in March 2027. ### A day around the island [Djerba](/en/tunisia/djerba/) has been a World Heritage Site since 2023, recognised for the way its people settled the island: 24 monuments in seven areas, including Ibadi mosques, fondouks and a synagogue. A guided tour of the island and the Guellala museum covers it in a day. - **Houmt Souk**, the main town, keeps its fondouks, the old caravanserais, and a fish market where the catch is auctioned; market days are Monday and Thursday. Borj Ghazi Mustapha, a fort built in 1425, costs TND 8 and is closed on Fridays. - **Guellala** is the potters' village, its name taken from the Berber word for potters. The Guellala museum, on a hill, stages more than forty scenes of Djerban life. - **Erriadh** is home to Djerbahood, an open-air street art museum: more than 250 murals and installations painted in 2014 and 2021 by over 150 artists from some thirty countries. The nearby El Ghriba synagogue opens every day except Saturday; cover your head and shoulders, and expect a security check at the entrance. ## Stage 2: Matmata and Douz (days 3 and 4) ### The cave-dwellers' road You leave the island on the Ajim ferry, a short crossing that runs continuously. Matmata, a Berber village at 600 m, is known for its homes dug around circular courtyards. One of them, now the Hotel Sidi Driss, was the Lars family homestead in Star Wars. Ten kilometres west, on the road to Douz, Tamezret is a ridge-top village at 480 m with stone houses, an old synagogue, a hilltop mosque and a small museum of Berber culture. ### Douz, gateway to the Sahara [Douz](/en/tunisia/douz-sahara/) is the town of the Mrazig, once nomadic camel herders. On Thursdays, camels and donkeys are sold at the market. The Sahara Museum tells the story of nomadic life: tents, weaving, costumes, jewellery and the tattoos of the Nefzaoua tribes. It opens from 9.30 am to 4 pm local time in winter, closes on Mondays and costs TND 5. [The Residence Douz](/en/hotels/the-residence-douz/), opened in October 2023, has 50 villas set in a palm grove. There is a Clarins spa with a hammam and an indoor pool, a kids' club for ages 3 to 12, a permaculture farm and a cultural house offering cooking and craft workshops. You can ride a camel from reception to your villa. Rates start at about €340 a night, room only. The sand desert begins at the edge of town. Several European foreign ministries advise against tourist travel south of the line running from the Algerian border through Tozeur, Douz, Tataouine and Zarzis; they leave the towns of Douz and Tozeur open to visitors. This itinerary stays in town and at the hotel. ## Stage 3: the chott and Tozeur (days 5 and 6) ### Crossing Chott el Djerid Between Kebili and Tozeur, a paved road runs across Chott el Djerid, a vast salt flat known for its mirages. Stay on the road: off the tarmac, the salt crust can give way. ### Tozeur and the Star Wars sets [Tozeur](/en/tunisia/tozeur-nefta/) is the oasis of the Jerid. Its 14th-century Ouled el-Hadef quarter has façades of clay bricks laid in relief patterns. The palm grove, free to visit, covers nearly 1,000 ha with some 400,000 palms. Eden Palm, less than a kilometre from the centre, presents the date palm in a museum and botanical garden. A 4x4 trip with a driver visits the Star Wars sets north-west of town: the Ong Jmel rock, nicknamed the "camel's neck", which also appears in The English Patient, and Mos Espa, the set built for Episode I, released in 1999. A crescent-shaped dune is moving across the set at about 15 m a year. Our [Star Wars in Tunisia](/en/guides/star-wars-tunisie/) guide tells the story of the shoots. Nefta, about twenty kilometres to the west, is not included: some foreign ministries advise against tourist travel south of the line running from the Algerian border to Tozeur, and Nefta lies just south of it. [The Mora Sahara Tozeur](/en/hotels/the-mora-sahara-tozeur/), formerly the Anantara and renamed on 1 November 2025, stands on the edge of the desert facing the chott, 6.5 km from the airport. It has 93 suites and villas, many with a private pool, and a spa. Rates start at about €390 a night with breakfast. ## Day 7: flying home from Tozeur Tozeur is a few hours' flight from Europe's main cities, direct or with one stop. Its airport has direct flights to Paris only from October to June, one to three times a week depending on the month. Some foreign ministries recommend flying to reach the tourist areas of the south-west. If the flight days do not suit, Tunisair Express links Tozeur with Tunis, which has flights across Europe. ## Good to know - **When to go.** In Tozeur, average highs are 17 °C in January, 23 °C in March and 30 °C in October, reaching 40 °C in July. The south is best from October to April. - **Entry requirements.** Tunisia has required a passport from all travellers since 1 January 2025; the [visa and entry requirements](/en/guides/visa-tunisie/) guide covers the length of stay and the validity required. The rule for your country: (Depends on the traveller's country: see the table on https://sabaro-travel.com/en/ideas/tunisie-sud-oasis-7-jours/) - **Prices** include taxes; the tourist tax of TND 12 per person per night in 4- and 5-star hotels is paid at the hotel. Site admissions are paid in dinars, at TND 3.36 to €1 on 19 October 2026. - **Safety.** Djerba, Matmata, Douz and Tozeur lie outside every area advised against by the European foreign ministries Sabaro follows. The country has been under a state of emergency since November 2015, and several ministries ask for heightened vigilance. The [safety in Tunisia](/en/guides/securite-tunisie/) guide details the neighbouring zones; foreign ministries do not all give the same advice. Yours: (Depends on the traveller's country: see the table on https://sabaro-travel.com/en/ideas/tunisie-sud-oasis-7-jours/) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can we spend a night in the desert on this trip? This itinerary sleeps in towns, because several foreign ministries advise against the desert south of Douz. Our [night in the desert](/en/guides/nuit-dans-le-desert-tunisie/) guide sets out each ministry's advice. ### Can we loop back to Djerba instead? Yes, if the Tozeur flights do not suit. Allow for the drive back, about 230 km from Douz to Houmt Souk, on top of the 121 km from Tozeur to Douz. ### When is the Douz festival? The [International Festival of the Sahara](/en/events/festival-sahara-douz/) runs from 19 to 22 December 2026, its 58th edition. ### Is this trip suitable for children? Yes, once they can manage two or three hours on the road. The Residence Douz has a kids' club for ages 3 to 12, and The Mora Sahara Tozeur a games room and family villas.