4x4 safari to Ksar Ghilane and Matmata

Djerba island half-day tour

With ancient Roman architecture, whitewashed Berber villages and a history-packed capital, you'll find that there's much more to Djerba than just sand and sunshine. Star turns include the ancient causeway, Guellala and Houmt-Souk.

Djerba Explore Park Tour

This half-day tour shines the spotlight on Djerba Explore Park. A replica desert village, it's packed with attractions, shops and showpieces, including a museum on local history, a traditional ‘menzel' and lagoons filled with hungry crocodiles. Check it all out while learning more about Tunisian culture and heritage.

Tunisian Sahara three deserts and oasis overnight tour

There are so many types of desert – salt, sand and pebble – in the Tunisian Sahara that you'll need two days to discover them. This action-packed tour takes you to Chott Jerid, Onk Jemal and Douz. Plus, you'll explore Tozeur medina – and cinema buffs won't want to miss a visit to Matmata and Sidi Driss.Kick off day one at El Hamma market before heading to Chott Jerid, the Sahara's largest salt lake. Next, it's on to the city of palm trees, Tozeur, for lunch and check-in at the hotel. In the afternoon, rally through rugged landscapes on a 4x4 through the mountainous Onk Jemal. Here, you'll explore a film set city built exclusively for Star Wars. Rise and shine. We're off to check out the sandy desert of Douz, also known as the ‘Gateway to the Sahara'. After lunch, we'll stop off at the pebble desert of Erg en route to the lunar landscapes of Matmata and Sidi Driss – the famous filming locations of Star Wars. The trip comes to an end back in Djerba.

Tunisian Sahara villages and oasis overnight tour

The Tunisian Sahara is a desert of dreams, where sun-kissed dunes and camel-riding Beduins dwell in an ocean of endless sand. On this two-day tour, you'll discover sights worthy of a blockbuster movie. Explore places like the ‘Gharfas' granaries, the Tataouine markets, Cheninni and the underground residences of Matmata with an overnight stay in Ghilaine.Your first stop will be the Tataouine market. Unleash your inner Jedi as you stroll around the spice-scented souk for some eye-catching trinkets. You'll then retreat to the Berber mountain village of Chenini. Perched on a hilltop, the village has an ancient Ksar and a whitewashed mosque where villagers go to pray. Spend a night in the picturesque oasis of Ksar Ghilaine and enjoy an authentic Arabian night in the Sahara.In the morning you'll explore the villages of Matmata and Sidi Idriss Hotel, famous for its lunar landscape and some of the filming locations of Star Wars before finishing off your tour in the remote village of Toujene.

Ksar Ghilane Sahara Oasis Tour

This desert safari is the real deal – a fascinating journey to the famous Ksar Ghilane oasis. Located on the edge of Jebil National Park in the Sahara, it boasts a Bedouin camp as well as ancient Roman ruins. There's also stops at Ghrabat and Beni Khedache on the outward journey and at a Berber ksour on the way back, as well as a tasty lunch.It's an early start, but some things are worth getting out of bed for. After a quick refreshment stop in Ghrabat, and another in the village of Beni Khedache for impressive views, we'll arrive into Ksar Ghilane mid-morning. Nestled amidst the vast Saharan dunes, this desert oasis oozes beauty on every level – a seemingly impossible hot spring, lush-green palms and a Roman fortress are just some of its star turns. Spend the morning here, learning of its history and significance to Tunisian trade routes.After a local lunch, you'll start the journey back, but not before a visit to a typical Berber ksour. These fortified villages were strategically located along trade routes and served as vital centres for local communities.

Southern Tunisia tour with Star Wars™ cave village and lunch

This whistle-stop tour is perfect if you want to tick off southern Tunisia's desert sights in one day. You'll head for the hills and the village of Tamazret then visit Tunisia's biggest oasis plus an underground village that featured in Star Wars™. Hamdi, one of our local guides, says, ‘In the mountains of the south, you'll find Matmata, a cave village where the houses are hollowed out of the rock. The sandstone is soft enough to dig easily, so first they make a large pit and then dig out caves around the edge, to form underground rooms. Each room opens onto the base of the pit, which becomes a central courtyard.'First up, you'll make your way to the hilltop village of Tamezret, which is dotted with mudbrick houses. Here, the streets wind upwards to a whitewashed mosque, which gazes over the desert plains. We'll pause here for a coffee stop and a look around. Afterwards, you'll head for Douz, known as the ‘gateway to the Sahara'. Douz is also home to Tunisia's biggest oasis, where more half a million date palms merge into a stretch of dunes.Take the opportunity to don traditional Bedouin robes and snap up pics of the rolling sand dunes. Then, you'll stop for lunch at a hotel before visiting the troglodyte village at Matmata. Once you see the ingenious and Insta-perfect cave dwellings hewn into the rock, you'll understand why it landed a role as Luke Skywalker's home in Star Wars™.

Tataouine and Cheninni tour

Shifting desert sands, a sparkling salt lake, and an ancient village once the set of a Star Wars movie – this tour won't take you to a galaxy far, far, away, but it's worlds apart from the rest. You'll cross vast salt flats and explore troglodyte houses that film fans will recognize as Anakin Skywalker's home.

Flamingo Island pirate cruise in Tunisia

Leave Djerba behind for the day on this fun cruise through the Mediterranean. Sail to Flamingo Island on board a pirate galleon and you'll be wowed by live music on the sand. With plenty of time to swim or snorkel and a tasty lunch included, it promises to be an adventure on the waves.

Djerba island tour with crocodile farm

Causeways, capitals and crocs – this trip is Djerba in a nutshell. You'll stop by the bustling capital of Houmt souk, the pottery village of Guellala, Djerbahood and finish up at Djerba Explore – the biggest crocodile farm in the Mediteranean. Along the way, you'll see ancient architecture and enjoy a delicious lunch too.It all kicks off with a photo stop at an ancient Roman causeway – a low, rock-bridge that dates back to the 1st Century AD. On to Guellala and you've free time to explore this famed pottery centre. Shop for earthenware pots and bowls in the souk and learn all there is to know about traditional Berber life.Djerbahood is up next, where 150 artists from a total of 30 countries have brought the country's oldest village to life through street art. Then, it's on to the Djerban capital, Houmt-Souk, to wander the maze-like streets and soak up the atmosphere. Then, after lunch, we make a final stop at Djerba Explore. The biggest crocodile farm in the Med, it houses over 400 Nile River crocs.

Djerba Explore complex tour with pick-up

Unearth the wonders of Djerba Explore complex, featuring the Lella Hadria Museum, Heritage Village, and Crocodile Park.