Djerba and the Sahara by 4x4

1st day: In general

Milan - Djerba Arrival and transfer to hotel.

Who would have expected Tunisia to be so beautiful? A country so close to Italy (just a few hundred km from Sicily), one of the cheapest destinations in the world, yet a country profoundly different from our culture, with incredible natural scenery, excellent hotel service and the gateway to the splendid and feared Sahara Desert. The 4x4 tour allows you to reach extremely fascinating places, such as the Ksar Ghilane oasis, where you spend the night in a tented camp in the middle of the desert, surrounded by the yellow dunes of the Sahara and a starry sky that perhaps I have never seen anywhere else. Of course you have to adapt a bit: Bedouin tents are not a 5-star hotel, there are no double rooms and you sleep six to a tent, the camp beds are a bit uncomfortable, the blankets scratch, the toilets are shared and smelly, and your suitcases can only find space on the sand behind your bed.

But the feeling of being in a remote place, of sleeping with one foot in the cool sand of the desert, of dining on lamb freshly cooked over the fire and listening to Berber songs around a fire, fully repays you for a night spent without our comforts. In summer temperatures approach 40°, very dry and quite bearable, with the hope of not encountering the sirocco week (roughly once every 40-50 days), when the temperatures and the rise in humidity make the heat unbearable. Don't miss the optional excursion to Douz: the sunset over the sand dunes of the Sahara, on the back of a dromedary. To finish, the island of Djerba: a perfect climate even in the height of summer, always breezy, white beaches surrounded by palm trees, warm turquoise waters. The only drawback is the seaweed, which often infests the sea (at least the stretch in front of the Palm Azur), which is quite annoying.

2nd day: Djerba - Ksar Ghilane

Crossing the Roman bridge that connects the south of the island to the mainland, you reach Medenine and Metameur with a visit to the "Ghorfas", the ancient collective granaries that characterise the region. You continue deep into the region of the Ksour, ancient Berber fortifications: a stop at Ksar Hallouf and Zamour. In the afternoon, departure for Ksar Haddada and a visit to the Berber village of Chenini, perched on the mountains (the climb, however short, is very tiring because of the scorching heat, but it's worth it). Continue along the track to Ksar Ghilane, with a visit to the spring and the oasis. Opportunity to take a dip in a hot spring, just a few steps from the tall desert dunes. Then a walk in the dunes while waiting for sunset. Dinner and overnight stay in a camp with accommodation in Berber tents with 8/12 beds.

The camp can absolutely only be reached by 4x4 after several hours of desert tracks. It consists of an area where you eat at wooden tables under the awnings, an area with the toilets, and several 6-8 person tents in Bedouin style, that is, tall in the middle and very low at the sides. Naturally the floor is made of the finest desert sand. The feeling of sleeping on the camp bed with one foot caressing the cool desert sand is indescribable. Of course you have to adapt a bit: Bedouin tents are not a 5-star hotel, there are no double rooms and you sleep with strangers, the camp beds are a bit uncomfortable, the blankets scratch, the toilets are shared and smelly, and your luggage can only find space on the sand behind your bed.

But the feeling of being in a remote place, of sleeping with one foot in the cool sand of the desert, of dining on lamb freshly cooked over the fire and listening to Berber songs around a fire, fully repays you for a night spent without our comforts. Once you reach the camp you settle into the various tents, with another 4-6 people you didn't know until that moment, but who will inevitably become friends after the experience. The view is breathtaking over the tall yellow dunes of the desert, which towards evening, at sunset, turn red. When darkness falls, the great Bedouin celebration begins: dinner. Lamb cooked over the fire, spicy soups and the ever-present dates, which only here can be savoured in their true essence.

Once dinner is over, the jeep drivers turn into desert artists, and create a simple but extraordinary show, with guitars and drums accompanying the Berber songs and dances around the fire, to which you too are invited. But you only have to move a few hundred metres away to discover true silence, lying on the sand watching an unforgettable starry sky that will remain unique in my memories.

3rd day: Ksar Ghilane - Douz

Departure for Douz, through suggestive desert landscapes. In the afternoon, visit to the Oases of Nouail, Sabria and Zaafrane, with the opportunity for an optional walk on the back of a dromedary. The dromedary excursion is a must, because it will remain one of the most fascinating moments of the entire trip; you go deep into the real desert, among very tall dunes of the finest sand surrounded by sparse palm groves; then you walk until you reach the top of a dune to admire the sunset: an unforgettable experience.

4th day: Douz - Tozeur

Departure from Douz for Nefta, skirting the southern side of Chott El Jerid, an enormous salt lake that emerges from nowhere in the middle of the desert; the effect of the salt dried by the sun gives the water unnatural colours, from purple to light blue. In this area, looking at the horizon, you can see the famous "mirages".

5th day: Tozeur

Arrival in Nefta, visit to the city and the famous "Corbeille", a vast palm grove that you travel through by horse-drawn carriage, to admire the various crops that can be grown in an oasis. Return to Tozeur and visit to the Medina. After dinner, visit to the ethnographic museum "Dar Cherait".

6th day: Tozeur - Tamerza

Departure for the most scenically fascinating stop in Tunisia: the mountain oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Mides, in an unusual landscape of springs and deep gorges with a view of the "Grande Cascade". From the Tamerza Palace, a hotel with a splendid view over the ancient city of Tamerza, surrounded by splendid rocky mountains, a short walk leads to the discovery of its ruins.

7th day: Tamerza - Djerba

Departure for Matmata and visit to the area dotted with the characteristic troglodyte dwellings dug into the earth, the natural set of the film "Star Wars". You visit the interior of some dwellings, where people still live; here you can appreciate the coolness of the interiors of the houses compared to the heat outside. In the afternoon, return to Jerba by ferry and stop at Guellala, a characteristic village known for its ceramics, and Houmt Souk, the capital of the island.

8th - 14th day: Djerba - Hotel Palm Azur

One of the best resorts in Djerba, appreciable for the quality of the cuisine, for the structure, for the services offered at a moderate price. The beach is very beautiful, with white sand and surrounded by palm trees; access to the sea is a little awkward due to the presence of small rocks among the sand; the sea, warm and turquoise, is infested with quite a lot of seaweed. Honestly I found the sea at the main beach of the island (where the largest number of hotels are located) better, where there was no seaweed in the sea. Then again, you have to see whether this is a constant feature or whether it depends on the specific period in which I stayed.