From Hammamet · From Tunis
Sahara and Djerba in four days, with a guide
A private four-day tour from your hotel in Hammamet or Tunis: the amphitheatre of El Jem and the troglodyte houses of Matmata on the first day, a night in the Sahara at Ksar Ghilane with a camel ride and a hot spring, the fortified granaries of Tataouine and the hilltop village of Chenini on the second, then two nights on Djerba for Houmt Souk, the El Ghriba synagogue, the Djerbahood murals and the potters of Guellala. A guide approved by the Tunisian Tourist Office travels with you.
- 4 days
- Private tour
- 3 nights
- Guide approved by the Tunisian Tourist Office
- Lunch · included
- Entrance fees · included
Overview
Sahara and Djerba in 4 days: ksour, dunes and the island
Four days is what it takes to reach the real desert and still see the island. The first day drives south through the Roman plain and the Berber hills; the first night is at Ksar Ghilane, the southernmost of the Tunisian oases, where a hot spring comes out of the sand and the Grand Erg Oriental begins.
The second day crosses ksour country — the fortified granaries of Ksar Ouled Soltane, the ridge village of Chenini — and then the causeway to Djerba. The last two nights are on the island, which has enough in it for a week: a working medina, the oldest synagogue in North Africa, a village turned into an open-air mural gallery, and a potters’ town.
A guide approved by the Tunisian Tourist Office is included for the whole tour, along with every site entrance in the programme and the camel ride at Ksar Ghilane.
Highlights
- A night in the Sahara at Ksar Ghilane, with a camel ride and the hot spring included
- The ksour of the far south: Ksar Ouled Soltane and the ridge village of Chenini
- Two nights in a 4-star hotel on Djerba, with dinner and breakfast
- The El Ghriba synagogue and the Djerbahood murals of Erriadh
- A guide approved by the Tunisian Tourist Office for all four days
Photos
The tour, day by day
4 days in this order. Your driver may adapt the order of a day to traffic, weather and opening hours.
The route
4 days · 3 nights
- Pick-upAt your hotel
Day 1Ksar Ghilane
Day 2Djerba
Day 3Djerba- Day 4Gabès
- ReturnAt your hotel
Day 1
El Jem, Matmata and the Sahara at Ksar Ghilane
- Guesthouse or desert camp
- Dinner
The amphitheatre of El Jem
UNESCO World Heritage · 1979Entrance included
The road south starts with the largest Roman amphitheatre in Africa. Built entirely of cut stone on an open plain — neither dug into the ground nor leaning on a hill — it measures 148 by 122 metres and held an estimated 35,000 spectators. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979.
The troglodyte houses of Matmata
Entrance included
Matmata is an old Berber village spread over bare hills west of Gabès, and it hides below its own surface. Each house is a circular pit cut into the rock: an open courtyard decorated with painted designs, with rooms dug sideways into the walls and finished in smooth mud.
Ksar Ghilane, a gate of the Sahara
Entrance included
Ksar Ghilane is the southernmost of the Tunisian oases, on the eastern edge of the Grand Erg Oriental. A hot spring surfaces in the oasis and you can usually bathe in it. The first evening is for the sunset over the sand and the included camel ride; the night is in a guesthouse or a desert camp.
Day 2
Tataouine, Ksar Ouled Soltane, Chenini and on to Djerba
- 4-star hotel on Djerba
- Breakfast, Dinner
Tataouine
Entrance included
Tataouine is the capital of the far south and the base for the ksour country around it. Its market is the place to understand how the region lives, and its population is a long-settled mix of Berber and Arab.
Ksar Ouled Soltane
Entrance included
A fortified granary built by Berber communities in the fifteenth century, about twenty kilometres south of Tataouine. It is laid out as two courtyards ringed by vaulted cells called ghorfas, stacked several storeys high. Granaries were fortified and built on hills because food reserves attracted raiders.
Chenini, a village on a ridge
Entrance included
Chenini is a Berber hilltop village about eighteen kilometres from Tataouine, built up a steep slope on three levels and crowned by a ruined hilltop castle that was probably used to store grain. Its oldest buildings date from the twelfth century, and some are still used to store grain by the families who live in the valley below. One of its mosques is partly cut into the rock.
Crossing to Djerba
UNESCO World Heritage · 2023Entrance included
The day ends on the island, reached by the causeway from the mainland. Djerba is Mediterranean in its beaches and North African in its white villages, with Berber, Arab, Jewish and African layers in the same square kilometre. Two nights here, in a 4-star hotel.
Day 3
Djerba: Houmt Souk, El Ghriba, Erriadh and Guellala
- 4-star hotel on Djerba
- Breakfast, Dinner
Houmt Souk and Borj el Kebir
Entrance included
The island’s capital, built around covered souks and arcaded squares, with historic mosques, Greek Orthodox and Maltese churches, caravanserais and artisan workshops in the oldest quarter. On the shore stands Borj el Kebir, the sixteenth-century fortress that was the site of the Battle of Djerba between the Ottomans and the Spanish. The fishing port and its daily auction are a short walk away.
The El Ghriba synagogue
Entrance included
El Ghriba is the oldest working synagogue in North Africa and the spiritual centre of the Jewish community of Djerba, one of the last living Jewish communities in the Arab world. It draws an annual pilgrimage at Lag BaOmer. It is closed on Saturdays.
Erriadh and the Djerbahood murals
UNESCO World Heritage · 2023Entrance included
Erriadh is the village around the synagogue, and since 2014 its lanes have doubled as an open-air gallery: Djerbahood, launched by a Paris gallery, brought together artists from thirty countries to paint some 250 works on its walls. New murals have been added since.
Guellala, the potters’ village
Entrance included
Guellala has made pots from the island’s clay for as long as anyone can document, and its ethnographic museum is devoted to the customs of the islanders. Nearby stand groves with one of the highest concentrations of ancient olive trees in Tunisia.
Day 4
The return by Mareth and Gabès
- End of the tour
- Breakfast
The Mareth Line museum
Entrance included
The Mareth Line was a belt of fortifications built by France to defend Tunisia against an Italian invasion from Libya; in 1943 Rommel re-fortified it during his retreat from Egypt, and it was eventually overwhelmed. The museum lays out the battle, and outside there are guns, bunkers and old trenches.
Gabès, an oasis on the sea
Entrance included
Gabès is the last stop before the drive north. It is the rare place that is both a coastal oasis and a working seaport — palm trees on one side of the road, industry on the other.
Nights and meals
Where you sleep each night and which meals are included, day by day.
| Day | Night | Meals included |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Guesthouse or desert camp | Dinner |
| Day 2 | 4-star hotel on Djerba | Breakfast, Dinner |
| Day 3 | 4-star hotel on Djerba | Breakfast, Dinner |
| Day 4 | End of the tour | Breakfast |
What is included
The price covers everything listed under "Included". Anything else is up to you.
Included
- One night in a guesthouse or desert camp at Ksar Ghilane
- Two nights in a 4-star hotel on Djerba
- Three dinners
- Three breakfasts
- A guide approved by the Tunisian Tourist Office
- Camel ride at Ksar Ghilane
- Air-conditioned private vehicle for your group only
- Entrance fees to the sites and museums in the programme
Not included
- Lunch
- Quad bike outing at Ksar Ghilane€30per person
Good to know
- The quad ride at Ksar Ghilane
- The quad outing at Ksar Ghilane is an optional extra, at 30 euros per person. The camel ride is included.
- The night in the desert
- Ksar Ghilane is a guesthouse or a desert camp, not a 4-star hotel. That is the point of it: the sky is the attraction. Bring a warm layer, because desert nights are cold even after hot days.
- El Ghriba closes on Saturdays
- The synagogue is closed on Saturdays and during the Lag BaOmer pilgrimage it is extremely busy. Tell us your dates and we will arrange the Djerba day around what is open.
- Lunch is not included
- Three dinners and three breakfasts are included. Lunch is not, on any of the four days.
Questions about this tour
How much does this tour cost?
One adult travelling alone pays €1,100. In a group of two to six, each adult pays €550, and children aged 2 to 11 pay €300. For more than six people we quote on request.
Is this really a four-day tour?
Yes. The programme runs four days and three nights: one night at Ksar Ghilane and two on Djerba.
What is included?
Three nights of accommodation, three dinners and three breakfasts, a private air-conditioned vehicle, a guide approved by the Tunisian Tourist Office, the entrance fees to the sites in the programme, and the camel ride at Ksar Ghilane.
Is the camel ride included, or extra?
Included. The quad outing at Ksar Ghilane is the one priced separately, at 30 euros per person.
Where does the tour start?
At your hotel, in Hammamet or in Tunis. We send the pick-up time with your written confirmation.
Is it suitable for children?
Children aged 2 to 11 travel at a reduced price. The first and last days are long drives and the desert night is basic, so it suits older children better than toddlers.
Plan my day
Ask about this tour
Send us your dates and your group: we reply with availability, the hotels, the pick-up time and the full price in writing.
- A warm welcome to TunisiaShare your dates and where you are staying; we take it from there.
- A day shaped around youWe suggest the right trip for your hotel or ship, and for your hours.
- Clear answers, in writingPrice, pick-up time and itinerary confirmed before you decide.
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from€550per adult
