Douz, gateway to the Sahara: dunes, camels and the Thursday market

On the map, Douz is the last point before the void: to the south, nothing but the Grand Erg Oriental. In reality, it is a lively town in the Kebili region, surrounded by a great date-palm grove and bordered on the west by the first dunes. The M'razig nomads pitched their tents here, and Douz became the historic starting point for méharées, multi-day camel treks into the desert.

What to see and do

• The big dune: on the edge of the tourist zone, a tall isolated dune towers above the palm grove. This is where the sunset camel rides take place, with a view over the erg.
• The Thursday market: the weekly souk brings together the whole region, with a camel and sheep market, spices, dates and Bedouin crafts.
• The palm grove: hundreds of thousands of date palms (deglet nour variety) irrigated by a network of channels. A pleasant stroll, by horse-drawn carriage or on foot.
• The Sahara Museum: a small collection on nomadic life, tents, jewellery and camel training.
• Zaafrane and El Faouar: about ten kilometres away, the villages where the great dunes really begin and from which the méharées set off.

The International Sahara Festival

Every year at the end of December, Douz hosts the most famous festival of the Tunisian desert: camel races and sloughi greyhound races, horseback fantasia, re-enacted traditional weddings, Bedouin poetry and music. If your dates coincide, we adapt the programme to spend a day there.

Douz on our tours

From Djerba, Douz combines naturally with Matmata: the troglodyte houses in the morning, the dunes in the afternoon, with a camel ride at sunset. It is also the first-night stop of our 3-day tours to Tozeur, before the crossing of the Chott el Jerid.

Practical information

• From Djerba: about 220 km, a 3-hour drive via Gabès and Kebili, or via Matmata.
• Best season: October to April; the festival takes place at the end of December.
• What to bring: a scarf for the sandy wind, sunglasses, a fleece for the evening.