The name “Sahara” is derived from a dialectal Arabic word “ṣaḥra”, which means “desert“. We had an opportunity to visit it during our summer vacation in Tunisia. Well, it was in August 2004, but memories of the Sahara Desert scenes are still enduring.

Visiting Tunisia without seeing the Sahara is not a complete trip. Even if it takes two or three days of your vacation, it is worth seeing. During the trip, you cross over 1.000 km by bus and by jeep. It is a very interesting and intensive journey, and you don’t have time to think about the distance.

Just relax and enjoy every moment in the Sahara Desert.

Somewhere in the Sahara Desert

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The first day in the Sahara

El Jem, the Roman amphitheatre

Our two-day Sahara safari started early in the morning from Yasmine Hammamet, where our hotel was located. First, we passed by Sousse, Tunisia’s third-biggest city, an important port, commercial and tourist destination.

The first stop was El Jem, located about 140 km from Yasmine Hammamet. It is a small village, known for the Roman Colosseum. Yes, it is a little bit unusual to see an amphitheatre in the middle of Tunisia. El Jem is the third biggest amphitheatre in the world, after the Colosseum of Rome and Verona, as well.

Today, the International Symphonic Music Festival takes place in El Jem during July and August.

El Jem postcard, Tunisia

History of El Jem

El Jem was constructed between 230 and 238 A.D. under the command of the Roman Imperial official Gordian. It was made of stone blocks, according to the model of the Colosseum of Rome. This impressive monument is 148 meters long and 122 meters wide. After Gordian’s death, the construction was stopped and never finished. But it used to host 35,000 visitors who watched gladiators’ games.

Despite some walls missing, El Jem is one of the best-preserved amphitheatres in the world, thanks to high temperatures, sand, and a dry climate.

The walls of the El Jem Amphitheatre

It is an incredible feeling to walk around the colonnades, walls, and amphitheatre.

El Jem Amphitheatre

Be careful during the visit because the steps are very narrow.

El Jem Amphitheatre

You can sit on the steps or stand in the middle of the arena, which is 65 meters long and 39 meters wide.

El Jem Amphitheatre

And you can take a walk in the underground basement area as well.

Underground basement in El Jem

It is a unique feeling. Try to imagine the scenes of gladiators and wild animals, which were kept in cells before terrible fights in the arena, while the crowd outside was yelling and cheering. And if the walls could speak, who knows what stories they would tell us!

The Berber village of Matmata in the Sahara Desert

After visiting El Jem, we continued our journey to Matmata, in southern Tunisia.

Sahara landscape

On the hill, in the distance, you can see big white letters: MATMATA and WELCOME as well.
The landscape is unusual and fascinating: hills, curves, valleys.

Matmata Hill

Matmata is a Berber village, known for its special troglodyte caves. Actually, they are homes, dug into the ground, to protect inhabitants from heat and enemies. First, they dug one big circular hole. Then they dug around the edges, making the underground rooms, with one free space in the centre, like a little courtyard.
The outdoor temperatures could be almost 50°C, but the indoor temperature is pleasant at 20°C.

Usually, these homes consist of several small rooms with simple decorations and hand-woven carpets, wooden furniture, and clay pots. This village was almost unknown until the huge flooding in 1967. After that, some families moved to cities and modern houses. But some of them still live here.

The inhabitants of these unique dwellings can allow you to enter the houses and take photos. Prepare to buy handicrafts or give some money in exchange, because they make their living from tourism and the cultivation of olives.

Above the entrance of the caves, there are symbols of blue hands. This sign is usually known as Hamsa or the Hand of Fatima, which means to protect women from the evil eye, boost fertility, and strengthen the weak as well.

Matmata’s underground house

Matmata and the Star Wars

Today, Matmata is one of the major tourist locations in Tunisia. It is also famous because some scenes from Star Wars were filmed here (Luke Skywalker’s childhood home on the planet of Tatooine). One of these houses was transformed into the Sidi Driss Hotel.

Douz oasis and camels

Our next stop was Douz, known as the gateway to the Sahara because it is located on the edge of the desert. It is about a two-hour drive from Matmata. Douz is a desert village with an oasis and numerous palm trees. In the past, it was an important stop on caravan routes across the Sahara, especially from the 8^th century until the early 17^th century.

Riding the camels through the Sahara Desert

And it was time for a new adventure: a camel ride! We dressed in traditional Bedouin clothes, put scarves over our mouths, and prepared for the camel caravan.

These camels have only one hump. But you have to be careful: camels stand up on their back legs. So if you don’t hold well to the saddle, you can end up on the sand overthrown across the camel’s head!

Riding camels in the desert

I have to say that it is not as comfortable as it seems when you watch movies. Not at all! We had leg muscle pain only after one hour of riding. I could only imagine what it would be like after one or more days

I, riding camels in the desert

And the desert sand is so fine that you have the feeling that it crumbles under your teeth when you breathe! Riding camels during the sunset was a fantastic adventure. You are surrounded by the vast space of sand and dunes, while camels in the caravan are moving slowly and pushing each other.

Sahara sunset

The sun went down very soon. It was the moment we said goodbye to the camels and our guides. So we went back to the hotel in the desert for dinner and refreshments in the pool. Another day in the desert awaits us.

Riding the camel in the desert

The second day in the Sahara

On the second day of our Sahara trip, we first saw sandstone in different sizes and shapes.
I can’t remember the whole story (uh, it was 15 years ago), but I wrote on the back of photos that they were petrified graves.

Sahara scenes

And then we came to the next fantastic spot: the salt lake.

Chott El Jerid – the salt lake in the Sahara desert

Chott El Jerid is the largest salt lake in the Sahara. It is about 20 km wide and 250 km long, covering about 5.000 km².
There is water in the lake only during the winter, and you can cross the lake by boat. In other periods, the lake is almost dried up. Temperatures are high, sometimes reaching 50°C during the summer. So water evaporates from the lake, leaving incredible scenes, including numerous mirages (fata morganas).

The bottom of the lake is between 10 and 25 meters below sea level. It is believed that there was once a sea here, but it has retreated. Today, there are huge reserves of salt, which are processed and then exported.

In the middle of the lake, there is an embankment and a road. The German general Erwin Rommel, popularly known as the Desert Fox, used this route during the Second World War and his offensive in southern Tunisia as well. Probably, he followed the former routes of Arab traders and caravans.

The lake can be crossed on foot during the summer. But you should not drive a car, because the salt crust is thin and of different thicknesses. One of the attempts to cross the lake did not end well. The bus with tourists was stuck in the soft lake bottom, and you can see its remains in the photo. Today it is a tourist attraction and a warning sign to stick to the main road

Stuck bus in Lake Chott el Jerid

The colourful water of Chott El Jerid

All around the main road, there are small poles and channels. They are filled with water in different colours: blue, purple, pink, green, and white, depending on mineral content. It can be seen from March to August, and it looks almost unbelievable!

The amazing colours of the Chott el Jerid Lake

Here you can find some salt sculptures, like a camel.

Salt camel, Chott el Jerid Lake

Or you can find an abandoned boat and a hotel as well

Sahara desert, 4-star hotel, Chott el Jerid Lake, Tunisia

In the hot season, the salts crystallise and get a specific form, hardened by the sun and wind. This calcium crystal is known as the desert rose. They are the must-have souvenir, the symbol of the desert. You can buy it or find it in the lake.

Desert roses from the Sahara

On the shores of the salt lake, there are town oases, such as Kebili, Nefta, Douz, and Tozeur.

Tozeur and the Star Wars film set

We continued our trip towards southwest Tunisia, and we arrived in Tozeur. It is a town and oasis with hundreds of thousands of palm trees and delicious dates.

And for Star Wars fans, this was a real moment of joy. Near the city, there are still the remains of the Star Wars set: the houses from the fictional planet of Tatooine.

Mos Espa film set from Star Wars: Episode 1, Tunisia

It was very interesting to walk around this filming site, with the feeling of being “lost in time on a Star Wars planet”.

Sahara, Star Wars film location

Jeep ride across the Sahara dunes

During our journey across the desert, we had a real jeep safari ride. Oh, yes, we screamed a lot while the drivers raced across the dunes and around them! Some moments were a bit terrifying, but we enjoyed the ride.

Jeep ride across the dunes of the Sahara

At one moment, in the distance, we clearly saw the lake in the desert. Actually, it was not a lake, only a fata morgana (mirage). It looked so real that we could swear that the lake was in front of us. We took photos, but there was just sand, no water, unbelievable!
And then we realised what it meant to be lost in the desert, without water!

An oasis in the Sahara desert: Tamerza and Chebika

The road with serpentines leads across parts of the Atlas Mountains.

We are passing the amazing Sahara landscapes, where the famous romantic movie “The English Patient“ was filmed in 1996. I am sure you can remember the great and tragic love story during the Second World War, between a Hungarian cartographer who mapped the Sahara and an English woman.

Sahara landscape, Tunisia

After a heavy patch of road, with a lot of curves and serpentines, we arrived in Tamerza, the largest mountain oasis of Tunisia.
It was abandoned after the huge flood in 1969. The Algerian border is only a few kilometres from there. The freshwater comes from the hills. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to explore the grand canyon, the abandoned old town, and the waterfalls.

Chebika oasis

Close to Tamerza, at the foot of the mountains and surrounded by palm trees, there is another beautiful oasis: Chébika.

Chebika oasis in the Sahara Desert

I remember that we climbed a goat path, through the narrow stone passages, and reached the waterfall surrounded by palm trees. And an unusual scene: some people were washing their faces while others were cooling their feet, one next to another!

Since it was a very hot day, feeling the cold water in the desert was indescribable!

Chebika waterfall, Tunisia

Kairouan, the holy city in the Sahara

We finished our journey by visiting the carpet factory and seeing a panoramic view of Kairoun city.
It is the fourth holy city in the Islamic religion, and the pilgrimage to Kairouan is very important.

The Great Mosque of Kairouan is 127 meters long and about 70 meters wide. It is the oldest mosque in Tunisia and the largest in Africa as well.  It is also known as the Mosque of Ugba, and it is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The Great Mosque of Kairouan

From the outside, it looks like a fortress building, with a minaret, a prayer room, and a huge courtyard in the middle.
After Kairouan, we came back to our hotel, tired but filled with amazing impressions.

The Great Mosque of Kairouan

Dreaming of the Sahara desert

Tunisia is a famous tourist destination because of the warm sea, sand beaches, and big resorts.
But if you have enough time and feel a little bit adventurous, think about an excursion to the Sahara Desert. Well, it is an unforgettable experience.

Wander among the walls of El Jem and visit Matmata houses.
Try riding a camel at sunset, and sleep in a hotel or a tent in the oasis.
Walk along the bottom of the salt lake Chott El Jerid.
Take photos of Star Wars filming locations.
Join a jeep safari across the desert dunes.

And feel the powdery sand under your feet somewhere in the desert. Well, that’s something else.

Sand in the Sahara desert

The fantastic feeling of freedom flows through your veins because there is nothing around you for kilometres and kilometres.
Just sand and dunes.
At that moment, you realise how fragile we are and how all our problems are small and so far away from us.

In your head, you can hear the gorgeous voice of the British musician Sting singing “Desert Rose”.

Sahara Desert, Tunisia

And then, take a deep breath.
Close your eyes and feel the touch of the Sahara Desert.