Amid southern Tunisia's magnificent rugged scenery lie fertile oasis towns and villages: fascinating places to soak up desert warmth when it's cooler by the coast
The Tunisian Sahara is far more varied and beautiful than you might imagine and most of it is accessible by road: good roads which easily negotiate dry wadis, dramatic roughly-chiselled heights or wide, undulating landscapes dotted with tenacious scrub. Here, goats and camels graze and, in rocky crevices, small gazelles and long-eared desert foxes hide. Often, tufts of yellow grass create a haze of subtle colour, while by the roadside spiky agaves and pale blue desert flowers bloom.
The Chott el Jerid is something else: wastes of impacted salt left from some long-ago sea. Even with the odd long-distance lorry thundering by on the highway, the Chott seems a place forsaken – until you come to a roadside shack selling soft drinks and crystalline "desert roses". Then, there is the dune desert with sand as fine as flour, great sweeps and troughs of it, the wind ruffling the surface into a kaleidoscope of patterns – picture-book Sahara where camels are the only transport.
In between all of this are the oasis towns and villages where you can stay in top-class comfort yet have an entrée to the spectacle of the wilderness and its ancient Berber settlements. Since time immemorial desert peoples have managed to tame the Sahara, tapping into underground streams to work the miracle of irrigation. In the oases, vast tracts of date palms flourish, beneath them oranges, olives and apricots, while at the lowest level cabbages, lettuces, tomatoes and onions thrive. Where there is water, there is life. And in Tozeur, Tamerza and Ksar Ghilane, there is also the good life. . .
Touchdown in Tozeur
Tozeur's Palmery is Tunisia's largest oasis, covering over 2,500 acres. It is the raison d'être of this pleasant market town with fancy brickwork the colour of powdered ginger. The old quarter's sandy lanes lead to buildings dating back to the 14th century, and a small museum explains the history of the oasis. Outside the medina are a wealth of handicraft shops, cafés and restaurants. A walk through the beautiful Paradise Gardens, laid out in 1935, is a must. Here, it is extraordinary to see English cottage favourites like hollyhocks, daisies, roses and violets growing alongside bougainvillea, henna plants and pomegranates. A small zoo shows some of the desert's natural inhabitants – sidewinder snakes, lizards and moufflons. Our hotels in Tozeur are in a smart new suburb away from the bustle of the town, but its attractions are only a taxi ride away.
The road to Tamerza
It’s an hour’s drive from Tozeur to Tamerza: a fascinating route, at first straight as a runway, passing windbreaks made from dried palm fronds, irrigation systems like Shinto temple gates and green gashes of smaller oases. After the Chott, the road winds up through stunning terrain towards the Chebika oasis, its pretty waterfall, café stop and shops. Finally you come to the remote mountain oasis town of Tamerza. An easy but memorable drive, affording some of the best scenery in the country. Tamerza's spectacular location – seen in the Star Wars film, Episode 1 The Phantom Menace – and that of the nearby small village of Midès, presiding over its canyon and cascades, are truly unforgettable.
Ksar Ghilane – a view of infinity
While you could safely opt to make your own way between Tozeur and Tamerza by hire-car, going to Ksar Ghilane requires a four-wheel-drive and an expert driver and guide. We arrange this for you from Tozeur. At journey’s end, as a minute oasis at the onset of the dune desert appears on the horizon, the rough-track road becomes hardcore. This is the entrance to the lush little development of Pansea tented camp beside the remote speck of Ksar Ghilane Berber village. Camels await to take you on a sunset or sunrise trek over the dunes.
How to get the best of the oases
Based at Tozeur, you can do a day excursion to Chebika and Tamerza. Or you can split your time between the two. But an excursion to Ksar Ghilane is unforgettable. Most people choose to stay there one or two nights but if you wish you can stay longer. Once again, flexibility is the key.
For further information contact: www.aspectsoftunisia.co.uk/ |
