Explore the Berber Villages of Southern Tunisia

Pack up your bag and go to Tataouine, a region out of the ordinary landscapes and historical traditions. Known for its old Berber villages clinging to the mountain tops, George Lucas chose Tataouine when he filmed the original Star Wars in Tunisia. You will have lunch and continue your adventure by climbing the ladders and stairs to visit the Ksour. These stairs once allowed people to hoist their harvests into the storage chambers, the Ghorfas. In Chenini and Douiret, the Berber language is still in use today. Local people will show you giant tombs and tell you the legend of the Seven Sleepers; this ancient Mediterranean myth found one of its avatars here. In the afternoon, you will go back to your hotel in Djerba for dinner and overnight.

Tataouine - Djerba (240KM)

After early morning breakfast, you will visit the Berber city of Matmata in Southern Tunisia. It is famous for its underground houses and cave dwellers which are cool in summer and comfortably warm in winter. Another thing Matmata is famous for, the Star Wars film sets. Four of the Star Wars movies were partially filmed in Southern Tunisia. (The planet Tatooine in the movies). You can stay in Luke Skywalker’s home (now a hotel) and wander around the desert bumping into moisture vaporators and other Star Wars stuff. You will have lunch, then you will visit Douz where people are naturally open and friendly. Douz is a place where dunes and palm trees cover the golden vastness of the desert. Then you will continue to Tozeur for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, you will cross Chott El Djerid which is the largest salt lake on the African continent. Chott el Djerid is over 1.5 times larger than the Great Salt Lake of Utah. then, you will get in a 4x4 for an off-road adventure. You will arrive at Oung Djemel which is one of the Star Wars movie sets. After that, you will stop at the large Mountain Oasis of Chebika and Tamerza which contains beautiful canyons with palm trees and a waterfall. In the afternoon, you will return to Tozeur for dinner and overnight.

Tozeur - The Mountain Oasis (150KM)

Tip: 

If one of the top mistakes new travelers make is failing to plan early, a close second is not setting a reasonable budget.

Once you have decided on your destination and a rough timeline as to when you plan to travel, it’s time to set a budget. You’ll want to start by writing down all the current expenses associated with your upcoming travel. This includes estimations for hotel charges, rental cars, flights, attractions, travel, and food. 

That way, not only will you be able to create an overview of what to expect (and therefore, fewer surprises when it comes time to pay up!), but you’ll be able to divide that budget by the number of months you have from now until the time you travel so you can set aside money each money that can go towards your trip.

For example, if you estimate that you will need $2,000 for your trip that takes place in about 6 months, you’d only need to save about $11 a day to be able to afford that trip!