Enchanting Family Journey to the Land of the Berbers

Points of Interest : Djerba

You are welcomed on arrival at Djerba–Zarzis Airport and transferred by private vehicle to the old medina of Houmt Souk. Here you settle into a charming hotel, an ideal base to gently ease into the island’s relaxed atmosphere.

Enjoy some free time to wander the lanes of the medina, soak up the seaside ambiance or simply rest before your first included dinner at the hotel.

• Meals included : Dinner
• Accommodation : Marhala or similar charming hotel in the old medina of Djerba, double room

Points of Interest : Chenini, Ksar Hadada, Ksar El Mourabitine

The day begins with a visit to one of the most beautiful ksour in Tunisia, where you discover impressive granaries and traces of dinosaur footprints alongside Jurassic rock layers rich in fossils.

You continue to Ksar Haddada, used as a filming location for the Star Wars saga, before stopping for lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon you head towards Chenini, a striking hilltop Berber village that you explore with a local guide, learning about traditional architecture and everyday life.

In the evening you settle into a cave-style room in a troglodyte inn, where dinner is served and you spend the night underground in naturally cool rock-hewn spaces.

Travel by car: 190 km / about 2 h 45
Walking time: around 3 km / 2 h

• Meals included : Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Troglodyte lodge / cave-style hostel in the Chenini area, double room

Points of Interest : Chenini

Accompanied by a local French-speaking guide, you spend an entire day alongside a shepherd and his flock in the mountains of the Dahar range. This immersive experience lets you follow traditional transhumance routes, observe how herds are managed and discover pastoral customs passed down through generations.

Walking at an easy pace, you share simple moments in nature, learn about the plants used by shepherds and enjoy the silence and vast landscapes of southern Tunisia. Meals are taken in a rustic setting, in tune with the rhythm of the day.

In the evening you return to your troglodyte inn for dinner and another night in your cave-style room.

• Meals included : Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Troglodyte lodge / cave-style hostel in the Chenini area, double room

Points of Interest : Sabria

You drive to Ksar Ghilane, a Saharan oasis on the edge of sedentary tribal lands. The oasis has developed around a natural hot spring where you can bathe, relax and, if you wish, take part in optional desert activities.

After lunch facing the dunes, you set off for a crossing of the desert towards Douz. Outside the period from 15 May to 30 September, this route allows you to experience the sand sea more fully; during the hottest months, a road link along the desert’s edge is used instead because of technical and safety constraints.

In late afternoon you arrive at a comfortable Saharan camp on the edge of the desert, perfectly placed to admire the sunset over the dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental and enjoy a starry night in the desert.

Travel by car: about 200 km / 4 h 15

• Meals included : Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Comfortable Saharan desert camp near Douz / Sabria

Points of Interest : Sabria

In the morning you weave between the dunes for about an hour to reach Bir Boubaker, an ancient well dug in the heart of the desert that once provided vital water for nomads and their herds. This historic site illustrates how people have adapted to the harsh Saharan environment.

You then set off on a short family-friendly trek on the high dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental, allowing you to fully immerse yourselves in the silence and immensity of the desert landscape. While sipping tea prepared on the spot over the fire, you savour the timeless atmosphere.

You return to the camp to relax and, as the sun begins to set, you can enjoy sandboarding on the beautiful white sand dunes, a fun way to end the day in the desert.

Travel by car: about 40 km / 2 h
Walking time: around 2 km / 1 h

• Meals included : Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Saharan desert camp near Douz / Sabria

Points of Interest : Tozeur, Chott el-Jerid

On the way to the mountain oases of the Tozeur region, you first stop at the petrified dunes of Debabcha, also called the “roots of the dunes”, where fossilized sand formations emerge from the ground. You then cross the vast shimmering salt lake of Chott el-Jerid, whose colours change with the light.

In the mountains near the Algerian border, you discover the dramatic canyons of Mides, the waterfall at Tamerza and the springs of Chebika, where palm groves cling to rocky cliffs. These perched oases form some of the most spectacular landscapes in southern Tunisia.

Back in Tozeur, you enjoy a bike ride through the palm grove before visiting Eden Palm, an open-air museum dedicated to the date palm and its many uses. The day ends with a stroll through Tozeur’s old medina, in the Ouled el Hadef quarter dating back to the 15th century, famous for its brick architecture.

Travel by car: about 300 km / 4 h 30
Walking time: about 4 km / 2 h

• Meals included : Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Local guesthouse in Tozeur

Points of Interest : Matmata, Tamezret

You cross the Chott el-Jerid salt lake once again, this time heading towards Djerba. Along the way, near Kebili, you visit a hot artesian well and its traditional cooling system, which channels and lowers the temperature of the water for local use.

You then continue into the Dahar massif to reach several Berber villages. In Tamezret you visit a small Berber museum set inside a traditional house, offering insight into local traditions, crafts and domestic life. Next you arrive in Matmata, known for its troglodyte homes dug into the rock, which inspired the dwellings seen in the Star Wars saga; some scenes were filmed in the troglodyte hotel Sidi Driss.

Later you stop at the Berber village of Toujane, which offers panoramic views over the entire massif. Finally, you drive to Djerba via the Roman road that links the island to the mainland, and spend the night in the charming Villa Azur hotel or a similar property.

• Meals included : Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Accommodation : Villa Azur or similar charming hotel in Djerba, double room

Points of Interest : Djerba

Your journey through the “land” of the Tunisian Berbers comes to an end. Take a last look at the beaches of the island of the Lotus-Eaters, celebrated in the legend of Ulysses, or enjoy a final stroll depending on your flight time.

You are then transferred to Djerba–Zarzis Airport, where you benefit from assistance with departure formalities before boarding your international flight home.

Total travel: about 10 km / 20 minutes

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Last day : Private transfer to Djerba–Zarzis Airport and assistance with departure formalities