From Tozeur to the Chott el Jerid and beyond

Trip Start Oct 13, 2009
1
2
11
Trip End Nov 08, 2009


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow
Where I stayed
El Dorador Ksar Rouge

Flag of Tunisia  ,
Monday, October 19, 2009

Tozeur is a city on the edge of the Sahara desert.  It is a small town but walking through the old town is definitely its highlight.  Houses in the old time are built in the traditional brick style.  The streets are narrow and full of life and, again we temporarily became lost.  There are many mosques in the area but typical of Tunisian custom, they are not open to non-muslims.  However, the exteriors are lovely.  In the evening we visited the Dar Cherait Museum, where we were able to learn a bit more about Tunisia's history as well as see rooms depicting clothing and crafts of the country. 

From Tozeur we headed east towards Djerba and the Tunisian coastline.  On the way we passed through the Chott El Jerid which is a dried salt lake skirting the Sahara Desert.  On the dried lake there are beautiful colors where small streams and water flow and salt formations.  It is really an
eerie place but definitely well worth the visit
Pottery in Tozeur
Pottery in Tozeur
.  While there we saw our first live fennec, or desert fox.  Unfortunately it was tied up for tourists to pay to snap pictures of.  We also learned that scenes from the first Star Wars were filmed in and around the lake bed.

Following the Chott El Jerid we stopped and visited, further east,  Douz, a small town that appears to be plopped down amidst the dunes.  From Douz, we traveled through the semi-arid desert, eventually arriving to the region of Matmata.  This region's crater-like topography was dotted with troglodyte dwellings. We visited one  and were impressed by the comfort that existed within.  Lastly, before heading out to Djerba, we stopped at a Berber Ksar for a brief walk-around.
Slideshow

Use this image in your site

Copy and paste this html: