What to see in Tozeur

7 places worth the drive in Tozeur, with the time to allow and the best period for each. Every place has its own page: history, customs, food and directions.

1. 1.Tozeur

   Palm oasis and geometric brick

   Gateway to the Sahara, Tozeur sits in a palm grove of hundreds of thousands of date palms. The old Ouled el Hadef quarter is built of yellow bricks laid in geometric patterns.

   Time : 1–2 days · Best : Oct to Apr

2. 2.Mos Espa (Ong Jemel)

   A Star Wars city in the dunes

   The set of Mos Espa, Anakin Skywalker's hometown in "The Phantom Menace", still stands among the dunes near Ong Jemel rock, also known as the Camel's Neck.

   Time : Half day · Best : Oct to Apr

3. 3.Chebika Mountain Oasis

   A waterfall in the desert mountains

   An abandoned stone village above a palm-filled canyon where a spring falls into clear pools. Nearby Tamerza and Midès complete the mountain oases circuit.

   Time : Half day · Best : Feb to May, Oct to Nov

4. 4.Tamerza

   A canyon oasis and a village left to the river

   A mountain oasis in Tozeur governorate, about 70 km from Tozeur, at the foot of a canyon where springs and a cascade water the palm grove.

   Time : 2 to 3 hours · Best : Oct to Apr

5. 5.Nefta

   The spiritual capital of the Djerid

   Nefta, in Tozeur governorate, is the religious centre of the Djerid, with more than 24 mosques and about 100 marabouts. Many Sufis regard it as the spiritual home of Sufism, which earned it the name “the Kairouan of the South”.

   Time : Half a day · Best : Oct to Apr

6. 6.Midès

   An abandoned village on a canyon edge

   Ten kilometres from Tamerza, on the Algerian border, the ruined village of Midès hangs over a deep canyon of folded rock. The new village lives below, in a palm grove of dates, oranges and figs.

   Time : 1–2 hours · Best : Oct to Apr

7. 7.Coco Oasis Camping, Tozeur

   Pitches in the Tozeur palm grove

   A campsite on the Berka road, in the palm grove of Tozeur. Pitches for tents, vans and motorhomes, part sun and part shade, with showers, a kitchen and a pool fed by a spring. Open all year.

   Time : 1–3 nights · Best : Oct to Apr