Tunisia’s Sahara Camping Adventure Beckons

Images sifted through my mind of my first Sahara Desert tent camping experience, years ago in Morocco. Memories emerged of golden dunes, shifting with the whisper of the wind, the chill of temperatures plunging, as the sun disappeared over the rolling horizon and the sparkling expanse of a starry, starry night.

I felt excitement bubbling, eager to face a different part of the Sahara. This time, I was in southern Tunisia, at the edge of the Great Erg Oriental, a dry riverbed buried underneath a sea of sand dunes.

Douz: The Last Outpost Before Endless Sand

The journey into the desert for me and twelve other Overseas Adventure Travelers began in Douz. This is Tunisia’s largest date-palm oasis, settled by nomadic tribes centuries ago.

Here, 500,000 palm trees outnumber 30,000 residents. Tumble-down mud brick buildings dot the dusty, wind-blown streets, which resemble the wild ambiance of an Old West movie set.

Thursday’s Market provides rollicking entertainment. Berber-speaking auctioneers hawk goats, one-hump Arabian camels and dromedaries. Meanwhile, locals peddle a colorful array of fruits, dates, pots, pans, and supplies for desert survival.

A springboard for caravans crossing the Sahara in times past, Douz, considered the gateway to the Sahara, is the end of the road. From this point on, there is only desert.

Travelers seeking to explore on their own can make reservations at available tourist tented camps either online or through agencies in town. To avoid intense summer heat, plan any desert sojourn between October and April.

Although not mandatory, experts recommend hiring an experienced guide to traverse deep into the beautiful but unforgiving Sahara Desert.

Off-Road Adventure: Trading Comfort for Desert Discovery

Leaving our weighty suitcases behind, carrying only essentials, we traded our comfortable tour van for 4×4 jeeps and their skilled local drivers.

We headed off into the vastness of scant scrub bushes peeking through drifting dunes and swirling sand squalls, en route to the private Ksar Ghilane camp that caters specifically to Overseas Adventure Travel guests.

I laughed throughout the jaunt, crisscrossing, up and down, sliding side to side over the constantly changing sandscape. It felt like a dizzy ride on a carnival Tilt-a-Whirl.

Inside Tunisia’s Ksar Ghilane Camp

A row of slanted solar panels raised high on stilts suggested the camp’s proximity. Our homes in the desert, nine white, spacious tents, staked into the parched earth, shimmered in the distance.

Two adjacent mud-brick structures housed the kitchen, a comfortable area for meals and group briefings with Tunisian tour leader Makrem. They also served as lodging for the camp staff and communal showers and bathrooms.

As soon as the jeeps slid to a stop, Makrem announced tent assignments. My husband and I ran to Tent #1 and unzipped the heavy canvas flap that protected our shelter from whirling sand and frigid, nighttime temperatures.

Unexpected Luxuries in Tunisia’s Sahara

We expected only basic amenities, but an inviting space that felt like a cocoon unfolded. Colorful, woven Berber rugs overlapped on the earthen floor and graced the tent’s walls. Billowing parachute silk pulled to the highest point created a luxurious ceiling. A king-size bed beckoned, the duvet dotted with desert flower sprigs and sweet candies.

Four heavy blankets waited on a bedside chair. I knew from experience that my husband and I would cuddle under all of them. Two burnouses, common Tunisian outerwear of full-length, hooded, woolen robes, waited on hooks to shield us from the harsh cold of desert nights by the campfire.

Behind a curtain, the biggest surprise and newest addition to the camp revealed a cement block extension that contained a tiny sink, toilet and flexible shower head.

Saharan Sunset and Sunrise

We threw our skimpy pack on the bed and headed out to explore. Relearning how to navigate through dunes that caved with each step, we headed up to the crest of the incline. Here we joined our fellow travelers at the optimum spot for sunset over the Sahara.

Makrem, familiar with the group’s habits by now, knew that we would savor a toast to celebrate this spectacular view. He trudged up through the sand carrying bottles of wine and plastic glasses.

As chatter ceased and quasi goblets raised, the fiery ball sank below the wavy horizon. I took a moment of personal reflection on the privilege of experiencing this total peace in this world of chaos.

The next morning at 5:30 a.m., steaming mugs of coffee replaced wine. The scene then repeated itself in reverse as the eternal desert sun dawned another day of wonder in the Sahara.

Tunisia Tours & Excursions

Bedouin Cuisine Under Desert Stars

The camp staff, skilled in ‘middle of nowhere’ hospitality, made our comfort their goal. Mejid, the main cook, prepared dinner of local favorites in clay cooking pots called amphores, and after a short sleep, he arranged a pre-sunrise breakfast buffet by 5 am.

With my long, woven scarf in hand, I asked Mejid to help me look like a desert damsel and wrap up my hair in a Saharan turban like his. With his gentle touch, swift folds, and tucks of the scarf, I felt just a little bit Arabic in minutes.

Belgasem kneaded bread dough by the campfire he had started earlier and baked irresistible loaves for our meal in a pit under the coals. After our Saharan banquet, my husband and I joined our bundled-up tripmates and huddled together around the fire.

Fethi, who played traditional Tunisian desert drums, taught us Bedouin songs, as our breaths vaporized into the cold evening air.

We fell under the magic spell of a desert night, as brilliant star constellations jumped off the twinkling sky’s canvas and we danced with Belgasem and Fethi to the tunes of the desert.

A Surprise Encounter in the Dunes

A surprise awaited us on day two. After a 10-minute jeep ride, we encountered a small herd of Arabian camels, resting on their haunches in the sand, rigged up with colorful blankets and narrow, worn, pommeled saddles, tied onto their one hump.

As we approached, these faithful dromedaries looked at us with sad eyes that seemed to say, “Oh. No. Not another group of geriatric travelers who are going to try and hang on as we bounce them across the dunes.” Yes, it is a required activity of the Saharan experience.

Although I have survived three camel rides during my travels, I bellow a screech of anxiety and grab the pommel with white knuckles every time the beast rises from prone to upright position with that unexpected jerky movement.

Arabian camels, endemic to North Africa and the Middle East, are the tallest of the three varieties. Males measure to a height of seven feet at the hump and tend to have long spindly legs; I knew mine was a fella.

Arabian Camel Caravan

Once everyone seemed secure in their saddles, the animals’ handlers started leading the caravan of wobbly riders across the dunes.

During two hours of precarious seesawing, perched on my guy’s rickety saddle, I embraced the warmth of the morning sun, the feel of the camel’s scratchy coat, the smell of the hot sand, the sound of animal snorts and chortles, and the vigilance of the young boy guiding my desert transport.

I saw the four jeeps waiting in the distance and knew this glimpse of desert life would soon be a memory. I filed the images in my mind of this Tunisian Sahara adventure, with its peaceful beauty, but with respect for its harsh reality, where I can often retrieve them.

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Author Bio: Carol has taught English to Mexican adults and disadvantaged local children for the past 18 years. She writes for local, international, online, and print publications. Using her adventures to over 120 countries, she has captured a niche in travel writing, and her stories have been featured in Go World Travel Magazine. 

A frequent contributor to El Ojo del Lago, the largest English-language magazine in Mexico, she’s won several literary awards from that publication. Her psychiatric field work netted a contribution to the anthology, Tales from the Couch. Recently, she has also been featured in two more anthologies, Insider’s Guide to the Best of Mexican Holidays, and Bravados, Life, Love and Living in Lake Chapala, Mexico, all available on amazon.com

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