2-Day Sahara Express Tour from Tunis, Hammamet or Sousse

El Jem amphitheatre

Rising above the small town of El Jem in the middle of the olive plains, the amphitheatre is one of the best-preserved Roman arenas anywhere. It was built in the 3rd century, when the town was a wealthy centre of the olive oil trade, and could seat around 35,000 spectators for games and shows. Its three tiers of arches still stand almost complete, and it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

The tour stops here on the way south so you can walk through the arcades, look down into the arena and explore the underground passages where animals and gladiators waited. Allow about an hour. Entry tickets are not included and are paid on site. Many travellers who ask whether El Jem is worth visiting find it more impressive and far quieter than the arenas of Europe.

Douz, the gateway to the Sahara

Douz is a small oasis town surrounded by palm groves, where the paved road ends and the sand sea of the Grand Erg Oriental begins. It has long been a meeting place for the semi-nomadic people of the region and their camels, and every winter it hosts a well-known festival of desert culture with horse and camel races, poetry and music.

You arrive in the afternoon and head out to the dunes, where the sand turns gold and then copper as the sun goes down. Camel rides are available locally for those who want to ride into the dunes, but they are not included. For many, this sunset is the moment that makes a Sahara tour from Hammamet unforgettable.

A night in the desert camp

The night is spent in a desert camp near Douz, with simple tents set on the sand, shared facilities and a warm welcome. After the sunset, dinner is served at the camp, and you watch the preparation of the traditional sand bread: dough is placed in a pit of hot embers and buried under the sand to bake, then brushed clean and shared while still warm.

Away from the city lights, the desert sky is full of stars, and the silence is a big part of the experience. Desert nights can be cold, especially from November to March, so bring warm layers. Breakfast is served at the camp in the morning before departure. Meals in Tunisia are halal, and vegetarian dishes can be prepared if you tell us in advance.

Chott el Jerid salt lake

On the second morning, the road from Douz to Tozeur runs straight across Chott el Jerid, the largest salt pan in North Africa. For most of the year it is a dry, cracked crust of salt stretching to the horizon, sometimes white, sometimes pink or rusty red depending on the minerals and the light. After rare winter rains, a thin layer of water turns it into a mirror.

Mirages are common in the heat of the day, when distant shapes seem to float above the ground. The tour makes a short photo stop on the causeway so you can step onto the salt crust and take in the immense, empty landscape, one of the most unusual sights in Tunisia.

Tozeur and the mountain oases

Tozeur is the great palm oasis of southern Tunisia, famous for its forest of date palms watered by springs and for the deglet nour dates, often called the finest in the world. Its old quarter is built of yellow handmade bricks laid in geometric patterns, a style unique to the region, with narrow covered lanes that stay cool in summer.

Near Tozeur, close to the Algerian border, lie the mountain oases, where palm trees grow in rocky gorges with streams and small waterfalls, beside the ruins of old mud-brick villages. After lunch, the drive north brings you back to your hotel in the evening. The best time to visit the Tunisian Sahara is from October to April, when days are pleasant and nights are cool.