Douz
Tunisia · Kebili · 90 m
Description
Douz (دوز) calls itself the gateway to the Sahara and it is the last town before the dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental begin, which they do a few hundred metres past the last houses. It was a caravan stop of the Mrazig, a semi-nomadic group who settled here in the seventeenth century, and its date palms produce the deglet nour that Tunisia exports. Camel treks and four wheel drive trips into the erg leave from the edge of town, and the Sahara Festival each December brings camel racing, Bedouin poetry and saluki hunting dogs.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: October – March
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Camel trek into the Grand Erg Oriental
- Great dunes at the edge of town
- Sahara Festival with camel racing (approx. December)
- Douz Thursday market and the livestock souk (every Thursday)
- Deglet nour date palm groves
- Desert camps and nights under the stars
- Sandboarding and quad tours on the dunes
- Museum of the Sahara and the Mrazig
- Chott el Djerid salt flat crossing(Day trip)
- Ksar Ghilane oasis and its Roman fort(Day trip)