Exploring Tunisian Sahara Desert

MY EXPERIENCE IN THE SAHARA DESERT

Spending one or more nights in the Sahara Desert is one of the things that you should absolutely add to your bucket list. This is my second time in the desert, I got the first taste of it in Morocco, some time before this trip, but it seems like I can’t get enough of it!

FIRST STOP: KSAR GHILANE

Sahara desert is the biggest hot desert on Earth and it covers most of North Africa, except the fertile region of Mediterranean Sea coast, Atlas Mountains, and the Nile Valley. Here in Tunisia, you can easily reach the desert joining a guided tour: most of them will start from Ksar Ghilane.

Me riding a quad in the desert

Ksar Ghilane is an oasis formed from groundwater that reaches the surface forming a small pond surrounded by palm trees. You’ll find some little bars and refreshing areas for those who will explore the wild desert.

I decided to rent a quad and start exploring the surrounding area. It doesn’t take much, after you’ve left the oasis behind you, for you to perceive a change in the landscape. The bare barren soil, with the sporadic presence of shrubs and very small trees, a very important source for Berbers’ camels, gives way to the real desert. The golden sand advances and the dunes are now visible at the horizon.

Ksar Ghilane ancient ruins

Ksar Ghilane owes its name to the ancient ruins of an old ksar, which is located some kilometers away from the oasis and whose remains are still visible today.

It won’t be hard for you to spot dromedaries and camels roaming around in search of food. Unlike what you may think, these animals are not wild, their owners are the Berber tribes that live in this area. they let the animals wander freely when the tourist season is over, but from November to March they will use them to carry tourists on the dunes.

LEST’S GO TO THE SAHARA

It’s time to leave Ksar Ghilane Behind and head to the real desert! I was on an off-road vehicle and I asked the driver to stop for a moment. I wanted to get out of it to feel the temperature outside the car, to feel the heat without the conditioning on. My skin was actually burning, like when you stay too close to a burning fire for too long. It was late July, and the temperature was about 50C°, 122F.

The camp was waiting for me. There were large white tents, set there specifically for tourists, located just a few steps from the wide wild dunes. Before having my dinner, I decided to have a short barefoot walk in the sand, waiting for another amazing sunset.