Travel Guides in Tunisia - Southern Tunisia or the Sahara Desert?

The eternal dilemma for travelers: two Tunisia, two experiences

By Grand Sahara Aventures – Edition 2026

South Tunisia’s Landscapes – Guermassa

Between the ochre cliffs of the Dahar mountains and the rolling waves of the Grand Erg Oriental, Southern Tunisia reveals two faces… yet tells two entirely different stories.

And perhaps everything begins with one simple question:

Are you more “Berber villages & panoramas” or “desert silence & endless dunes”?

This editorial feature doesn’t tell you what to visit - it guides you toward understanding how you will feel during your journey.

Because choosing an itinerary is not only a matter of logistics…It is also a matter of imagination.

👉 Discover our full page dedicated to tours in Southern Tunisia

Southern Tunisia:

a lived journey — vibrant, inhabited, profoundly human

The Dahar is a major mountain range of southern Tunisia.

Southern Tunisia is a land shaped by the people who live there.

Here, every road leads to a story: a troglodyte house carved to escape the heat, a hilltop village built to watch over ancient caravan routes, an oasis fed by a millennia-old spring.

✔ Southern Tunisia offers:

• A breathtaking diversity of landscapes

• Human encounters in the villages of the Dahar

• A rare cultural richness

• Days that unfold through contrasts:mountains → oasis → palm groves → salt lake

The lived experience

You wander through the alleys of Chenini, watch the work of the land in Toujane, taste fresh dates in Tozeur. You’re not chasing intensity — you’re seeking depth.

The deep desert:

a sensory, almost spiritual experience

The immense dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental define the true Sahara experience.

The Sahara is not a destination — it is an atmosphere.

In the Grand Erg Oriental, there are no roads, no villages.Only horizon, wind… and a silence that turns every emotion into a memory.

✔ The Sahara offers:

• A complete disconnection

• The pleasure of crossing dunes by 4×4

• The magic of tea at a bivouac beneath a vast sky

• The feeling of being far from the world, yet fully yourself

The lived experience

By day, the dunes draw perfect lines.By night, the stars become a map.

Those who have slept in the desert know it: You never come back quite the same.

Southern Tunisia or the Desert:

how to choose according to your travel profile?

The Chott El Djerid

Your personality reveals your ideal itinerary.

You’ll love Southern Tunisia if you want:

• A varied trip full of discoveries

• Places that are lived in and full of stories

• A comfortable rhythm

• A perfect introduction to the region

• Mountain landscapes: Dahar

• Mountain oases: Chebika, Tamerza, Midès

• Palm groves of Tozeur

• Salt lakes like Chott El Jerid

You’ll love the Desert if you’re seeking:

• A complete break from daily life

• A direct connection to nature

• A minimalist, meditative atmosphere

• A raw, unfiltered adventure

And if you don’t want to choose?

Good news:Most travelers combine both.

One day among villages, the next among dunes —and the balance is perfect.

How many days do you need?

Your ideal trip length

Mountain Oases- Chebika

3 days

• Southern Tunisia: quick discovery, perfect for a long weekend

• Desert: first true immersion into the Sahara

→ See the 3-day tour.

4 days

• Southern Tunisia: the ideal format for a balanced itinerary

• Desert: a complete Saharan experience, with two possible nights in the dunes

→ See the full 4-day program.

5 days and more

• Southern Tunisia: a contemplative journey, encounters, remote villages

• Desert: an expedition — progression into the Erg, a real adventure

Emotions at the heart of travel:

What travelers tell us

Tea time in Tunisian desert

Travelers often say:

“In the South, I discovered a culture. In the desert, I discovered myself.”

One amazes. The other transforms.

And that is what makes Southern Tunisia so unique:

There are not two destinations — but two ways of existing.

Which departure point should you choose?

From Djerba

The most versatile: villages + dunes + salt lakes.

From Zarzis

Similar to Djerba, with faster access to Tataouine.

From Gabès

Perfect for Berber villages and the Dahar.

From Tozeur

The kingdom of mountain oases.

Accommodations:

The environment you choose shapes your journey

• Hotels

• Traditional guesthouses

• Troglodyte houses

• Saharan camps

• Nomadic bivouacs

Each night tells a different Tunisia.

Conclusion: two journeys, one emotion

Southern Tunisia or the Desert?

Two journeys - one lasting emotion: the desire to return.

• The South tells a civilization.

• The Desert tells a silence.

• Both are complementary.

• Both are sublime.

• Both build an unforgettable journey.

Want to go further?

👉 Discover all our excursions and tours from Djerba.

4×4 on the desert tracks of southern Tunisia during a private Sahara journey

Text written by Grand Sahara Aventures – South Tunisia & Sahara guide 2026