Southernmost Oasis · Hot Spring & Dunes
A hot spring at the edge of the erg.
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The Experience
A warm pool, a dune field on three sides and a Roman fort in the sand — in one stop.
Getting to Tunisia's southernmost oasis, and what to do once you are there.
Ksar Ghilane has 80km of asphalt running north to Douz, but the approach from the Djerba side crosses the Dahar and finishes on desert track. Every tour from this island runs in a 4x4 because of that last stretch.
The pool is spring-fed, warm all year and open to anyone. It is what guests write about most, ahead of the film sets. There is nowhere on site to hire a swimsuit or a towel.
The Roman fort sits under a kilometre into the sand — a frontier post on the limes Tripolitanus, built no later than the reign of Commodus. Tours give free time here rather than a guided visit.
Camel and quad rides are sold at the oasis and are almost never in the tour price. Bring dinars, or decide in advance you are not doing them.
Photo Gallery
Palms, the spring pool, the dune field and the fort in the sand.
Same destination, different amounts of it.
| Feature | SMALL GROUP Small-Group 4x4 via Matmata | Day Trip via Ksar Hadada | Extended Oasis Stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 325 ratings at 4.6 / 5 | 1,671 ratings at 4.8 / 5 | 102 ratings at 4.7 / 5 |
| Time at the Oasis | An afternoon with lunch | 3 hours | Extended free time |
| Other Stops | Toujane, Matmata, Berber family | Ksar Hadada, Guermassa | Matmata and the Sidi Driss set |
| Hot Spring Swim | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vehicle | 4x4 or SUV, small group | 4x4 | Small-group 4x4 |
| Cave Houses at Matmata | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pickup | 6am, Djerba and Zarzis | About 6am | Early morning |
| Starting Price | From $69/per person | $69 per person | $68 per person |
| Free Cancellation | ✓ Up to 24 hours before | ✓ Up to 24 hours before | ✓ Up to 24 hours before |
| Check Availability | Compare | Compare |
More Options
Different routes, lengths, and prices — all with free cancellation and instant confirmation.
MOST REVIEWEDA full day from Djerba to the Ksar Ghilane oasis by 4x4, taking in the Ksar Hadada film location and the hilltop village of Guermassa on the way.
CHEAPEST OVERNIGHTThe cheapest way to sleep in the Tunisian Sahara from Djerba — two days by 4x4 through Tataouine, Chenini and Ksar Ghilane with a night at a desert camp.
SMALL-GROUP 4X4A small-group 4x4 day trip from Djerba and Zarzis to Ksar Ghilane, with the Berber mountain village of Toujane and the Sidi Idriss cave hotel at Matmata.
BERBER VILLAGESA day across the Dahar from Djerba: the Chahbania salt lake at first light, the Tataouine market, and the hilltop Berber villages of Chenini and Douiret.
LONGEST OASIS STOPA slower small-group 4x4 day from Djerba, built around long free time at the Ksar Ghilane oasis with Matmata and a Star Wars set on the way.
SHORTEST 4X4 DAYThe shortest run on this site that still reaches real sand: the Tataouine ksour, desert track to the Ksar Ghilane oasis, and a full menu lunch — in eight hours.
SUNSET & SUNRISEA late start, a night in a desert tent and both a Saharan sunset and sunrise — with Ksar Hadada, the Chahbania salt lake and the Ksar Ghilane hot spring either side of it.
PRIVATE TOURThe private version of the Star Wars circuit: eleven hours, Chenini and three ksour, with entry to Ksar Hadada and the Sidi Driss cave hotel included in the price.
The Southernmost Oasis
A warm spring, a Roman frontier post, and the point where the plateau gives out and the sand sea starts.
Ksar Ghilane is the most southerly oasis in Tunisia and it sits on the eastern limit of the Grand Erg Oriental — the exact line where the stony Dahar plateau stops and the sand sea starts. That geography is why almost every desert itinerary sold on Djerba ends up pointing at the same handful of palm trees: it is the one stop that delivers the whole idea of the Sahara in a single afternoon.
The oasis is fed by a warm source, and the pool it feeds is open-air, palm-shaded and swimmable through the year. In the reviews for these tours it comes up more often than the Star Wars sets do, which is worth knowing if you are choosing an itinerary on the film stops.
The stops vary a lot in length. The most-reviewed tour gives it three hours; the Djerba and Zarzis small-group route deliberately drops other stops to buy extended free time here. An hour is enough to look at the water. Three is enough to be in it.
Pack a swimsuit and a towel whether or not the tour description mentions them.
A short walk out into the sand stands Tisavar: a Roman castellum built no later than the reign of Commodus, a border post on the western stretch of the limes Tripolitanus, the line the empire drew along the edge of the desert. It is under a kilometre from the palms and most tours leave you free time rather than guiding you to it, so it helps to know what you are looking at before you set off across the sand.
Two roads exist. Eighty kilometres of asphalt runs north to Douz, which is how tours from Tozeur and the western towns arrive. The Djerba tours come the other way, across the Dahar, and the last part of that approach is desert track.
That is the practical fact behind everything on this page. It is why every itinerary here is a 4x4 or a jeep, why no coach tour reaches the oasis, and why the day is ten hours rather than seven. Four hours each way makes it a long but genuine day trip from Djerba. From Hammamet or Sousse it is not a day trip at all.
The small-group 4x4 to Ksar Ghilane and Matmata is the pick if you want the oasis and the cave houses in one day. A 6am start, the Toujane mountain pass, rosemary tea and homemade bread with a family still living underground at Matmata, then the afternoon at the spring. $69, and the operator runs jeeps rather than buses, which keeps the group small enough to change the plan.
The most-reviewed itinerary on this site is the same price and takes the eastern line instead: Ksar Hadada, Guermassa, then three hours at the oasis. 4.8 out of 5 from 1,671 guests — by a wide margin the most-rated desert tour departing this island.
The eight-hour 4x4 at $87 is the shortest day that still reaches the sand, and the jeep route via Matmata at $85 adds the Sidi Idriss hotel and a licensed guide.
For the night rather than the afternoon, both overnight tours — $48 and $144 — build around this same oasis.
In high season there are people in the pool. What there is not is a resort: the camps are low, the palms are real, and fifty metres past the last tent there is nothing in any direction. Reviews that mention crowds still rate the stop highly, and usually in the same sentence.
Guest Reviews
Ratings and review counts are the tour operators' live figures on GetYourGuide and may shift slightly day to day.
"A wonderful experience, unique places that we didn't expect to see. Our guide, Riyadh, made the difference. He is a great professional, knowledgeable, smiling, and very cultured. We will never forget him. Special thanks to Waalid, who transported us in the best way possible!!!!"
"A really great day trip from start to finish! Everything was perfect. I highly recommend quad biking in the desert; it was an incredible and unforgettable experience. A big thank you to Montana, who was super nice, funny, and always in a good mood! He gave us lots of great tips and really helped make the day even better. We also ate really well; everything was very good! Thank you for this wonderful experience. I recommend it 100%!"
"Our tour guide Neder was excellent, and we also learned a lot about life in Tunisia. The trip was exactly as described in the offer. We took a camel ride in the desert, and it's a great experience. We highly recommend it; it was a great experience."
"Greetings to Mr. Montana and the driver – great people, down-to-earth, easy to talk to and with a wealth of knowledge. The tour passed in a pleasant atmosphere and provided us with a wealth of knowledge. I definitely recommend it!"
"An unforgettable day. Many thanks to Mohamed, our guide, and to the driver. We came from Djerba; the journey was a bit long, but it was worth it! Quad biking in the dunes and a little swim in the oasis at Ksar Ghilane. The various encounters with the local Berber people were so enriching! The only downside was the several stops during which we had to take out our dinars (coffee, tea, drinks at the oasis, stop in Toujane). We highly recommend it. Our teenagers aged 13 and 17 loved it!!!"
"A great experience. I highly recommend this activity, with the live guide who speaks several languages fluently, the 4WD driver Aymen who explained everything to us well, and we also took some beautiful photos during the stops. A very pleasant day! Thank you very much!"
"Our guide, Montana, was very friendly and entertaining. The driver was very safe, and you could tell that the two of them made a good team. We saw a lot, even if it was (of course) the full tourist program. You can probably skip the hot springs and the Star Wars hotel, but it wasn't bad either."
"Thank you to Fakher for his kindness, his smile, his availability, and his sharing, which allowed us to discover the unusual places of Tunisia."
Read all 325 verified reviews
See All ReviewsA 6am pickup in Djerba or Zarzis, the Toujane mountain pass, tea with a Berber family at Matmata, then the oasis and the hot spring — in a 4x4 with a small group, not a coach. From $69. Starting from $69 per person.
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The spring, the fort, the drive, and what the extras cost.
Yes. The oasis is fed by a warm spring and the open-air pool is swimmable year round — it is the thing guests write about most, ahead of the film sets. Pack a swimsuit and a towel even on a day trip; the most-reviewed of these tours gives you three hours there.
About four hours each way. The route crosses the Dahar plateau and the final stretch is desert track, which is why every tour from the island runs a 4x4. Ksar Ghilane also has 80km of asphalt running north to Douz, but no Djerba tour uses it.
Tisavar, a frontier castellum built no later than the reign of Commodus as a post on the limes Tripolitanus — the line the empire drew along the edge of the Sahara. It sits under a kilometre from the palms, and most tours give free time rather than a guided visit, so it helps to know what you are walking to.
Almost never. Both are offered at the oasis and paid there on the day. The fare covers transport, the guide, lunch and — on some itineraries — insurance.
The $69 4x4 via Ksar Hadada is the most-reviewed at 1,671 ratings and gives the oasis three hours. The $69 small-group tour via Toujane and Matmata is the pick if you want the cave houses in the same day. The $68 Djerba and Zarzis route deliberately trades stops for a longer stay at the oasis.
In high season the pool has people in it. There is no resort — the camps are low and the palms are real, and fifty metres past the last tent there is nothing in any direction. Reviews that mention crowds still rate the stop highly.
Still have questions? Email us at info@djerbadeserttours.com
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