A camel caravan resting in the dunes of the Tunisian Sahara
Circuit 2 × UNESCO 4.9★ 500+

3-Day Private Sahara Tour: Douz & Tozeur

3-day private circuit from Tunis: Tozeur, Chott el-Jerid, Douz & the Dunes, Tamerza Canyon and Matmata (3 days). Fixed price from 1600 TND for 5 people, hotel pick-up included.

Duration
3 days / 2 nights
Departure
Tunis
Group
up to 4 people
Transport
Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver
Private
Yes — your group only, never shared
Sites
9
Accommodation
Quoted with your dates
Guide
Optional — licensed guide €60 per group
Best months
October to April
Driver speaks
French, English, Italian, German, Arabic
Larger groups
Minibus (9–20) or coach (21–50+), quoted on request
Main destinations
Kairouan · Tozeur · Chebika · Tamerza Canyon · Mides Canyon · Chott el-Jerid · Douz & the Dunes · Matmata

What is this tour?

3-Day Private Sahara Tour: Douz & Tozeur: 3 days / 2 nights from Tunis taking in 9 places, with a car and driver for your group only — from €471 per vehicle for up to 4 travellers.

Where this circuit goes: Tozeur — a desert oasis of patterned brickwork, its palm grove fed by hundreds of springs; Chott el-Jerid — a salt lake so flat and bright it produces mirages across the whole crossing; Douz & the Dunes — the gateway to the Sahara, where the tarmac stops and the erg begins; Tamerza Canyon — a deserted mountain village beside a canyon and a year-round waterfall; Matmata — Berber pit dwellings carved into the earth, familiar from the Star Wars films.

The vehicle is yours alone: no coach, no strangers, no detour to the souvenir shop. You leave at the hour that suits you, stay longer wherever you want to, and the price is agreed before you leave the hotel — no deposit, nothing added on arrival.

Accommodation and meals on the overnight legs are confirmed with your dates when you book.

What you see

  • Tozeur — a desert oasis of patterned brickwork, its palm grove fed by hundreds of springs
  • Chott el-Jerid — a salt lake so flat and bright it produces mirages across the whole crossing
  • Douz & the Dunes — the gateway to the Sahara, where the tarmac stops and the erg begins
  • Tamerza Canyon — a deserted mountain village beside a canyon and a year-round waterfall
  • Matmata — Berber pit dwellings carved into the earth, familiar from the Star Wars films

The circuit, day by day

  1. Day 1
    Pick-up From your hotel or the airport, at a time that suits you
  2. Day 1
    Kairouan Islam's fourth holy city, built around the Great Mosque and its vast cisterns
  3. Day 1
    Lunch Free — you choose where and what, and the driver waits
  4. Day 1
    Tozeur The medina and the palm oasis, fed by hundreds of springs. A calèche ride through the grove is optional. The night is in Tozeur
  5. Day 2
    Chebika, Tamerza & Mides Three mountain oases and their gorges, by 4x4 — optional, as a half day or a full day
  6. Day 2
    Lunch in Tozeur Back in town between the gorges and the salt lake
  7. Day 2
    Chott el-Jerid A salt lake so flat and bright it produces mirages across the whole crossing
  8. Day 2
    Douz & the Dunes The medina, then the gateway to the Sahara where the tarmac stops. The night is at Camp Dunes Insolite
  9. Day 3
    Matmata The Sidi Driss set from Star Wars, and a Berber troglodyte house dug into the earth
  10. Day 3
    El Jem The Roman amphitheatre often called the Colosseum of Africa, on the road home
  11. Day 3
    Return Drop-off at your hotel

Every stop on this tour, explained one by one →

Included

  • Private air-conditioned vehicle, your group only
  • Driver speaking French, English, Italian, German and Arabic
  • Fuel, tolls and parking
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off
  • Fixed price agreed up front, no deposit

Not included

  • Accommodation — quoted with your dates, not in the price above
  • Site entrance fees
  • Lunch and drinks
  • Licensed guide (optional)
  • Personal spending and tips
  • Calèche ride through the Tozeur oasis (optional)
  • 4x4 for Chebika, Tamerza and Mides — half day or full day (optional)

Who this tour suits

A good fit for

  • Travellers who would rather not share a coach with thirty strangers
  • Travellers with several days who want distance covered without driving
  • First trips to the Sahara: the drive south is long, and a driver makes it restful
  • Families and small groups up to 4 in one vehicle, at your own pace
  • Anyone who does not want to rent a car or drive in Tunisian traffic

Probably not for you if

  • You cannot manage uneven ground — ruins and medinas mean stone, steps and slopes
  • A desert camp is not a hotel: shared washrooms, no lift, no room service
  • Long drives tire you — some days cover 300 km or more between sites
  • You are looking for the cheapest seat on a shared bus rather than a private car

Best time to visit

Best months
October to April — warm days, cold clear nights, comfortable walking
Also good
May and September — hot but manageable with early starts
Hardest months
July and August — the deep south passes 40°C by midday

Desert nights are cold from November to February: bring a fleece even when the day was 25°C. Sandstorms are possible in spring and can close a piste for a day.

Common questions

Is this tour private?

Yes. The vehicle is yours alone — no other travellers are added, and there is no pick-up round of other hotels before the day starts. The price is for the vehicle, not per seat.

How much does it cost per person?

The price is €471 for the whole vehicle, which carries up to 4 people. For a full group that works out at about €118 each; for two people it is half the total between you.

Where does it start?

Pick-up is from your hotel in Tunis, at the time you choose. Tell us where you are staying when you book and the driver comes to the door.

When is the best time of year for this trip?

October to April. This itinerary goes into the deep south, which regularly passes 45°C between May and September — the sites are still open, but the middle of the day becomes hard work.

Is accommodation included in the price?

No. The price covers the vehicle and the driver. Accommodation along the route is arranged for you and quoted with your dates — tell us how many of you there are and we come back with the whole figure before you commit.

Can you take a group of 10, 20 or 50?

Yes. Up to eight travel in one minivan; nine or ten in two vehicles with the same driver team; from eleven we put you in a minibus (up to 20) or a coach (up to 50, more on request), with a driver-guide who knows the sites. The price stays per vehicle and is quoted personally — send us the number and the date and you have the figure within the hour.

Places on this trip

Kairouan
Kairouan UNESCO

Islam’s fourth holy city, built around the Great Mosque and its vast cisterns

Kairouan
Tozeur
Tozeur

A desert oasis of patterned brickwork, its palm grove fed by hundreds of springs

Tozeur
Chebika

A mountain oasis where a spring runs through a gorge above the salt flats

Tozeur
Tamerza Canyon

A deserted mountain village beside a canyon and a year-round waterfall

Tozeur
Mides Canyon

A sheer-walled gorge on the Algerian border, used more than once as a natural film set

Tozeur
Chott el-Jerid
Chott el-Jerid

A vast salt lake crossed on a causeway, its salt flats bright enough to throw mirages the whole way over

Tozeur
Douz & the Dunes
Douz & the Dunes

The gateway to the Sahara and its camel treks, where the tarmac stops and the erg begins

Kébili
Matmata
Matmata

Troglodyte Berber houses carved down into the earth, familiar from the Star Wars films

Gabès
El Jem Amphitheatre
El Jem Amphitheatre UNESCO

The Roman amphitheatre often called the Colosseum of Africa, among the best preserved anywhere

Mahdia

Who runs this tour

Operator
Private Tunisia
Based in
Hammamet, Tunisia — pick-up across the Tunis, Hammamet and Sousse areas
What we operate
Private tours, airport transfers and tailor-made circuits with our own drivers
Driver languages
Français, English, Italiano, Deutsch, العربية
Payment
No deposit and no card online — you pay the driver on the day, cash or card (card +4.7%)
Cancellation
Free up to 24 hours before departure, from your own booking page
Contact
+216 27 555 330 · contact@privatetunisia.com

Two things worth reading before you book: Operator price · no commission — why direct costs less → No shopping stops, no surprise payments, you are the only pick-up — our nine promises →

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