Sahara Oasis · Hot Spring & Roman Fort
A hot spring in the dunes, four hours south.
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The Experience
A warm spring-fed pool, a dune field on three sides, and a Roman frontier fort half buried in sand.
Getting to the southernmost oasis in Tunisia, and what to do when you arrive.
Ksar Ghilane is connected to Douz by 80km of asphalt, but the approach from the Dahar side — the one the Djerba tours use — is a desert track. That is why every tour here runs in a 4x4.
The pool is fed by a warm spring and open to anyone. It is the thing guests mention most in their reviews, and on a day trip the stop is long enough to use it properly. Bring a swimsuit and a towel.
Tisavar, a Roman frontier fort built between 180 and 192 CE, sits a short walk into the sand — a rectangular stone enclosure with corner towers. Most tours leave you free time rather than guiding it.
Both are available at the oasis and both are almost always extra. Budget for them separately or decide in advance that you are not doing them.
Photo Gallery
Palms, the spring, the dune field and the fort in the sand.
Same destination, different amounts of it.
| Feature | MOST REVIEWED Day Trip via Ksar Hadada | Day Trip via Toujane & Matmata | Overnight with a Desert Camp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,671 ratings at 4.8 / 5 | 325 ratings at 4.7 / 5 | 475 ratings at 4.7 / 5 |
| Time at the Oasis | 3 hours | About 2 hours with lunch | An afternoon, then a camp nearby |
| Other Stops | Ksar Hadada, Guermassa | Toujane, Matmata, Berber family visit | Tataouine, Chenini, Matmata |
| Swimming | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vehicle | 4x4 | 4x4 or SUV, small group | 4x4 throughout |
| Night in the Desert | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ Tented camp |
| Starting Price | From $69/per person | $69 per person | $48 per person |
| Free Cancellation | ✓ Up to 24 hours before | ✓ Up to 24 hours before | ✓ Up to 24 hours before |
| Check Availability | Compare | View Options |
More Options
Different departure towns, 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.
2-DAY CLASSICThe most-reviewed two-day run south: El Jem, Matmata and the Sidi Driss cave hotel on day one, a desert camp at Sabria, then Chott el Jerid, Chebika and Kairouan on the way home.
LOWEST PRICEThe 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.
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.
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.
FROM SOUSSETUI's two-day southern loop from Sousse and Monastir: El Jem, Matmata, a night in Douz, then Chott el Jerid and the Mos Espa film set at Onk Jemal by 4x4.
FROM HAMMAMETTUI's two-day Sahara tour out of Hammamet, with accommodation, the El Jem amphitheatre, Matmata's cave houses and a crossing of Chott el Jerid.
The Southernmost Oasis
A spring, a fort, a dune field — and the reason every Djerba tour points at it.
Ksar Ghilane is the southernmost oasis in Tunisia and the eastern edge of the Grand Erg Oriental — the point where the stony Dahar plateau gives out and the sand sea begins. Thirty- two of the tours we track stop there, more than at any other single place in the country’s south, and the reason is simple: it is the one stop that delivers everything a visitor came for at once.
The oasis is fed by a warm source, and the pool it feeds is open-air, palm-shaded and swimmable all year. Guests write about it more than about anything else on these itineraries, including the film sets. On a day tour the stop is long — three hours on the most-reviewed of them — and the water is what most of that time goes on.
Pack a swimsuit and a towel even if the tour description does not tell you to.
A short walk out into the sand from the oasis stands Tisavar, a Roman frontier fort built between 180 and 192 CE: a rectangular stone enclosure roughly 30 by 40 metres with corner towers and a central temple, part of the line the empire drew across the desert. Most tours give you free time rather than a guided visit, so it is worth knowing what you are looking at before you walk out.
Ksar Ghilane is connected to Douz, 80km north, by asphalt — which is how the western itineraries arrive. The tours on this page mostly come the other way, from Djerba and Zarzis across the Dahar, and the last stretch of that approach is a desert track. That is why everything here runs in a 4x4 and why no coach tour reaches the oasis.
Four hours each way from the island makes it a long but genuine day trip. From the northern resorts it is not a day trip at all.
The most-reviewed desert tour in our catalogue goes here: a 4x4 day from Djerba by way of Ksar Hadada and Guermassa, three hours at the oasis, lunch included, $69 per person, 4.8 out of 5 from 1,671 guests.
The small-group Ksar Ghilane and Matmata tour, also $69, takes the western line instead — Toujane, a Berber family’s cave house at Matmata with tea and homemade bread, then the oasis. It runs in jeeps with a small group and is the better pick if you want Matmata in the same day.
The Djerba and Zarzis Sahara tour at $68 deliberately trades stops for a longer stay at the oasis, which suits anyone who would rather sit still in one extraordinary place than photograph four.
For the night rather than the afternoon, the two-day 4x4 with a camp at $48 and the sunset-and-sunrise tent night at $144 both build around the same oasis.
The oasis is popular, and in high season the pool has people in it. What it does not have is a resort — the camps are low, the palms are real, and fifty metres past the last tent there is nothing but sand in every direction. Most reviews that mention crowds still rate the stop highly for exactly that reason.
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 mountain village of Toujane, tea with a Berber family at Matmata, and the afternoon at the oasis — in a 4x4, 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 mention most. Pack a swimsuit and a towel even on a day trip; the most-reviewed of these tours gives you three hours there.
From Djerba or Zarzis it is about four hours across the Dahar, with the last stretch on a desert track — which is why every tour uses a 4x4. From Douz it is 80km south on asphalt. There is no coach route.
Tisavar, a frontier fort built between 180 and 192 CE on the edge of the Sahara: a rectangular stone enclosure roughly 30 by 40 metres with corner towers and a central temple. It is a short walk from the oasis and most tours leave you free time rather than guiding it.
Almost never. Both are offered at the oasis and both are paid on the day. The fare covers transport, the guide, lunch and — on most tours — insurance.
The $69 4x4 from Djerba via Ksar Hadada is the most-reviewed at 1,671 ratings. The $69 small-group tour via Toujane and Matmata is the pick if you want the cave houses too. The $68 Djerba and Zarzis tour deliberately trades stops for a longer stay at the oasis.
In high season the pool has people in it. Fifty metres past the last tent there is nothing but sand in every direction, and most reviews that mention crowds still rate the stop highly.
Still have questions? Email us at info@tunisiasaharatours.com
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