From Tunis, Hammamet & Sousse: 2-Day Sahara Express Tour

Name: From Tunis, Hammamet & Sousse: 2-Day Sahara Express Tour
Brand: GetYourGuide
Price: 118.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.69 (1110 reviews)

4.7 (1,110 verified reviews)

A 4x4 crossing the pitted sand flats of southern Tunisia

Palm terraces and a stream in the mountain oasis at Chebika

A loaded camel train crossing the dunes at sunset

A bowl of Tunisian couscous shared at a lunch stop

Camel riders silhouetted against a red Saharan sunset

About This Experience

Pickup is at 6am. The first stop is El Jem, where the third-century amphitheatre still stands almost intact — a 40-minute guided visit before the road turns south.

Matmata is the middle of day one. You visit the Sidi Driss hotel, the sunken courtyard that played the Lars homestead interior in A New Hope, and meet a family still living in a troglodyte house, over rosemary tea with honey and olive oil. Lunch is there. Tamazret, a Berber village on a ridge above the desert, is a photo stop.

Night one is at a tented camp at Sabria, on the sand south of Douz: sunset over the dunes, sand bread baked in the embers, a folklore show, dinner and the Milky Way.

Day two crosses Chott el Jerid — the salt pan that turns to mirage by mid-morning — then climbs to the mountain oasis and waterfall at Chebika before the long road north to the UNESCO-listed medina at Kairouan.

The operator groups departures by language where it can: Italian and German on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; French and English on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Spanish and Portuguese daily with a preference for Sunday.

Highlights

Explore the Roman Colosseum in El Jem
Discover underground Berber homes and experience a camel ride in the sand dunes
Spend a night in a tent at a Sahara camp with a Bedouin atmosphere
Take part in sand bread preparation and enjoy stargazing under the Milky Way sky
Hike to Chebika’s hidden oasis waterfall and see Kairouan’s UNESCO-listed medina

What's Included

✓ Air-conditioned transportation during the tour
✓ Services of a licensed driver
✓ Services of a licensed travel guide (multilingual)
✓ 1 night accommodation at a desert camp
✓ Mid-day lunch during day 1 (excluding drinks)
✓ Dinner and breakfast at the camp
✓ Mid-day lunch during day 2 (excluding drinks)
✓ Sand bread preparation show
✓ Our services and assistance 24/7

Not Included

Drinks and personal expenses
Entry fees to archeological sites and museums
Single room fees «for solo travelers only» (35 EUR)
Tips to driver and travel guide (optional)

Good to Know & Caveats

Please note that this is quite a long excursion, with several hours of driving. However, it is a great option if you would like to discover and see as much as possible in 2 days
If you are not comfortable with long hours on the road, we would recommend choosing our 3-day excursion instead. It offers a more relaxed and enjoyable pace, with more time to appreciate each place without feeling rushed
Just to give you a better idea of the pace: on Day 2, after lunch, there is mainly a transfer to the next destination, which takes a little over 3.5 hours. So if you prefer a more relaxed experience with less time spent travelling, the 3-day tour would be the better choice
What is the tour itinerary?
Day 1: Pick up - El Jem - Matmata - Sabria
Day 2: Sabria - Chott Djerid - Chebika - Kairouan - end

Not Suitable For

People with motion sickness
People with back problems

Meeting Point

Hotel pickup from 6am in Tunis, Hammamet, Sousse and Monastir. Guests staying in central Tunis, Carthage, La Marsa, Sidi Bou Said or Gammarth meet in front of the Hotel El Hana International on Avenue Habib Bourguiba.

What Travelers Say

Rated 4.7/5 by 1,110 verified GetYourGuide travelers.

Trip is worth it for discovering TUNISIA in a short amount of time. Desert camp is absolutely amazing 10/10
— Tristan, Septemb

A wonderful experience. Recommended for all ages. It's true that you spend a lot of hours on the coach, but it allows you to see wonderful places in two days. The desert camp where we dined and slept and the houses in Matmata were our favorite places. Our guide was truly kind and knowledgeable, and in addition to giving us excellent information about the places we visited, he also told us a great deal about Tunisia in general. The driver was very good and considerate.
— Carloandrea, Septemb

The guide Ali was great and shared very useful pieces of information! For those statying in Tunis, the second day is especially tiring though: I think we were only around 3.5 hours in attractions (like Kairouan mosque and salt lake), and roughly 12 hours sitting in the bus being driven around
— Roberta, Septemb

Frequently Asked Questions

How much driving is there on this tour?

A lot — the operator says so plainly. Day one is roughly two hours to El Jem, three more to Matmata and three to the camp; day two is a little over 3.5 hours of transfer after lunch. If that sounds heavy, a <a href='/3-day-sahara-tours/'>three-day version</a> covers the same ground at a calmer pace.

Where do you sleep?

In a tent at a desert camp at Sabria, on the edge of the sand south of Douz. Dinner, breakfast and the evening's entertainment are included; solo travellers pay a single supplement of €35.

Does this tour visit Star Wars locations?

It stops at the Sidi Driss hotel in Matmata, the Lars homestead interior. It does not reach Mos Espa — see <a href='/mos-espa-tours/'>Mos Espa tours</a> for the itineraries that do.

What is not included?

Drinks, entry fees to archaeological sites and museums, tips for the driver and guide, and the single-room supplement for solo travellers.

Can you be picked up from any hotel?

Pickup covers Tunis, Hammamet, Sousse and Monastir. Guests in central Tunis and the northern suburbs are asked to meet at the Hotel El Hana International instead of a door pickup.