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    Douz
    LBM1948 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

    Tunisia

    Douz

    City

    Douz is known as the gateway to the Sahara: the oasis town in Kebili governorate lies about two hours' drive southeast of Tozeur on the edge of the Grand Erg Oriental.

    by Felix Gillen

    1. Home
    3. Destinations
    5. Tunisia
    7. Oases & Sahara
    9. Douz
    Douz is known as the gateway to the Sahara: the oasis town in Kebili governorate lies about two hours' drive southeast of Tozeur on the edge of the Grand Erg Oriental. You come for the first big sand dunes, organised camel rides and the Festival international du Sahara in December.The town has around 30,000 inhabitants, most of them from the Mrazig tribe. Douz lies on the edge of areas covered by official travel warnings, and independent desert trips are advised against: check the current travel advice, such as the UK FCDO Travel Advice, before you go.

    Sights in Douz

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Souk of Douz
    Market

    1Souk of Douz

    The central market sells handicrafts daily. On Thursdays, an animal market with donkeys and dromedaries joins it.
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    Musée du Sahara

    2Musée du Sahara

    Small museum, opened in 1997, on the life of the peoples of the Tunisian Sahara. It focuses on the former nomadic life of the Mrazig, who today are mostly settled in Douz.
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    Place Hnich

    3Place Hnich

    The square at the edge of the dunes is one of the venues of the Festival international du Sahara, among other things for the equestrian displays of the Mrazig.
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    Palmeraie of Douz

    4Palmeraie of Douz

    The oasis gardens directly border the town. Alongside tourism, date palms are the town's main source of income.
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    Restaurants in Douz

    1

    Chez Magic

    Unpretentious spot on Avenue des Martyrs, popular with locals at lunchtime. Quick service for couscous, soups, salads and grilled dishes.
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    2

    Restaurant Les Palmiers

    Restaurant on Avenue Taieb Mhiri in the center, with a large dining room and moderate prices.
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    3

    Restaurant El Bey

    Open-air restaurant in a palm garden, about 3 kilometers outside on the road to Zaafrane. Meals are eaten in Bedouin tents.
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    4

    Le Rendez-Vous

    Venue in the center, whose dining room is decorated with souvenirs from desert rallies.
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    Spirit

    Mrazig and CaravansDouz was once an important stop for caravans between the Sahara and Northern Tunisia. Today, the Mrazig mostly live a sedentary life; date palms and tourism have replaced oasis trade.Market: daily handicrafts, Thursday animal market with donkeys and dromedariesFestival international du SaharaThe festival lasts four days and brings together nomadic groups from Tunisia and other countries. The program includes dromedary and horse shows, poetry competitions, music, and dance.Date 2026: The 58th edition is announced for December 19 to 22, 2026. Check the date before your tripDunes and DesertAt the edge of the city, the dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental begin. You can book camel rides and off-road vehicle tours with operators in the center. The Federal Foreign Office advises against individual, unorganized desert tours and travel to areas further south.

    Arrival and Getting Around

    ArrivalCar from Tozeur: approx. 2 hours, the route crosses the Chott el Djerid on a causewayLouage: From Tozeur, changing in Kebili; from Douz, shared taxis go to Gabès, among othersPlane: The nearest airport is Tozeur-NeftaOn SiteYou can explore the center and market on foot. Hotels are in the Zone touristique at the edge of the dunes.Travel and Safety AdviceCheck the current official travel advice before you go, for example the UK FCDO Travel Advice for Tunisia. The German Federal Foreign Office advises against travel south of the line from the Algerian border via Tozeur/Nefta and Douz to Ksar Ghilane, and against individual, unorganised desert tours.

    Accommodations in Douz

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    Nearby

    Chott el Djerid

    Chott el Djerid

    The Chott el Djerid is a vast salt lake between Tozeur and Kebili in southwestern Tunisia, the largest salt flat in the Maghreb. You experience it on the causeway road from Tozeur to Douz, which runs across the white salt crust.Depending on the source and the water level, the lake covers 5,000 to over 7,000 square kilometres. It lies on the edge of areas covered by official travel warnings: check the current travel advice, such as the UK FCDO Travel Advice, before you go.
    Oases & Sahara

    Oases & Sahara

    In southwestern Tunisia, steppe and mountains give way to the Sahara: palm oases such as Tozeur and Nefta, the Chott el Djerid salt lake and the dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental near Douz define the region. You travel here for brick-built old towns, date palms, the salt lake and the first sand dunes of the Sahara.The region borders Algeria and areas covered by official travel warnings. Check the current travel advice, such as the UK FCDO Travel Advice for Tunisia, before making any plans.
    Matmata

    Matmata

    Matmata is a Berber village about 600 m high, 40 km southwest of Gabès in southern Tunisia. You visit to see the dwellings dug into the earth around a deep courtyard, including the Hotel Sidi Driss, a filming location for 'Star Wars'.The old village is small and easily explored on foot. New Matmata, the current main town, is approximately 15 km away.
    Tozeur

    Tozeur

    Tozeur is the main town of the Djerid in southwestern Tunisia, about 450 kilometres southwest of Tunis on the northern edge of the Chott el Djerid salt lake. You come for the Ouled el Hadef old town with its patterned brickwork and for the palm grove with around 400,000 date palms.The town has just under 40,000 inhabitants and is easy to explore on foot, by bicycle or by horse-drawn carriage. Tozeur lies on the edge of areas covered by official travel warnings: check the current travel advice, such as the UK FCDO Travel Advice, before you go.
    Gabès

    Gabès

    Gabès, a port city on the Gulf of Gabès in southeastern Tunisia, lies about 400 km south of Tunis on the mainland west of Djerba. You come for its palm oasis right by the sea, considered the Mediterranean's sole coastal oasis, and for the henna market in the Jara quarter. The city, with over 100,000 inhabitants, is the terminus for the Tunis railway line and a starting point for Matmata. Worth seeing are the old quarters Jara and Menzel, the Mausoleum of patron saint Sidi Boulbaba, and the Chenini oasis.

    Sources & method

    • Photos: Wikimedia Commons, Google Maps. Each photo carries its credit.
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