After the Tunis-Carthage Marathon: Tozeur and the Chott el Djerid

The Route: Tunis–Carthage Airport → Tozeur → Chott el Djerid → Chebika, Tamerza and Mides → Tozeur → Tunis Logistics: A 1 hour 10 minute flight to Tozeur–Nefta, then taxis and a hired 4x4 for the oases and the salt lake. Marathon Month: December Duration: 3 nights

Tunis–Carthage (TUN) ──(1 hr 10 mins flight)──> Tozeur–Nefta (TOE) ──(taxi)──> Tozeur
                                                                                 │
                                                     Chott el Djerid ◄───────────┤
                                                     Chebika, Tamerza, Mides ◄───┘

The race ends on a Sunday and the desert is a long way from the finish line. Treat this as an extension for after two recovery days, not as something to attempt on the Monday.

December in Tozeur: days are dry and mostly clear, with highs around 16 to 19°C, and nights fall close to freezing. That makes this good walking weather in the oases and cold on a stone terrace after dark. Bring a fleece and a windproof layer, and expect the sun to set early. The date harvest runs into early winter in most years, so the palm groves are working rather than empty.

Flying is the quick route. Tunisair Express flies Tunis to Tozeur in about 1 hour 10 minutes, but the schedule is thin, with sources giving between three and four flights a week, so confirm the days before you book the rest of the trip. Fares change by season, so check the price with Tunisair Express. The long-distance coach is the cheap alternative, and it costs most of a day each way.

Nights One to Three: Tozeur

Tozeur's old quarter, Ouled el Hadef, is a residential medina built of local brick laid in raised geometric patterns. It is flat and free to walk, and most of its alleys are shaded by the walls. An hour is enough. The palm grove is one of the largest in Tunisia, and its tracks are flat and sandy and suit a slow afternoon better than a quick one. The Belvedere rocks give a view over the grove, and reaching the top means steps.

A day trip to the mountain oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Mides is the main outing. Half-day tours from Tozeur have been quoted at about 30 to 35 TND per person, or 120 to 150 TND for a whole 4x4, at traveller-reported prices that change by season, so agree the price before setting off. The drive does most of the work, and the walking is short but uneven, with rock steps at Chebika. Mides is the canyon-edge village on the Algerian border.

The Chott el Djerid is a salt lake that is dry for most of the year, and the causeway across it runs towards Douz. The Star Wars filming sets near Tozeur are on the tour circuit too. Do the salt lake and the sets on a different day from the mountains, and agree the price first.

For a place to sleep, Dar Saida Beya is a guesthouse close to the old quarter. Hotel Ksar Rouge sits in the palm grove hotel zone on the edge of town, with quieter surroundings and a pool for the days when your legs refuse everything else. Both are listed as open, but confirm winter availability when booking. Ask your host to recommend a restaurant near the old quarter for the first night, and eat dates in the palm grove itself.

Getting to Tunis–Carthage Airport (TUN)

Tozeur–Nefta Airport (TOE) is a short taxi ride from town. Fly back to Tunis on the Tunisair Express service, and allow a long connection if you are flying home the same day, because the schedule is thin and a delayed flight loses the connection. From the Tunis airport, the city centre is 15 to 20 minutes by taxi.