Tunisia 2005: Mountains, Dunes and Chotts
Houmt-Souk – Medenine – Matmata – Douz – Kebili – Tozeur – Tamerza – Gabes – Tataouine – Ben Gerdane – Houmt-Souk (october 17 – november 22, 2005)
To the desert
Houmt-Souk – Douz
Soon we leave Jerba and take the ferry to the African continent. We ride under a burning sun in a bleak landscape, where only the olive trees give us some protection. After Metameur the hills rise up above the barren plain. We arrive, partly by foot, in the splendidly situated mountain village of Toujane, where we spend some days enjoying the magnificent view from Bechir’s charming auberge. After a few mountain passes we arrive in the tourist infested Matmata, where we take the endless road to Douz. Some vegetation tries to survive under the burning sun. Late in the afternoon, the solitude is suddenly broken. Hordes of white landcruisers ride us off the road, racing to bring their passengers to an unforgettable sunset in the desert.
The Nefzaoua
Douz – Kebili
After an attempt to brave the sand towards Bir El Hadj Brahim we continue our trip in the Nefzaoua. Dunes and oases succeed each other until we find ourselves at the edge of the Great Eastern Erg. When the night falls and the last tough fly is disappeared, dull drums resound out of the silence. Clambering and stumbling over the small dunes, stimulated by rythmic hand clapping, we become witnesses of a nomads gathering. Although more and more settled, these semi-nomads continue to live their traditions. We arrived here trough one of those settlements, Sabria, a place forgotten by the rest of the world, and forgetting that world itself. Hereafter we follow a nice surfaced road to Nouil and Kebili.
The Chott
Kebili – Tozeur
A winding road trough fertile date palms brings us to the salt plains, the so-called chotts. We prepare ourselves to cross the Chott Jerid, the biggest salt plain of North Africa. The afternoon sun directs a surrealistic colour spectacle: to the left of us, a brown plain to the horizon, to the right of us, a blend of white, blue and purple. Mirages come and go, an unreal intense experience. Tozeur welcomes us with his extended palm gardens. We join the tourist industry and make a 4×4 trip to Nefta and Onk Jemal, setting of “The English Patient” and “Star Wars” movies.
Mountains of the West and East
Tozeur – Tamerza – Tataounine – Houmt-Souk
Once past the infertile salt plains the road rises steeply to Tamerza and the scenery changes dramatically. Rough brown mountains surround green oases. Gorges and waterfalls who give birth to fruit trees and palm gardens are hidden in the midst of the threatening dryness. Like us, the many birds, frogs and insects enjoy the abundance in the lively oases. The bicycles and us get some rest. After a long bus ride via Gafsa and Gabes, where we witness a marvellous chaotic arrival of colonel Khadaffi, we arrive in the laid-back Tataouine. There we make daytrips to Chenini and Douiret. We ride among flat-topped mountains to old berber villages, ksars and ghorfas. Then we head east to Ben Gerdane, close to the Lybian border, and ride up along the coast to Houmt-Souk.
