Day Trips from Douz: Salt Flats and Matmata

October 31, 2026

Check the current US State Department and UK FCDO advice before booking. Some border and military areas in the south of Tunisia are closed to tourists, so go into the dunes only with a licensed local operator.

Douz works as a base for four outings: the salt pan of Chott el Djerid, the cave houses of Matmata, the warm-spring oasis of Ksar Ghilane and the town of Kebili. Distances are by road and the pace is slow, so plan each as a full outing. Travel between October and April if you can, when the heat is bearable.

Kebili

Kebili is 28 km away, the nearest town of any size, and the easy way to see a second oasis. Louages (shared taxis) run between the two towns. They leave when full and take cash only.

Chott el Djerid

The salt pan begins northwest of Douz, and the road to Tozeur crosses it on an embanked causeway of roughly 64 to 80 km depending on the source. Douz to Tozeur takes about 2 hours by car. The pan is dry salt, with no boats, no swimming and no birdwatching cruises, and the edges hold treacherous mud. Stay on the road and never drive onto the crust. Wind can blow sand across the tarmac, so slow down if visibility drops. Stalls along the road sell salt crystals and desert roses.

Matmata

Matmata lies about 1.5 hours away by car and is a long day trip. The village is known for its sunken courtyard houses dug into the soft rock to stay cool, and a hotel there was used as a film set for a famous space saga. Visitors usually pay a small fee to look around a courtyard home. Go with an operator or a driver who knows the road, and plan to leave Douz early.

Ksar Ghilane

Ksar Ghilane is a full day. Planned routes give about 130 to 145 km, around 2 hours each way. The oasis has a warm spring where you can bathe, at about 29 C according to operator listings, plus several camps. A Roman fort called Tisavar stands less than 1 km from the palms and dates to the reign of Commodus, 180 to 192 AD. Wikipedia describes an asphalt road from Douz and Matmata, while off-road sources describe a track, so go with an operator rather than driving yourself. Do not treat it as a casual half-day. The Ksar Ghilane article on Wikipedia gives the layout of the camps.

Trips that are too far

Tozeur airport is about 2 hours from Douz, and Djerba is 240 km away. The drive from Tunis takes 6.5 to 7.5 hours. None of these suits a day outing. Douz has no coast, so a beach day belongs on a trip to Djerba, not from Douz.

Costs and transport

A 4x4 with a driver is listed at about 350 to 400 TND for the whole vehicle. The louage from Douz to Gabes was 13.4 TND in December 2024. Carry cash in dinars for fares and entry.

Before you head south or east

FCDO does not name Douz, Kebili, Tozeur or Ksar Ghilane in its warnings. It does advise against all travel in the militarised zone south of El Borma and Dhehiba and near the Libyan border. Look at the FCDO warnings page before any excursion south or east of Jebil National Park toward Borj el Khadra, El Borma, Dhehiba or the Libyan and Algerian frontiers. None of those is a day trip.

Booking help

Compare day trips from Douz to Ksar Ghilane and Matmata and check what the price includes.

Douz
Guides