Douz Things to Do

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The Sahara Desert starts just outside the Al Mouradi Hotel. And so the Camel rides begin. The local Bedouin have hundreds of camels for you to ride - or not. The smell is overpowering. For a few dollars you can enjoy a quick journey into the desert before retiring to your hotel.

OK, so it's cliché, and you could probably call it a tourist trap. Still, how could you possibly say no to a camel ride?

Douz is a good base to explore the desert, and a good place to book a ride.

We were part of a group, and they splitted us amongst the guides (because of course you're not expected to be able to control your camel): each guide took care of three of us. Riding on a camel is quite an experience, and you have to hold on when it gets us and when it sits. I loved it! Plus, the sun was setting, and the scenery was amazing!

I don't regret it. Go ahead, be a tourist.

This coming December I will go for a horseridingcircuit in the Tunisian Sahara, all luggage packed on dromedaries.
I am very delighted because most of such trips are guided by jeeps and this one is assured to be more romantic like in the old days when the bedouins where protecting their meharees with their fast horses.
There companions who are riding the dromedaries and there are thos like me riding horses! During the day we will be separated but we have the meals together and share different stories and experiences.

After wandering a couple of hours in the Dous Zouk, and with a weather of 48 degrees (was the hottest day of all our trip), we found a very nice cafe in the second floor of a building surrounding the Main Plaza. We enjoyed a very hot mint tea and some dates, and as we were told hot beverages are good for the hot weather...The café also has this nice view of the city and it´s market.

The best time to visit the city is at the end of the year, during the Annual Festival of the Sahara, A four day celebration that showcases the desert culture with camel and horse racings, poetry reading and traditional dances.

A small but interesting museum located south of Douz market. Is the newest of all Tunisian museums (founded in 1997) and contains good information about the local plants, animals and human customs. Also shows an interesting series of weavings, jewelry, a nomad tent and some examples of the ancient costum of Tattooing. It was also a great place to escape the 45 degrees outside.

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Its much more fun to get dressed in in traditional desert clothes too for your dromedary jaunt - these were provided free of charge for the duration of the ride. Photographs will be taken too for you to purchase on your return - but I was not impressed with them - bear in mind its not easy to take your own pics on a bumpy ride though! Trip lasted about an hour and was brilliant - don't miss out on this experience.

Excellent, another excellent life event to add to my list!! Held yearly i attended last year between the dates of 24-27 December. It was attended but very enthusiastic locals and a few white westerners stood out! the grand stands were full - we like many before us arrived two hours before, we at least had a handy place for the car in the car park provided next to the venue - but there were no loos!!! would you believe that - they were closed! so before it started we walked off in the direction of the nearby village but stopped at the first shop we came to and asked in there - the guy who owned the shop and was building his new house next to it very kindly let me use theirs in their house and then invited us to lunch!! so we had a Douz lunch of cous cous and spicey on top along with really delicious fresh dates from his back yard!! what a bonus.
then back to the venue and a policeman, one of many maintaining law and order!!, kindly got me a place at the top of the grandstand for a birds eye view of the afternoons event that were about to start - with more eating of local wares being cooked and sold below us - while we were waiting.
the afternoons line up included lots of saharian performances - camel racing, gun blowing, greyhound after a rabbit race, a camel fight (the animal activists would have been busy!!), libyan music, and different groups drumming and parades of all sorts. an interesting array of entertainment. but the most amazing was the camel race - a long way around the perimeter of the field maybe 2-5 km!! with the poor camels made to endure with saliva frothing and their riders off and pulling desperate to get them over the finish line! the ambulance even arrived to attend to the needy!