New Year's Eve in the Sahara: Ringing in the New Year by 4x4 in Tunisia

At midnight, nothing bangs here. No firecrackers, no rockets, no countdown on TV. Instead you sit by the fire in the sand, the off-road vehicles parked in a half circle behind you, and above you hangs a starry sky you will never see like this in Central Europe. That is New Year's Eve in the Sahara.

For over 20 years we have been driving to southern Tunisia in our 4x4s for the turn of the year. The tour starts in Genoa, takes the ferry to Tunis and continues south: across the salt lake Chott el Djerid, through the oases of Tozeur and Douz and into the dune fields around Tembaine and Ksar Ghilane. The group celebrates the New Year itself in the middle of the desert, in a wild camp.

The journey there is already part of the trip. The crossing from Genoa to Tunis takes around 22 to 24 hours. We handle the entry formalities together, often already on board, so things move quickly at the port.

In the north you still drive on asphalt. The further south you go, the more the road turns into a piste. In Tozeur you experience palm groves and markets, then you cross the Chott el Djerid, one of the largest salt lakes in North Africa. Douz is known as the gateway to the Sahara. From here the sand begins.

Before the first dune stages there is off-road driving training: tyre pressure, choosing your line, pulling away in soft sand, recovery with sand ladders and a recovery strap. After that you head into the desert in convoy, with radio contact between all vehicles. The guide takes care of navigation, so you do not need any GPS skills. On average you spend four to six hours a day behind the wheel, plus breaks and photo stops.

You spend several nights in the dunes, without infrastructure and without mobile reception. In the evening the fire burns, and cooking is done in the expedition kitchen. On the desert stage a Tunisian cook comes along to look after the group.

Important for your packing list: at the end of December it is pleasantly mild in the Sahara during the day, usually 15 to 22 degrees. At night the temperature drops to 2 to 8 degrees. A warm sleeping bag and clothes for cool evenings are therefore a must, not an option.

And then there is New Year's Eve itself. No programme, no stage, just the group, the fire and the silence of the desert. Anyone who has experienced it once will think back to that evening at the next New Year's Eve in the city.

You drive your own vehicle. For the sand stages, four-wheel drive, low-range gearing and a differential lock are mandatory. You also need good tyres, a full-size spare wheel and a spare air filter. We clarify recovery points and equipment with you in advance through a detailed packing and vehicle list.

The tour is sporty and aimed at drivers with some first off-road experience. Sand passages and recoveries are part of it, and so is getting stuck. That is no drama: you work as a team, and the guide knows the terrain.

For the papers you need the vehicle registration document and the international insurance card, on which Tunisia must not be crossed out. If you are not the registered keeper yourself, you need a power of attorney in French. Your own off-road vehicle is not a requirement, by the way: subject to availability, you can rent a Land Rover Defender or Toyota Hilux with camping equipment through us.

You want to experience the turn of the year in the desert but do not want to drive yourself? Then you can join as a passenger in the support vehicle. The seats for this are limited per tour, so if you want to come along, you should enquire early.

The support vehicle drives along in the convoy, carries equipment and is on hand for technical problems. You experience the same route, the same camps and the same New Year's Eve, just without a steering wheel.

The ferry Genoa, Tunis and back is not included in the tour price for this tour, and there is a reason for that. Over the turn of the year, many Tunisians who live in Europe travel home. The crossings are then usually fully booked and the prices correspondingly high.

Through us you book the ferry at the group rate: 600 € per car or off-road vehicle, 800 € per truck. That is cheaper than booking individually, because we get special conditions for groups from the shipping line. Ferry prices will soon rise by 10 %. Anyone who books now secures the current rate.

The New Year's Eve tour to the Sahara starts on 19 December 2026 and ends on 2 January 2027, 15 days, from 2,569 €. If you would rather experience the Sahara without the holiday crowds, the Sahara 4x4 tour through Tunisia offers more dates. And for trucks and expedition vehicles there is the Unimog Sahara tour.