Enduro Tour Tunisia: Ride the Sahara Desert

For the organized motorcycle trips to Tunisia, we always leave early Saturday morning around 5:00 AM from Tübingen to the ferry port in Genoa, where we load the remaining motorcycles of the participants who arrive at the ferry port on their own. At 3:00 PM (2 hours before departure), we meet at the ferry area. All participants receive the pre-prepared entry and customs forms including the ferry and cabin tickets from us. We have enough time to secure the remaining motorcycles on the trailer for the crossing and to stow your luggage in the support vehicle. The scheduled departure of the ferry is always set for 5:00 PM, which according to Tunisian time means that it will be more like 7:00 PM before the ferry departs. Nevertheless, one should be at the ferry port at least 2 hours before departure (3 PM) to relax and complete all formalities. After settling into the cabin, we meet for dinner and discuss the next day, as we will every evening in the future.

After breakfast, we hold the tour briefing for the enduro tour. We cover riding techniques, the route, and each rider’s skill level. In the afternoon, we dock in Tunis. After express customs, we drive about 70 km to our hotel in Hammamet.

Riders who fly in must arrive by Saturday or Sunday at the latest for the pre-meeting. After a hearty dinner on Sunday evening, we go over final tour details and gear checks.

Today we leave comfort behind. The group rides on asphalt past the foothills of the Atlas Mountains to Tozeur. We set up our first camp in a palm grove above the town with a wide view of the Chott el Jerid. We arrive in the late afternoon — just enough time to cook, grab a drink, and crawl into our tents before the sand starts tomorrow.

Today’s ride is short — about 60 to 70 km — but perfect for your first taste of Tunisian sand. The sand loop past the old Star Wars set Mos Espa is a great warm-up. We run a short sand training to prepare you for the tougher dune stages ahead.

On the way back to Tozeur, we ride along the Chott Er Rahim, which sits 17 meters below sea level. Back at camp, there is time for coffee in town. As every evening, we cook together and end the day by the campfire.

Today we cover more ground. The goal: the oasis town of Douz, also known as the gateway to the desert. We ride about 80 km on sandy tracks along the Chott el Jérid and cross the salt lake if water levels allow.

This legendary off-road stage passes the site of WWII battles where General Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was wounded. We set up camp either at the edge of the desert or in Douz itself — showers, palm trees, and a big dinner by the fire.

Today is free. Visit the weekly market in Douz (every Thursday), relax, or just rest before the desert days ahead. We stock up on fuel and supplies for the enduros and spare cans before we head to Tafelberg Tembain the next day.

For the next five days, we dive deep into the Sahara. We are fully self-sufficient — no towns, no roads, no phone signal. The route adapts to the group’s size, bike type, and riding skill.

If the group is strong enough, we aim for the lost lake, Lac Houidhat Erreched — a hot spring about 90 km from Douz in a straight line. The desert days will bond you like nothing else: shoveling bikes out of sand, tipping over, picking each other up, and sharing the silence of the open Sahara under a sky full of stars.

The Tembaine is a striking tabletop mountain and our first desert stop. Climb it for a wide view over the surrounding plateaus: Great and Little Dekanis, el Mida, and Gour Kleb. The path is sandy but the dunes are still small, with dune fields mixed with rocky plains.

The dunes grow taller. Key sand passages appear. We pass the small Dekanis and push on to the large Dekanis. We pitch our tents between the dunes at sunset, make a fire, cook, and decide if the route to the lost lake will work for the group.

Based on how the last days went, we either detour to Lac Houidhat (about 25 to 30 km away) or ride straight to el Mida. Both routes are rewarding but differ in difficulty.

We leave the tabletop mountains and ride toward the oasis Ksar Ghilane. It has become more touristy in recent years, with resorts and quad rentals. We stop briefly — maybe take a dip in the hot spring — then camp outside the oasis where it is quieter and nicer.

From Ksar Ghilane, we visit the nearby Roman fort — a stone ruin, but the ride there is easy and scenic. Then we head back to Douz and return to the modern world.

This day serves as a buffer. If all goes well, we ride over sandy stone tracks to Matmata and spend our last tent night in this mountain village. We enjoy typical Tunisian food at a local restaurant before the long road back tomorrow.

Today we ride north to Hammamet. The stretch is paved and long, but our minds are full of desert memories. In the afternoon, we check into the hotel and enjoy palm trees, pool, and sea.

Every adventure ends. We return to Tunis with a heavy heart. Riders flying home get an airport shuttle. The rest board the ferry at La Goulette and head for the bar.

Return ferry from Tunis to Genoa — the same route we have used as a motorcycle tour operator since 1999.