Day-by-day stages
Day 1 — Djerba → Tataouine
141 km, about 2 h 15. Leave the island over the El Kantara causeway towards Medenine, then Tataouine and its ksour, fortified Berber granaries: Ksar Ouled Soltane and the hilltop village of Chenini, twenty-odd kilometres away.
Day 2 — Tataouine → Matmata
130 km, about 1 h 55. North through the Ksour mountains to Matmata and its cave houses, some of which you can visit with the families living in them.
Day 3 — Matmata → Douz
100 km, about 1 h 35. West across the Dahar plateau to Douz, the "gateway to the Sahara": the first dunes start at the edge of town. A camel ride at sunset.
Day 4 — Douz → Kebili → Tozeur
About 122 km and 2 h 15. Fill up in Kebili, then cross the Chott el-Jerid on a raised road through the middle of the country’s largest salt lake — mirages are common around midday. Arrive in Tozeur and its ochre-brick medina.
Day 5 — Tozeur ⇄ Nefta
A 50 km round trip. The Nefta corbeille, its palm grove and domes, then the Ong Jmel film sets. With an extra day, the mountain oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Mides, an hour north of Tozeur.
Day 6 — Tozeur → Gabes
212 km, about 3 h 25 — the longest stage. Back via Kebili and the chott, then east to the coastal oasis of Gabes.
Day 7 — Gabes → Djerba
111 km, about 2 h 15 including the Jorf–Ajim ferry. Back on the island.
Which car for the south?
Every stage of this loop is on paved road: a regular car is enough, and a city or economy car does the job perfectly. An SUV adds comfort on the hill roads around Tataouine and Matmata, but it is not a necessity. Sand tracks to the dunes are for 4×4 excursions with a driver.
Variant: start from Tozeur
If you fly into Tozeur-Nefta airport, run the loop in reverse starting from day 4: Tozeur, Nefta, then Douz, Matmata and Tataouine, with Djerba as the easternmost point. Distances are the same.
Precautions
- Fill up in Kebili before crossing the Chott el-Jerid, and in Tozeur before heading back to Gabes.
- Avoid driving at night: unlit roads, livestock and sandstorms cut visibility.
- Keep several litres of water in the car, whatever the season.
- From June to September, sightsee early in the morning and late in the afternoon; midday heat in the Jerid is punishing.