Douz (Douz) - like a curtain separating Tunisia civilized from Tunisia primitive, otvernuv which, froze in amazement before the silent greatness of the Sahara desert .The Tunisians themselves call this small city - the gate to the Sahara, and in support of these words on the very edge of Duse, in front of the Great Dune, stands a monument in the form of a key .Here it's very hot, very quiet and insanely beautiful..Duz sinks in the soul primarily due to the emptiness of the surrounding space: a resident of a metropolis, whose eyes are accustomed to cling to high-rise buildings, simply can not believe that there is such a world in the world..And even in Duse you can try the most tasty dates, spend the night under a starry sky and fly on a trike over oases .
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How to get to Douza?
- most tourists come here as part of the excursion group. A two-day trip to the Sahara is the most popular excursion in Tunisia. This is an excellent option to get a general idea of Duse and see if you want to get to know the desert more closely. It usually arrives around 4:00 pm on the first day of the excursion and, having spent the night in one of the hotels in the tourist zone, leaves the city in the early morning of the next day. The cost of the excursion is about 200 dinars.
- on the lag, Tunisian minibus. There are no direct trips from resort towns to Duz, all cars arrive in the administrative center of the region, the city of Kebili. From here to Douza there are separate minibuses, the fare - 2 dinars, half an hour on the road. In turn, to Kebili from the coast (Sousse, Hammamet, Monastir, Mahdia) can be reached with a transfer in Gabes. From the city of Tunisia in Kebili there are direct lags.
- by bus. Local bus company SNTRI sends daily two buses from Tunis to Douz. The fare is 25 dinars, the journey time is about 8 hours. On the company's website you can find out the timetable.
- on a rented car. The ideal option also for traveling around the southern region: you can visit the numerous oases, drive along the bulk road through the dried salt lake of Schott El Jerid and even reach Tozer. The roads in the south are very good - wide, in some areas even with an ideal covering. Note that there are no petrol stations, cafes and no civilization at all on the 110-kilometer stretch from Matmata to Douz.
Search for air tickets to Tunis (the nearest airport to Duzu) is
Orientation
Duz is divided into two parts. Entering the city from the side of Matmata (and in the vast majority of cases you will enter here), you get to the old Duz with its residential quarters, restaurants, cafes, market and a hint of the XXI century in the form of mail and bank.
Moving to the center of the city and turning left in the central square, you will get to the oasis: the road passes right in the thick of the date palms, and then the tourist zone begins - it's a completely natural XXI century. In the tourist zone are concentrated all the Duz entertainment: camel riding, hang-gliding, cafes, photo services, the festival area with stands and the hotels themselves, by the way, are quite good even compared to the coastal ones.
Transport in the city
The tourist zone is most likely to have to move on foot, the benefit is all around: taxi drivers in the city in principle, little, because the locals move mainly on mopeds or carts, harnessed by donkeys and horses. In the high tourist season, existing taxi drivers often pass through the hotel zone in search of a client, however, it is difficult to foresee the time of their appearance. For trips to the center of the old Duse, you can call a taxi at the hotel reception.
- Meet the sunset on a camel's hump during a caravan walk in the desert.
- Fly on a trike over the boundless Sahara.
- To collect the smallest Sahara sand - strictly no more than 1 kg in one hand.
- Buy a rose of the desert.
- Try the dates from a branch of a palm tree growing right on site.
- Swim in the pool with hot thermal water, pleasantly fragrant with sulfur and other useful elements.
Douza weather forecast
In summer, there is a Heat with a capital letter. Under forty in Duse will always be, and on separate days - and under fifty. Be sure to wear long-sleeved clothing, preferably linen or cotton, and headwear, and do not forget to apply a lot of sunscreen with a maximum SPF factor. A summer night is comfortable here. In the winter in Douz, there are large differences in daytime and night temperatures: in the daytime it can be about +20, and at night the temperature will stay in the region of zero.
Money
Exchange currency is easiest at the reception of hotels in the tourist zone. There are several bank branches in the city: there you can also make an exchange or withdraw money from the ATM.
Shopping: what to buy in Duse
A popular Duz souvenir is a "rose of sand", looking like a light beige stone with many faces. This gypsum formation, which is obtained from crystals of salt and sand, melted in the sun, approximately as it happens in the production of glass. The cost of a sandy rose is from 1 to 5 dinars, depending on the size.
The Douz is also famous for its dates, especially the famous local "deglet nur" ("dates of light"), so named because the flesh of the fruit is so thin, and the flesh is so sugar that the bone shines through the light. You can buy already put up in boxes dates or a whole bunch. Make sure the dates in the boxes are on twigs; it is not recommended to take them in bulk - it is likely that they were collected by the fallen.
Numerous souvenirs, directly or indirectly reminiscent of the desert: bottles with colored sand, camel figurines, dried horned vipers and scorpions, sheches - cuts of fabric for the construction of a local turban, Berber silver jewelry and rugs in a specific southern style.
Restaurants Douza
You can dine at the restaurants in the center of the old Duse: nothing special, the usual Tunisian cuisine (salads, soup, couscous) or grilled meat. Alcohol in such restaurants do not serve. There are also fast food outlets with a standard set of sandwiches, shaverm and pizza. If you want to dine in a European way, you can drop in at one of the hotels in the tourist area (preferably El Mouradi Douz or Sahara Douz) at lunchtime and get an unlimited number of approaches to the buffet at a fixed fee of 35 to 40 dinars.
Douz hotels
Hotels with a claim for European quality services are located in the tourist area of Douza. The most deserving are the four-star El Mouradi Douz and the recently restored Sahara Douz. In two hotels there are pools with hot thermal water - this is the above-mentioned Sahara Douz and El Mehari. A good location and decent service is also offered by Sun Palm. The cost of accommodation is 110-150 dinars for a double room for half board. In the old Duse there are also budget hotels, but it is better for foreigners not to settle in them, unless, of course, you are a tough guy with a fierce appearance.
Book popular Douza hotels at the best prices
| Sahara Douz from 3 102 rubles Douz Zone Touristique De Douz | Hotel Sun Palm from 4 963 rubles Douz Sun Palm Bp 98 Zone Touristique |
| Hotel Mehari Douz from 20 676 rubles Douz Bp 96 Zone Touristique |
Entertainment, sightseeing and sightseeing
The desert and everything connected with it is undoubtedly the main attraction of Duse .As a consequence, all local excursions are conducted to the Sahara: from an hour's walk on a camel to the nearby dunes to two-week caravan tours to the heart of the desert, to the ancient Roman fort Tisawar and the sacred Mount Tembain .The degree of comfort is also offered for all tastes: camel and foot crossings, quadracycle and jeep trips .If you came to Douz on your own and want to explore the desert, contact any of the city travel agencies .Avoid private guides that are sure to come to you to offer their services: the level of organization of their excursions leaves much to be desired..
In Duse there is one unforgettable entertainment - a flight over the desert and oases. In the center of animation Pegase, in the neighborhood with the area of the festival, two enthusiastic pilots, Italian and French, skate everyone on the trike. The cost of a 10-minute flight of 60 dinars, at your request, the pilot can go deep into the desert, fly over the hotels of the tourist zone or fly around the oases. Here you can ride a karting and contemplate the desert from the camel's back (about 10 dinars per hour).
In the old Duse it is recommended to visit the Museum of the Sahara, a painstakingly assembled exposition of which will tell about the methods of installation of the Berber tent and branding of camels, primitive carpet weaving and traditional facial tattoos of Berberok. In transparent boxes, sand is stored from different regions of the Sahara (from white to pink and almost chocolate) and samples of camel wool of different breeds. On Fridays, the city hosts a weekly market where you can buy various interesting and authentic gizmos and even, perhaps, ask the price for a camel - what the hell is not joking!
Festivals
The annual Sahara Festival takes place in Duse in the last week of December. This is a noisy, crowded, colorful event, attracting not only tourists, but also local residents. The program of the festival includes a marathon of camel racing of the special breed "megari", a championship for finding truffles in the sands by "saluki" dogs, folklore performances, performances of horse groups, a fair and many, many others. The program is available on the festival's website. Photo of Douza (18)