Full-Day Star Wars Jeep Safari: Ksar Ghilane & Matmata

About This Experience

This is the most-booked Star Wars day trip in southern Tunisia, and the reason is simple: it is the only one at this price that puts the Ksar Ghilane oasis and the Matmata cave houses into the same day. You leave Djerba by 4x4 before dawn, cross the causeway to the mainland, and spend the next twelve hours moving between a hot spring, a Roman fort, a Berber family's underground home and the courtyard where Luke Skywalker ate breakfast.

The first stop is a photo halt at Ain El Anba, then the long run south to Ksar Ghilane — a real oasis at the edge of the Grand Erg Oriental, not a staged one. There is a natural hot spring you can swim in, dunes to walk, and the remains of a Roman fort half-buried in sand a short ride away. Camel rides and quad hire are sold on site and are not part of the ticket.

Matmata is the Star Wars half. You visit a working troglodyte house first, where a Berber family serves homemade bread, olive oil and heja, and then Hotel Sidi Driss, whose sunken courtyard played the interior of the Lars homestead in the original 1977 film and again in Attack of the Clones. Entry to Sidi Driss is included in the price — several cheaper tours leave it out.

The day closes with the mountain villages of Tamazret and Toujane on the drive back, and a traditional Tunisian lunch is included somewhere in the middle. Expect to be back at your hotel in the late afternoon or early evening.

Highlights

• Swim in the natural hot spring at the Ksar Ghilane oasis, on the edge of the Grand Erg Oriental
• Enter Hotel Sidi Driss in Matmata — the Lars homestead interior — with entry included
• Visit a lived-in troglodyte house and taste homemade bread, olive oil and heja with a Berber family
• Ride the sand tracks by 4x4 rather than sitting on a coach
• Stop at the mountain villages of Tamazret and Toujane on the way back

What's Included

• ✓ Round-trip transport by 4x4 from Djerba or Zarzis
• ✓ English-speaking driver-guide
• ✓ Traditional Tunisian lunch
• ✓ Entry to Hotel Sidi Driss, Matmata

Not Included

• Drinks and personal spending
• Camel ride at Ksar Ghilane (paid on site)
• Quad hire at Ksar Ghilane (paid on site)
• Tips

What to Bring

• Sunglasses
• Sun hat
• Sunscreen
• Swimwear for the hot spring
• Cash in dinars for drinks, tips and optional rides

Good to Know & Caveats

• This is a full day with an early start — pickups run from roughly 6:00 and returns are late afternoon or early evening.
• The distances are long. Reviewers who enjoyed the day still say the back row of the vehicle is uncomfortable on a run this length; ask for a front or middle seat if you can.
• Stretches of the route are unsealed sand track. The operator does not recommend the day for travellers with back problems or limited mobility.
• The itinerary can be reshuffled for weather, and the tour may be cancelled outright in bad conditions — the operator states a full refund applies in that case.
• Camel and quad rides at Ksar Ghilane are extras, not inclusions. Bring cash if you want one.

Meeting Point

Hotel pickup anywhere on Djerba or in Zarzis. Give your hotel name and room number at booking; the operator confirms a collection time, which is usually between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning.