Across Chott El Djerid in a louage | Tunisia
Riding across Chott El Djerid in a louage. Part of a mini-guide to backpacking in Tunisia on the cheap.
Tozeur:
Getting here is half the fun. Not cos you have to wait a week for transport but because you get to cross Chott El Djerid. A salt lake and the lowest point in Tunisia @ -17m/-55.8ft.
You don't need a specially adapted vehicle. You don't need to take a tour. All you have to do is to take a louage from Kibili as they built a perfectly good 2 lane highway across it.
You can actually drive on the salt flats but the surface isn't always firm so it's not recommended.
It's just a unique experience. I came up from Douz, made a change in Kebili and carried on to Tozeur.
Chott El Djerid is a large endorheic salt lake, meaning there is no outflow to rivers or oceans, only evaporation.
In Arabic: شط الجريد Šoṭṭ el-Jarīd and translates as 'Lagoon of the Land of Palms'.
I made a short 20-second video. It's totally crap but it gives you the idea:
Tozeur:
Getting here is half the fun. Not cos you have to wait a week for transport but because you get to cross Chott El Djerid. A salt lake and the lowest point in Tunisia @ -17m/-55.8ft.
You don't need a specially adapted vehicle. You don't need to take a tour. All you have to do is to take a louage from Kibili as they built a perfectly good 2 lane highway across it.
You can actually drive on the salt flats but the surface isn't always firm so it's not recommended.
It's just a unique experience. I came up from Douz, made a change in Kebili and carried on to Tozeur.
Chott El Djerid is a large endorheic salt lake, meaning there is no outflow to rivers or oceans, only evaporation.
In Arabic: شط الجريد Šoṭṭ el-Jarīd and translates as 'Lagoon of the Land of Palms'.
I made a short 20-second video. It's totally crap but it gives you the idea:
