So my final two days of being in Tunisia included a brief half hour ATV ride in the desert followed by an offroad excursion to a camp in the desert for an overnight stay. This was one of the most impressive parts of my trip. Being so remote in the Sahara is always incredible. The lack of sound and remote light sources is unusual in the human world. The tent in which I stayed was super hot—just as it was when I stayed in a tent in Morocco a few years ago. Its far better to sleep outside of any heavy structure in the open air. The next morning followed a reverse offroad path out of the desert and then visiting an underground home that is still commonly used by locals for environmental and security reasons while finishing up with visiting the Star Wars bar locale. A long drive back to Tunis included a final lunch with my guide for the prior few days and a hotel stay for one night in the heart of the city near the famous Tunis Medina which warranted a visit as well. Then it was off for home. A great trip overall. A bit disappointing in the are that locals take of their own natural and historic resources. I’m a bit Africa’d out at this point. There are a few “bucket list” items I’d return for (Luxor, climbing Kili, overlanding in Namibia) but in truth I’m more interested in visiting other continents and cultures hoping to find a bit more positive environment.
Tunisia Trip: Final Days
Tunisia Trip: Camels, Mos Espa, and more...
Well, these photos here are of the last part of the journey through southern Tunisia before heading deeper into the Sahara to spend a night in the dunes. After visiting a few oasis and Mides Canyon we crossed a one of the largest salt lakes in the world (far bigger than the “Great Salt Lake” in the US) as well as some two hours of “off piste” driving where no roads but the tracks of those who came before lead the way.
We also plunged down into some smaller dune sections where the Mos Espa set from Star Wars is located. Oversold in terms of what it is, Lucas and company built the set and then abandoned it much like other filmmakers have done with what you see here of a “castle” that was done for a different film. Not much thought is given to what happens to these things after the filming is wrapped. In the case of the castle it is left to rot in the middle of nowhere, falling apart, adding to the garbage in the desert and attracting others to leave garbage with it. In the case of Mos Espa, a junkyard of hangers on and the destitute surround it trying to hawk their wares to tourists and offering a moment with a Fennec Fox on a leash for a few pennies. The items that looked like “machines” in the movies are just plywood spraypainted grey and the buildings just chickenwire plastered with mud. Again, all of it left to decay in the sun and quite the sad site to see.
Camels abound in this area and are not “wild” in the sense that they are in theory owned by local herders and they reportedly return to their home pens on a regular basis. They are not fenced in however and wander the desert in herds and only allow unknown humans to approach within about 30-50 yards or so before rambling on.
After these stops it was off for an evening spent in a tent in the Sahara.
