Ksar Ghilane

Ksar Ghilane oasis is Located on the eastern limit of the Grand Erg Oriental, in the Great South of Tunisia, reputed to be the southernmost of the Tunisian oases and one of the gateways to the Tunisian Sahara desert. This oasis is fed by a hot spring that would have thermal properties, in which you can bathe.

Ksar Ghilane has long been difficult to access: it is now connected by an asphalt road to Douz (80 kilometers to the north) or Matmata, which can be used by all-terrain vehicles or private or rental cars. It serves as a refuge for about fifty nomadic families living from the exploitation of date palms, the breeding of goats and sheep and an increasingly important tourist activity. Several activities are offered: quad biking, motorcycling, horseback riding or camel treks.

During your visit, you can enjoy the sandy landscapes, while benefiting from the relative freshness of the oasis and the comfort of bathing in a hot spring.

Tourism

To stay in the region, there are three camps with Berber tents and a luxury hotel with around sixty air-conditioned tents, a guest house and a ranch with private rooms allowing you to spend the night there. A few cafes and a restaurant are located around the spring in addition to those in the camps.

As its name suggests (ksar is an Arabic word meaning “castle”), it houses a fort dating from Roman times, Tisavar, located on the limes which follows the edge of the desert.

The Tunisian government proposed it on February 17, 2012 for a future classification on the UNESCO World Heritage List. One kilometer to the east stands a stele, the column of General Leclerc, which testifies to the passage of his army in 1943 during the battle of Ksar Ghilane, bearing the following inscription: “Here, from February 23 to March 10 1943, General Leclerc and Force L, coming from Chad, victoriously supported the assault of the enemy forces, inflicting severe losses on them”.Great South!