Forgotten villages

In the hills, just north of the desert, tip-toeing along the Algerian border, lie 3 forgotten oasis villages. Once bustling little centres, unprecedented rain in 1969 caused the locals to abandoned their homes for newer (blander) settlements. Nowadays, these three towns are being rediscovered. With beautiful natural scenery and a sense of being off the beaten track a bit, the villages of Chebika, Mides and Tamerza are seeing an influx of tourism. The later village I used as my base for exploring the area.

The 1 hour-ish drive up from Tozeur, in southern Tunisia, starts off pretty ordinary. The flat desert is enough to put anyone to sleep. But, eventually, the landscape transforms dramatically. Jagged hills begin to protrude from the featureless desert and the louages (shared taxis) do their best to make it up the steep, switch backed hill. First is the town of Chebika. Although it's barely worth the 30 second stop to drop of people from the taxi. But next is the largest of the three towns, Tamerza. The town, itself, is a non-decrypt collection of semi-modern house. Essentially just the one main street, it's hardly the jewel in the crown of Tunisian architecture. But it serves it's purpose as a base with the only real accommodation or restaurants in the area.
But instead of the new Tamerza, it is the "ancient" town that has all the WOW factor (title photo). Magnificently set with a backdrop of mountains and the palmeraie, it is easily one of the most picturesque sites in the country. The small walled village may not be worthy of a world heritage listing or anything, but it's interesting to wander around. While there may be a small influx of tourists in the early afternoon, in general, i had the site all to myself. Upon first arrival, i was a little bitter to see tonnes on little white bags scattered about the site. But it's was later in the evening that I really came to love those little white bags. It seems that some big (rich) tour group had paid to have the entire village lit by a thousand little candles. They didn't even come down from their INCREDIBLY expensive hotel to see it up close. it ended up to be a super cool (super lucky) experience with the endless stars competing for attention with the tea candles.

Each of the three oasis villages have similar old towns. Although i liked Tamerzas' the best. There is a popular hike, through a canyon, to see the one at Mides. In the area there are small water falls. A guide is HIGHLY recommended as the route can be a little tough to find yourself. You can find guides at the Syndicate (like tourist information) on the main street of Tamerza. It should cost around 20 TD for the trip to Mides and back. A couple of hours. There's enough outdoorsy stuff to occupy enthusiasts for a couple of days. Although the nights are a little boring (meaning dead as!!)
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Two things of note, the LP is totally misinformed about this particular region. Firstly, there is a third hotel, mentioned in the Rough Guide and Routards but not LP. It the "Residence de Oasis" which at 30TD a night is by far the best option for budget travellers. The Hotel de Cascade is virtually uninhabitable in the winter. Also transport is all wrong in the guides. Any transport from Tozeur, must pass through Chibika first, thus meaning it too is service by public transport. Louages do head up the hill, but few and usually only in the morning.
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These Oasis villages certainly are a getaway from the everyday. They are both quieter and slower than the busier nearby cities. Cleaner air, less hassle and far more laid back, it's a holiday from your holiday in the rest of Tunisia.