The Mountain Oases

Northwest of Tozeur the Sahara runs up against a range of bare, folded mountains, and hidden in them are three oases where springs break out of the rock and support sudden ribbons of date palms in country that is otherwise entirely stone. Chebika sits below a cliff with a short walk up a gorge to a small waterfall and pool. Tamerza is the largest, with a bigger falls and, across the valley, the roofless mud-brick ruins of the old village, abandoned after floods in the 1960s when the residents moved to new housing, now a ghost town slowly dissolving back into the ground. Mides is the most spectacular of the three, perched on the lip of a deep canyon that winds away towards the Algerian border, with a path along the rim. Together they make a classic day loop from Tozeur, usually by four-wheel-drive.

What you actually see

• Mides canyon - the village on the edge of a deep winding gorge.
• Tamerza's old village - the abandoned mud-brick town across the valley from the falls.
• Chebika - the palm gorge and waterfall below the cliff.
• The desert mountains - bare folded red rock between the oases.

When to go

October to April is the only sensible season, as the summer here is extreme; mornings are best for the gorges and the light on the canyon. The loop is usually done as a day trip from Tozeur, often combined with the salt flats of Chott el Jerid on the way.

Honest expectations

The waterfalls are small and, late in a dry year, disappointing, so come for the canyon and the ruined village rather than the water. Local guides attach themselves at each village and expect payment, which is worth agreeing in advance. The road is fine but the loop really needs a car or a tour. It is close to the border, so carry your passport.

Nearby

Tozeur and its old town are an hour away; the Chott el Jerid salt flat lies to the southeast.