Beni Mtir Lake and Forest
- Hike
- Distance
- 10.8km
- Duration
- 4HRS
- Ascent
- 395M
Elevation profile
395-530 M / TERRAIN TILES SAMPLED ALONG THE TRACK
Photographs
Photos: Eyakaddour (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Start point
- Car
- About 3 h from Tunis via Beja and Jendouba or Fernana; about 10 km from Ain Draham.
- Louage
- Louage from Tunis to Ain Draham, then a taxi to Beni Mtir (verify locally).
- Bus / train
- Train Tunis-Jendouba, then louage to Ain Draham.
Nearby
The trail
A loop from the chalet village of Beni Mtir over the dam and along the lake through cork and zeen oak forest to Tbainia.
Beni Mtir sits at about 650 m in the Kroumirie hills a few kilometres from Ain Draham, a village of pitched roofs and a church built with the dam in the colonial period. Below it the reservoir fills a forested valley, and the walk crosses the dam, follows the water through cork oak and zeen oak to the hamlet of Tbainia and loops back. It is one of the greenest walks in Tunisia, and in winter the hills can be white with snow.
- Beni Mtir dam and lake
- Cork oak and zeen oak forest
- Chalet village and church
- Tbainia hamlet
Weather and season
- SEASON
- Year-round; spring for green, autumn for colour; snow some winters
| Month | Average high | Average low | Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12.7 C | 5.5 C | 87 mm |
| February | 13 C | 5.1 C | 97 mm |
| March | 15.5 C | 7 C | 98 mm |
| April | 19.5 C | 9.6 C | 56 mm |
| May | 22.9 C | 12.3 C | 53 mm |
| June | 28.5 C | 16.5 C | 13 mm |
| July | 32.3 C | 19.6 C | 3 mm |
| August | 32.5 C | 20.2 C | 15 mm |
| September | 27.8 C | 18 C | 38 mm |
| October | 23.7 C | 14.4 C | 65 mm |
| November | 17.9 C | 10.1 C | 91 mm |
| December | 13.8 C | 6.7 C | 84 mm |
Monthly normals 2011-2020 at the start point, from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). Shaded months are the season this trail is listed for.
Practical
- Water
- Shops and cafes in Beni Mtir and Ain Draham.
- Guide
- not needed
- Hazards
- Mud after rain; some shore sections are overgrown; cold and fog in winter.
- Route
- Approximate line along mapped paths between verified waypoints. Follow a guide or a GPS track on the ground.
Go with a guide
These operators and clubs organise guided hikes in Tunisia:
- WildyNessTunisian booking platform for guided hikes with local guides (Cap Blanc, Mides, Selja, Dahar, El Haouaria), several with GPS downloads.
- Association Tunisienne des RandonneursHiking association in Tunis that runs and writes up group hikes across the country.
- Mosaic North AfricaTour operator offering custom hiking trips, including the Chebika, Tamerza and Mides oases.
- Destination DaharPublishes the official topoguide (12 stages, 194 km) of the Grande Traversee du Dahar.
- Grand Sahara AventuresDjerba-based operator running Berber village and desert treks in the south.
- Destination TunisTunis-based guide publishing and leading day hikes around Tunis and Cap Bon.