Toujane to Zmerten
- Hike
- Distance
- 7.2km
- Duration
- 3HRS
- Ascent
- 276M
Elevation profile
388-642 M / TERRAIN TILES SAMPLED ALONG THE TRACK
Photographs
Photos: Aspargos (CC BY 3.0), David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada (CC BY 2.0)
Start point
- Car
- About 25 km from Mareth, or 20 km from Matmata by a mountain road; about 6 h from Tunis.
- Louage
- Louage from Tunis Moncef Bey station to Gabes or Mareth (verify locally), then taxi.
- Bus / train
- SNCFT train Tunis-Gabes, then louage to Mareth.
Nearby
The trail
Stage 4 of the Grande Traversee du Dahar, from the cliff village of Toujane over the hills to Zmerten.
Toujane is a Berber village of stone and cave houses built on both sides of a deep ravine below Kef Toujane. The stage climbs out of the village and follows a winding path over stony hills and hidden valleys planted with olives, rich in aromatic plants and marine fossils. It descends to Zmerten, a remote village of troglodyte houses. The Dahar trail guide gives 8.7 km for this stage; the recorded GPS track is 7.2 km.
- Toujane ravine village
- Stony hills and hidden valleys
- Fossil shells
- Troglodyte village of Zmerten
Weather and season
- SEASON
- Oct-Apr
| Month | Average high | Average low | Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14.2 C | 5.8 C | 11 mm |
| February | 15.4 C | 6.4 C | 17 mm |
| March | 19.2 C | 9.1 C | 24 mm |
| April | 23.7 C | 12.2 C | 19 mm |
| May | 27.3 C | 15.7 C | 5 mm |
| June | 31.3 C | 19.2 C | 2 mm |
| July | 34.3 C | 21.9 C | 1 mm |
| August | 33.7 C | 22.3 C | 2 mm |
| September | 30.8 C | 20.7 C | 14 mm |
| October | 25.9 C | 16.7 C | 17 mm |
| November | 19.7 C | 11.5 C | 24 mm |
| December | 14.9 C | 7.2 C | 19 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
- None between villages; carry 2 L.
- Guide
- recommended
- Hazards
- Unmarked, rocky path; heat.
- 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.