National park / Gafsa and Sidi Bouzid
Bou Hedma National Park
National park
Gafsa and Sidi Bouzid
- Area
- 165KM2
- Protected
- 1980
- Trails
- 1
A relic of pre-Saharan savanna on the southern Atlas front, where scattered Acacia raddiana stand over open steppe. Scimitar-horned oryx, addax, dama gazelle and North African ostrich have all been brought back here, and Roman aqueduct and village remains lie among the acacias.
Rules
A PERMIT IS NEEDED TO VISIT
- PERMIT
- Yes. A written entry permit from the Direction Generale des Forets, or the regional forestry commissariat, must be obtained before the visit; it usually takes three to five working days.
- GUIDE
- A park warden accompanies visits to the enclosures; a local driver is advisable.
- SEASON
- October to April. Summer heat on the steppe is severe.
- RULES
- Four-wheel drive is needed for the tracks. Visitor facilities are minimal and the park is run for conservation, not tourism.
Good to know
- Habitat
- Pre-Saharan savanna of Acacia raddiana, degraded juniper steppe and seasonal watercourses
- Wildlife
- Reintroduced scimitar-horned oryx, addax, dama gazelle and North African ostrich; Barbary sheep and dorcas gazelle
- Status
- UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1977; on Tunisia's World Heritage tentative list since 2008; 8804 ha of the park are strictly protected
- Roman remains
- Aqueduct sections, cisterns and village sites inside the park
Trails inside
Places inside
Photographs
Sources
Photos: El Golli Mohamed (CC BY-SA 4.0), IssamBarhoumi (CC BY-SA 4.0), Faouz Kilani (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- OpenStreetMap way 53309014
- UNESCO MAB: Djebel Bou-Hedma Biosphere Reserve
- UNESCO World Heritage tentative list: Parc National de Bouhedma
- Wikipedia: Bou-Hedma National Park
- Boundary from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).