Travel Guide Nefta

The road from Tozeur to Nefta is very pleasant. The desert is very close and the sand merges with the sky. It is not yet the dune, but a hard and sandy ground, dry and flat as a lake. A door opening on the desert, and also on Algeria: El Oued and its gigantic oases are only 150 km away. Nefta, the little sister of Tozeur, has its own charm. It is a very quiet city with an air of the end of the world, despite its 20,000 inhabitants. With its brick houses with domes, the medina presents a beautiful architectural unity. It is very pleasant to walk around, even if this old city seems totally asleep. The nose in the air you will discover brick walls with geometric patterns or beautiful doors. Nefta is split in two around its famous "Corbeille". Renowned for the quality of its craftsmanship in carpets or silk, it also has a vast palm grove, a pleasant sea of greenery of more than 1,000 ha. This palm grove is part of an oasis irrigated by more than 150 springs. Water is the secret of Nefta, it has allowed men to tame the desert so well that a southern adage says: "If you want to know the paradise, visit Nefta However, water is becoming scarce and the dried up rivers are a bit desolate. Wedged between the Chott El Jerid and the dunes of the Sahara, its climate is mild and dry in winter (20°C). The summer is hot and the sirocco blows frequently.