Ksar Ghilane, Matmata and the Star Wars sets from Djerba: is the long jeep day worth it?
Updated October 18, 2026 · 6 min read
In short. For most people the best day is “From Djerba: Explore the Ksar Ghilane Desert and Tataouine by 4WD”: ten hours, €59.13 per person, rated 4.8 from 1,798 reviews, the most reviewed desert trip from Djerba: see dates and prices for the Ksar Ghilane and Tataouine jeep tour. If the cave houses of Matmata matter more than Tataouine, take “Full-Day Star Wars Jeep Safari: Ksar Ghilane & Matmata”, €59.34: see the Matmata safari. If ten hours in a vehicle sounds like too much, the last section has a shorter and a longer answer.
Why the day is long
Ksar Ghilane is an oasis on the edge of the Sahara, on the mainland, a long way from the island. One operator listing puts the drive from Djerba at about three hours each way, and the same listing mentions the causeway to the mainland on the way. That is the reason for the ten hours: a large part of the day is spent on the road, with the stops spread between the drives. The shorter versions in the table (7.5 hours) leave less time somewhere. The descriptions do not say where, so ask the operator on the booking page.
What you get for the road is varied. The descriptions name Star Wars film sets, the hot spring at Ksar Ghilane where you can swim, and the cave dwellings of Matmata, which are the best known sight of this route. One operator lists a visit to the Sidi Idriss hotel in Matmata, the building used as Luke Skywalker’s home in the first Star Wars film. Which of these you actually see depends on the tour, so compare the descriptions rather than the titles.
Seven 4x4 days side by side
| Trip | Duration | From | Rating | What the description says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explore the Ksar Ghilane Desert and Tataouine by 4WD | 10 hours | €59.13 | 4.8 · 1,798 reviews | Star Wars landscapes, relaxing in the oasis |
| Full-Day Star Wars Jeep Safari: Ksar Ghilane & Matmata | 1 day | €59.34 | 4.6 · 826 reviews | the desert of Ghilane, troglodyte village of Matmata, Star Wars sets |
| Ksar Ghilane & Matmata 4X4 Sahara guided Tour | 1 day | €59.20 | 4.6 · 336 reviews | guided desert tour, same two stops |
| Sahara Tour, Extended Ksar Ghilane Visit | 7.5 hours | €59 | 4.7 · 152 reviews | small group, extended time at the oasis, Matmata cave homes |
| Sahara Ksar Ghilane, Guermassa & Tataouine | 7.5 hours | €58.65 | 4.8 · 74 reviews | Prado 4x4, thermal springs, Guermassa village, Tataouine granaries |
| Ksar Ghilane & Chenini – Desert, Berber & Camel ride included | 10 hours | €74 | 4.7 · 149 reviews | hot spring, camel or quad rides, Tataouine, Ksar Hadada, Chenini, salt lake |
| Sahara 2 Day 4x4 Tour & 1-Night Desert Camp | 2 days | €41.65 | 4.7 · 524 reviews | one night in a desert camp |
Five of the seven cost within 70 cents of €59. That is the point of the table: the price does not separate them, so the route does. The €74 trip adds a camel or quad ride and a longer list of stops, which makes it a different day, not a better one.
Note that “From” is the starting price. The two-day trip at €41.65 shows a lower price than the day trips, which is unusual for a longer programme; check on the booking page what the price covers (meals, the camp, drinks) before you read it as a bargain.
Who the day is not for
Ten hours with long drives are hard for small children and for anyone who gets carsick; the listings do not state a minimum age, so look at the booking page, and ask your doctor or pharmacist about travel sickness before you go, not the operator. Heat is part of the Sahara: the descriptions say nothing about air conditioning in the vehicles, so ask. If you are only interested in the Star Wars sets, the Tataouine trips in the Sahara 4x4 category cover the other half of the same film trail.
If you want the desert without the rush, consider the two-day trip: you sleep in the Sahara instead of driving back at the end of a long day. If you want the cave houses and the oasis but no more than a long afternoon, the 7.5-hour trips exist, with the unknown of what they skip.
Our recommendation
Take “From Djerba: Explore the Ksar Ghilane Desert and Tataouine by 4WD”. It is the only one of the seven with a 4.8 rating and more than a thousand reviews (1,798, against 826 for the next), at almost the same price as most of the others. Pick the Matmata safari instead if cave houses are what you came for.
See dates and prices for the Ksar Ghilane and Tataouine jeep tour
For everything else the desert has to offer, the Sahara 4x4 tours from Djerba page lists all of them.
