An 11-day trip for those who want to experience a longer spell in the desert

This is a trip for those who want to experience more of the nomadic life, suitable if you have camping experience and are reasonably fit - our camels have to carry all our water and food as there are no wells along the way (no sneaky showers allowed!) and we have to make sure we reach our meeting point at the end of the journey or the cars won't reach us.

After an early arrival in Tunis, we will drive directly to Matmata where we will spend the night. After our transfer to Douz by 4x4s, we will stop at the souk for you to purchase a burnous and a chech and have lunch in a local restaurant to try out a few traditional Tunisian dishes. We will then drive directly south the the Great Eastern Erg where our journey starts in Djbil - a small rocky promontory 80km from Douz. Here we will meet our guides and camels and spend our first night in the desert.

We will spend a further 7 nights in the Sahara and move camp daily (there will be 4-5 hours walking each day), crossing the Great Eastern Erg to the west then moving north. This is where you will experience the desert at its best, the vastness of the horizons, the silence and the innumerable stars of a sky away from all light pollution. If we are lucky, we might catch a glimpse of a fennec (the desert fox) or a gazelle - though most days we'll have to be content with seeing their traces in the sand. We will collect our own desert roses and as we near the end of our journey we will spend one night at Sidi Boujouihif, a powerful marabout. Beware, if you come to him with an open heart, he will grant your heart's desire!

Our last night will be spent near the buried village of Aouinet Rajjah and on our final morning we will walk to Bir Moktar to meet the 4x4s that will take us back to Tunis. Transfer to the airpport is scheduled early on the day of departure.