Photos
Chott El-Jerid
We have arrived to Chott el-Jerid in the afternoon after a short break in Tozeur after a whole day of driving and need to admit that it is a very interesting place to visit.
It may seem that actually nothing is here apart from the empty road, the immense salt lake - the largest of the Sahara with a surface area of over 5000 square kilometres - and the Atlas Mountains on the horizon. However, this not divided empty space and miles of the salt like is the reason why tourists come here to explore it. It really is one of the places where you feel like being in the middle of nowhere. In the summer Chott el-Jerid is almost entirely dried up as the water evaporates from the lake due to extremely warm temperatures in summer reaching 50°C and with annual rainfall of only 100 mm.
One of the most interesting experiences you may experience here are mirages - fata morgana which appear when the temperature exceeds 30 Celsius degrees (not so rare in southern Tunisia). We have heard some stories about the reports of drivers lured by fata morgana and leaving the causeway.
Did you know?
According to some historians Chott el-Jerid was the birthplace of Poseidon - the antique Lake of Triton crossed by Jason and the Argonauts.
Published on 4th January 2010
By Arek Zasowski
Photographs by Viola and Arek Zasowski
Few points worth considering
If you are planning to visit Tozeur or Nefta we would recommend that you could reserve an hour or two to see this salt lake. The landscapes and open space are really interesting to see.
Be careful - the lake can be crossed by foot and even by car, but this may be dangerous as the salt crust is not always too firm.
