Ksar Ghilane, the southernmost of Tunisian oases, was our next destination. Located at the edge of Sahara desert and with some Roman ruins nearby, this date palm oasis is a great place to explore the desert.

After a late arrival the night before, we got off to a late start, and started the day by walking around the square. A few seniors formed two parties playing dominoes.

Mehari Hotel pool	Relaxing on the square	Dominoes	Dominoes	Minaret
Little boy	Surprise

The oasis of Ksar Ghilane is over 140 km from Douz by paved road. Our driver cut it off a bit by traveling on a dirt road, which may have saved some miles but certainly not time. It sure brought some sense of adventure. We picked up a hitchhiking soldier armed with a military rifle at a lone snack store along the road, and dropped him off a few miles farther south near his checkpoint. There was military presence south of Douz on all roads heading into the Sahara to prevent intrusions from Libya and Algeria, and in fact traveling south of Ksar Ghilane would have required a special permit. As we approached the oasis, the Landcruiser started overheating...

Gas station attendant and our driver	Duel	WC	Store clerk	Cerastes cerastes	Shepherd dog and its goats
	Gas station

Having arrived to the oasis during the hottest time of the day, with the temperatures running close to 90F (32C) in the early June, we took a leisurely walk to explore a date palm grove and its desert edge, and then cooled down in a snack bar by the hot springs.

Camel station	Date palms	Date palms in BW	Geometry of a grove	Tractor	Donkeys in the Sahara
Sparse growth		Donkey	Dead raven	Desert transportation	Camel
Shootout	Thirst	Satisfying thirst	Wide-angle lens Irina	Beer can	Red channel palms
Colorful palms	Palmbrella	Sahara from above	Tracks in the desert	Rider on a Arabian horse
	Dates	Donkey drawn carriage

In the late afternoon, we took a camel ride to the actual Ksar Ghilane (Fort Ghilane), ruins of a Roman fortress about two miles from the oasis. The ride took an hour following the walking pace of the camel guide and his route finding across the sand dunes. The sun was low enough to start casting shadows on the dunes. While the camel did not make the most comfortable platform for taking pictures, it was a great experience.

Riding		Life in the desert	Burning sun	Shadow caravan
Caravan shadows	Riding high		Our track in the desert	Rest after the walk

The actual Ksar ("castle") Ghilane are remains of a fortress dating back to the Romans. The fortress rises above the surrounding desert and it was an amazing place in the setting sun.

Resting camels	Irina and my shadow among the ruins	Desert fort	Our guide	Sand patterns	Irina
Next batch	Filling up with sand	Shadow on the ripples

We saddled the camels again and they strolled back under us as the sun set. The sand around has a very distinct pink tone and the setting sun magnified the hue. We reached the oasis a few minutes after the sunset, and spent the night in a stylish Berber tent, a collection of which is run as a hotel for the visiting tourists.

Ready for boarding	A boy and his camels				Irina riding
Last sun rays	Sunset	Done for the day

I got up before the sunset and headed among the sand dunes to catch the photogenic low light. I ended up almost catching a camel too. Back at the tent, it was time to pack up and move on.

Patterns	Beetle on the move	Ripples of sand	Bird tracks	Boobs	Boobs
Survivor	My shadow	Shadow patterns		Life in the sand	Surprise find
Humps	Sparse feed	Camel snacking	King of the desert	ATVs	Our tent
Tent interior	Date u-pick	Camels on the road			Donkey carriage and its passengers