Near the salt flat Chott el Gharsa, along an isolated sand road in the middle of the Sahara, stand not one but two "ghost towns." These spectral cities are actually sets built for filming the Star Wars prequel movies. The film crews having departed, the sets are now deserted, yet this only increases the otherworldly feeling of the place.
Location and Directions: We are unable to supply directions and location information for some of these out of the way prequel sets, because it is our understanding that Lucasfilm might still use these locations for additional reshoots. If at some point in time we get indication from Lucasfilm that releasing this information won't interfere with their projects, then we might be able to distribute GPS coordinates and directions. But, please don't ask us now, because we can't tell you how to reach these sets--as Star Wars fans we need to be considerate of their work. The good news is that we do supply plenty of information on nearby A New Hope sites, which on their own make a fascinating vacation plan.
I'll admit, we were a bit unnerved about the prospect of venturing deep into the Sahara in our rather persnickety French rental car. On the morning we were scheduled to venture out into Chott el Jerid, our little Clio was well-stocked with road maps, several liters of water, and a GPS locator.
Our fears were quickly allayed when our guide showed up wearing a worsted wool suit. He rubbed his hands together and pleasantly told us, in French, "Now, the Sahara!" (He later doffed his heavy blazer although our Clio lacked air conditioning, which somewhat salved our wounded pride.)
The distance from Tozeur is not far, but road conditions being a bit iffy, even for Tunisia, the drive was somewhat over an hour. We nearly got stuck on a sand dune just once, but all things considered, it was far from the most harrowing road trip we took during our two weeks in Tunisia.
There's no need to exaggerated how isolated this location is. During the morning were were out on the Chott, we passed only one other vehicle. Otherwise, the only other living things we saw were a few Berbers, and once, a herd of wild camels.
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