When you say Star Wars, most people think of galaxies far far away. But all these exotic planets from the movies were filmed on earth. Four of the Star Wars movies were partially filmed in southern Tunisia (the planet Tatooine in the movies) and the good thing is that many of the locations are still in relative good state.
You can stay in Luke Skywalker's home (now a hotel) and wander around the desert bumping into moisture vaporators and other Star Wars stuff around the Mos Espa set.
Because Star wars is not well known in Tunisia, this article will introduce you to some famous locations from the movies and show you how to get there. So when you go on vacation to Tunisia, check out some of the locations over there. Sometimes you’ll think you are on Tatooine instead of Tunisia.
Hint: Open a new tab showing Google Maps next to this page. Copy/paste the given Lat/Long coordinates in Google map's searchbox to see the Star Wars locations on a map.
Djerba
Djerba is a Tunisian island. It's well known for its resorts and beach vacations. Two movie locations can be found on the western side of the island. Ben's hermitage and Toshi Station.
Tozeur
Tozeur is an oasis and a city in south west Tunisia. The city is located North West of Chott el-Djerid, in between this Chott and the smaller Chott el-Gharsa. With hundreds of thousands of palm trees, Tozeur is a large oasis. The dates that are exported from Tozeur are well known. From Tozeur you can make trips on a camel, explore the Sahara and get to know the Chott el-Djerid, where you can see fata Morgana's. Furthermore Tozeur is the place to be for Star Wars fans, because there are lots of movie locations around the city: the Lars Homestead exterior, the Mos Espa set, the Sith infiltrator landing site and Star wars canyon.
Lars Homestead Exterior
Luke's home is located 35km out of Tozeur at Chott El Jerid. Chott El Jerid is part of the vast dry salt lake flats that cover 5,000 sq km on the West side of central/southern Tunisia near Algeria. The little igloo is standing here in the middle of nowhere. Because the Lars Homestead interior scenes were shot somewhere else, the crew had to dig some craters next to it, to make you believe there's actually an underground structure in the movie.
The igloo was taken apart after the shooting of the first trilogy but was rebuilt for Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Some memorable scenes were shot here, including Shmi Skywalker's funeral in Attack of the Clones, and the final shot of Revenge of the Sith. It's a good idea to visit this location near the evening. When the sun sets in the middle of the desert and with the little igloo as the only structure nearby, you'll get a spectacular view.
Spend the Night in Luke Skywalker's Home
Remember Luke's home was a series of underground caves on the planet Tatooine? Well, George Lucas used an existing troglodyte home in Matmata to film those scenes. The cave dwelling is now a hotel Hotel Sidi Driss (see photo) and you can stay there for just $12 a night. Props from the movie can be found throughout the hotel and you'll no doubt meet Star Wars fans from all over the world in the bar. Nearby is the Dune Sea where R2-D2 and C-3PO crashed in Episode IV.
If you fancy staying in a similar home to Luke's, or if the Sidi Driss is full, there are several Troglodyte lodging options around Matmata. None of them are very luxurious, and they can be a bit cold and dark in the winter, but priceless for the experience. I would stay at the Marhala hotel in room 21 if you don't have any mobility issues and enjoy climbing ladders!
Sleep on a Tatooine Moon
For a real "non-tourist" but Star Wars related adventure, you can rent a simple room in Guermessa, an abandoned Berber hill top village. The views are incredible and you'll have the entire place to yourself. Guermessa is the name of one of the Planet Tatooine's three moons. The other two moons were also named after real places: Chenini (the site of a spectacular mosque in real life), and Ghomrassen.