Standing on Tatooine: Star Wars Turns 50 in the Tunisian Desert

Tatooine has a real address, and it sits in southern Tunisia. Principal photography on A New Hope began in March 1976. The crew spent about two and a half weeks in the country, on the Chott el-Djerid salt flats, at Matmata and around Tozeur, before the production moved to Elstree Studios in England. The film opened in US cinemas on 25 May 1977, so its fiftieth anniversary falls on Tuesday 25 May 2027. Star Wars Celebration 2027 runs from 1 to 4 April at the Los Angeles Convention Center, about seven weeks before that date.

Tunisia also has a second chapter. The Phantom Menace was filmed there in 1997, and IMDb’s location listings run into 1998 and 1999, at Ong Jemel near Nefta and at Ksar Hadada in the Tataouine governorate. Attack of the Clones used the dining room at Hotel Sidi Driss in Matmata in September 2000. This guide keeps those chapters apart, reports what is visible today as we could verify it on 12 October 2026, and lists what must be confirmed before you book.

Two anniversaries, not one

The Tatooine story has two dates, and they are easy to mix up. The first is the Tunisian shoot of spring 1976. The second is the US release of 25 May 1977. The fiftieth anniversary belongs to the release, so it falls in 2027. The 2026 campaign in Tozeur belongs to the shoot.

That campaign was run by the governorate of Tozeur and the Office National du Tourisme Tunisien (ONTT). Its main visible item was the photo exhibition Les 50 ans de la Force, shown at the Maison de la culture Abou El Kacem Chebbi in Tozeur from 22 March to 4 April 2026, with free entry and about fifty works. The show was planned to travel to Nefta, Matmata, Medenine and Djerba. We found no confirmation that those stops took place, and no official Tunisian event for 25 May 2027.

The re-release is the open question. Press reports place a theatrical re-release of the 1977 film in 2027. We could not load starwars.com to confirm a date, so this guide gives none. Check the official site before you plan around it.

Where the Tatooine sets stand today

Guides tend to blend these places together. Mos Espa is the only one built as a town for the film. The others are existing buildings or landscapes that were used on screen, and their role today differs. The table gives what we could verify on 12 October 2026. Anything marked “to check” must be confirmed before you travel.

Mos Espa at Ong Jemel: the Phantom Menace town

Ong Jemel, also written Oung Jmel, is a rock formation in the Nefta delegation. According to a 2024 Routard guide, it lies about 10 km from Nefta, which is 25 km from Tozeur. Galaxy Tours, a fan-led operator, dates the construction of the set to early August 1997. Some articles say the set dates from the 1970s. We found no support for that claim.

The site is standing. In October 2025, La Presse de Tunisie reported a restoration budget of 132,000 TND, 112,000 from the Ministry of Tourism and 20,000 from the Tozeur regional council. The works repair the structures with original materials, repaint the doors and windows, and fence the site, with progress at about 10 per cent at the time. Sand is the other threat. A 2014 report said the dunes advance about 15 metres a year and that one of them had buried about 10 per cent of the site.

The reports do not say whether visitors may enter during the works, whether tickets are sold, or what the hours are. Treat any visit as unconfirmed. Ask the Tozeur regional tourism office or a licensed guide before you build a day around the site, and ask your tour operator how it handles access while the restoration continues.

Hotel Sidi Driss: the Lars homestead dining room

This is the one location in the list where you can sleep. Hotel Sidi Driss in Matmata is the Lars homestead of A New Hope, or rather its dining room, which was shot during the 1976 production. Galaxy Tours’ film-site page also says that Attack of the Clones used the hotel for scenes shot on 11 September 2000. The hotel is operating, with about twenty cave-style rooms and shared bathrooms in the most recent description we found.

Two cautions apply. The Lars exterior was not filmed here, so keep the two places apart, as the section below explains. And the hotel’s contact details are thin: we found no website, and a 2025 traveller reported that the phone line seemed out of service. Call ahead, do not assume you can enter as a non-guest, and ask for a current rate, because the prices in older listings vary widely.

Ksar Hadada: the Phantom Menace porch

Ksar Hadada sits in the Tataouine governorate, far from Nefta. The Phantom Menace used its porch and the slave-quarter scenes, which Galaxy Tours says were shot on 10 August 1997. The site is reported as a hotel today. We could not confirm its current opening hours or whether non-guests may visit, so treat it as a stop to check, not a sight you can plan around.

Keep two things straight. The Mos Eisley cantina is not here: it is in Ajim, on Djerba. And sources disagree on where the smaller slave-quarter courtyard was built, so this guide gives no location for it.

Ajim: the Mos Eisley cantina exterior

The exterior of the Mos Eisley cantina was filmed at Ajim, a village about 20 km from Houmt Souk on the island of Djerba. A NASA Earth Observatory image of the village describes the domed building as a former Berber bakery. Its interior was shot at Elstree, so the building gives you only the outside that the film used. A fan guide describes the building as derelict. Its condition may have changed since then.

Getting there is simple. According to a guide and a fan guide, buses and shared taxis (louage) take 25 to 30 minutes from Houmt Souk. We found no published opening hours for the exterior, so check the access and the condition when you arrive.

The Lars exterior: salt flats, not Matmata

The outside of the Lars homestead was shot on the Chott el-Djerid salt flats near Tozeur, according to Galaxy Tours, and not at Matmata. Fan sources say a replica was rebuilt outside Nefta in 2001 for Attack of the Clones. We could not confirm that anything survives on the salt flats. A Tozeur half-day listing mentions the “igloo” of the Lars homestead exterior, but we treat it as a claim to check with the operator, not a site to plan around.

The advisory, read on 12 October 2026

Several governments advise against travel in parts of the north-west and along the Algerian and Libyan borders. Tozeur, Nefta and Matmata are not named in the advice we read, but the official maps must be checked before booking. The UK advice was updated on 24 July 2026 and was still current on 12 October 2026. Canada’s advice was last updated on 26 May 2026 and asks travellers to exercise a high degree of caution, with regional advisories. France posted its vigilance alert for French nationals on 10 September 2026.

Entry rules are simpler. French travellers need a passport valid at least three months after the date of entry. A visa is not needed for stays of three months or less, according to a secondary source citing France Diplomatie.

May in the desert: heat, wind and early starts

May is the shoulder season, and it is hot. The 1991 to 2020 climate table for Tozeur gives a mean daily maximum of about 32 C, a record of 46.6 C, one or two rainy days in the month, and cooler nights. Canada places temperatures above 40 C, and frequent sand and dust storms, in June to September, and it advises staying indoors during storms. We found no frequency for May storms, so do not count on a calm sky.

Budget: the Viator options, priced for two adults

The prices below are what Viator showed for two adults when we checked on 12 October 2026, for dates in the 20 to 30 May 2027 window. They are not a guarantee and they will change. The entry fees to the film sites are not included, and none is confirmed. Free cancellation appears on some listings and not others, so check it when you book.

A practical budget for two adults: the private Star Wars half-day (US$280), a quad ride (US$56) and a night with the nomads (US$228.38) come to US$564.38, before food, transport and any site fee. A film-light version, the mountain oases half-day plus the quad ride, comes to US$183.88.

A two-day plan from Tozeur

Day one is the film day, and it works best with an early start. Leave Tozeur before 7:30 for Nefta and Ong Jemel, about 35 km in total, and spend the morning at Mos Espa if the site is open to you. If it is closed or fenced, ask your driver to take you to the oases instead. Come back before the heat peaks, and use the afternoon for the mountain oases.

Day two is the sand day, and it is a different trip from the film hunt. Douz lies further south, so plan it as its own outing. Take the quad ride in the morning if you want the short version, or book a night with Sahara nomads for the sunset and the sky.

Who should go where

For families, the 4x4 day trip from Djerba to Ksar Ghilane gives a full day of dunes and an oasis with a driver, and 118 reviews back it up. Check the age and fitness rules with the operator before you book, since they were not in the data we used.

For couples who want quiet, the private canyon day at Tamerza is the least crowded option. It suits a pair who want a driver, a guide and an unhurried pace, and it covers the same mountain oasis landscape as the Star Wars tours.

For a first trip, or for anyone who does not want to plan transport, the private two-day circuit between Douz and Tozeur gives one driver, one booking and a route that covers the south. At US$867.82 it is the most expensive option, and it is the one that removes most of the planning, including the question of how to get into Ong Jemel.

For adventure seekers, the two-day camel trek from Douz is the most documented way to spend a night on the dunes, with 34 reviews at 4.85. It is not cheap, and it is not a film location, but it is the closest to the desert of the story.

On a budget, stick to the mountain oases and the quad ride, and eat in the towns rather than at the sites. On mobility, the sites involve sand, rough ground and walking in heat, and we found no accessibility information for Ong Jemel, Matmata or Ksar Hadada.

Mistakes to avoid

• Putting the Mos Eisley cantina at Ksar Hadada. It is in Ajim, on Djerba.
• Placing the Lars homestead exterior at Matmata. The dining room interior is at Matmata. The exterior was shot on the salt flats.
• Calling Ong Jemel a site in Tozeur town. It lies about 10 km beyond Nefta, which is about 25 km from Tozeur.
• Confusing the shoot with the release. 1976 is the Tunisian shoot, 1977 is the release, and 2027 is the fiftieth year of the release.
• Repeating old fee claims. Old sources describe entry to Ong Jemel as free or as a small fee. No current fee is confirmed.

Before you go

• Confirm the state of the Ong Jemel works and the access rules with the Tozeur regional tourism office or a licensed guide
• Read the UK, Canada and France advice and the official zone maps for every place on your route
• Ask Hotel Sidi Driss for a current rate and the booking method before you travel
• Ask the Ksar Hadada hotel whether non-guests can visit
• Check the access and condition at Ajim on arrival, and plan the trip from Houmt Souk
• Check the re-release and Starfighter dates on the official sites before you plan around them

The fiftieth anniversary is a good reason to go, but not a reason to expect an organised event on the day, because we found none scheduled. Settle the three questions that decide the trip, which are Ong Jemel’s access, the zone maps and the May heat, and the rest of the plan falls into place. For another film-set route, our Seville walk through the Naboo and Dorne sets and our guide to the Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate cover the other side of the story.