Camp Mars is a camp that consists of 46 tents installed in the middle of the desert at Timbaine, in the middle of the Grand Erg Oriental, 100 km south of Douz. At this place, is the mountain “Timbaine” which means “can be seen from afar”. A landmark for nomads who have learned to live in this hostile and grandiose environment that is the Sahara. Meeting with Riadh Mnif, the promoter of this project.
1001tunisie: How is Camp Mars?
Riadh Mnif: This year, the recovery is really good. We receive different nationalities with more and more good returns.
Did Camp Mars make changes?
Many changes have been made to the camp and others are still underway. We built the restaurant in semi hard with walls built in sandbag. We also worked on our sanitary outdoors and added showers built in the traditional way. We also worked a lot on the proposed cuisine. This one now proposes traditional and typical dishes but we added revisited dishes, which change some of the couscous hyper famous of us.
What are the new products that Camp Mars is putting in place?
I always like working according to themes. So in addition to “Music & Silence” organized in November, Camp Mars offers themed tours and even the New Year’s Eve themed.
For those who do not know the concept “Music & Silence” is an original musical event that allows you to listen to quality music without the elements of sound technology but only in acoustics. It is the dialogue between the music of the instruments and the silence of the desert. The concerts are scheduled at sunset and at sunrise. The music is in total harmony with the weather and the magic of the landscape.
Apart from that Camp Mars continues to work on trekking, quad, … We organize yoga stays and spiritual retreat of 3 to 5 days. We schedule meditation sessions and fire parties with spiritual music.
We understand that you are more socially committed to the region and put your experience to benefit other projects? Can you tell us more?
Camp Mars, in turn, becomes a promoter of new projects by creating a synergy around its site and its activity. It is our turn to promote new micro projects. Thus, we encourage a person to create a mini camp between Douz and Camp Mars to become a stopover. Our mission is to supervise and encourage the project leader. We help him to equip the person and train him on the job and the level of service. This person will in turn create at least one job. This operation can multiply in several zones in the deep desert, in particular like that of the lake of “Houidhet”.