Tour around Africa: Stage 17 - Sfax - Thyna (DTTX) to
Tofeur - Nefta (DTTZ)
MS Flight Simulator VFR Flight Plan Previous stage -
Next stage
At the bottom of this page you will find the download link of
this Flight Plan (.PLN file)
In this VFR - GPS Flight Plan we take off from
the airport of Sfax - Thyna (DTTX)[Tunisia] and land in the airport of Tofeur -
Nefta (DTTZ)[Tunisia], flying inland to the west towards the large salt lake of
Chott el Djerid, passing by Gafsa.
Find below a short extract and screenshots of the main points of the route. In
this journey around Africa I have used the Cessna 172S (Skyhawk)
Take off from Sfax - Thyna airport, flying to the
west in an stormy day.
Sfax ; Arabic: صفاقس, romanized: Ṣafāqis Tunisian Arabic: [sˤfɑːqɛːs]
is a city in Tunisia, located 270 km (170 mi) southeast of Tunis. The city,
founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Roman Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax
Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean port. Sfax
has a population of 330,440 (census 2014). The main economic activities of Sfax
are industries (phosphate processing), agriculture (olive and olive oil, nuts),
fishing (largest fishing port in Tunisia) and trade (import-export). The city is
often described as Tunisia's "second city", being the second-most populous city
after the capital Tunis. (*1)
Flying to the west over the farmlands.
Leaving the Djebel Biadha mountain
(1121 m. high) to the left.
Approaching the cities of Ksar and
Gafsa, leaving its airport (DTTF) to the left.
Overflying the city of Gafsa and
the lake that suddenly appeared around the city in 2014
Gafsa (Tunisian Arabic: ڨفصة Gafsˤa; Arabic: قفصة qafṣah), originally called
Capsa in Latin, is the capital of Gafsa Governorate of Tunisia. It lends its
Latin name to the Mesolithic Capsian culture. With a population of 105,264,
Gafsa is the 9th-largest Tunisian city and it is 335 kilometers away from the
capital Tunis.
Phosphate mines were discovered in 1886, and Gafsa today is home to one of
the largest mines of phosphate in the world. In the Second World War, Gafsa
suffered heavy bombardment from both the German and Italian side and the Allies.
Part of its Kasbah was destroyed. On 27 January 1980, a group of dissidents
armed and trained by Libya occupied the city to contest the régime of Habib
Bourguiba. 48 people were killed in the battles.
The Gafsa region has had an active political voice throughout its history,
and various events there have shaped its political developments in the various
phases of modern Tunisia. In 2008, Gafsa was the center of riots directed
against the government of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The government was
swift and brutal in its suppression of the uprising, but this movement has since
been credited with sowing the first seeds of the Jasmine Revolution that removed
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power three years later, igniting the Arab Spring
across much of North Africa and the Middle East.
In 2014, a lake suddenly appeared around 25 kilometers from the town. The
cause of the lake's formation is currently unknown (*1)
Leaving Gafsa and Ksar behind.
Crossing a large desert area (Parc National de Dghoumès)
flying towards Tozeur.
The Parc National de Dghoumès (Arabic: الحديقة الوطنية دغومس) is a national
park in Tunisia located in the governorate of Tozeur. This 80 km2 park was
created on March 29, 2010 and it is managed by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Its mission is to protect an ecosystem representative of the Tunisian Sahara.
There are plants characteristic of arid environments including tamarisk (Tamarix
sp.), Thymelia hirsuta and Retama raetam. The restoration of the plant cover, in
particular the steppe planted with Acacia tortilis, seems to be on the right
track.
On the other hand, the park is home to a diverse fauna including the desert
hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus), golden jackal (Canis aureus), wild cat (Felis
silvestris), sand cat (Felis margarita), gambra partridge, the golden eagle
(Aquila chrysaetos) and some species of reptiles. (*1)
Reaching the shore of the
Chott el Djerid salt lake.
Chott el Djerid (Arabic: شط الجريد Šoṭṭ el-Jarīd) also spelled
Sciott Gerid and Shott el Jerid, is a large endorheic salt lake in southern
Tunisia. The name can be translated from the Arabic into English as "Lagoon of
the Land of Palms"
The bottom of Chott el Djerid is located between 10 and 25 meters (about 30
to 80 feet) below sea level. The lake's width varies widely; at its narrowest
point, it is only 20 km (12 mi) across, compared to its overall length of 250 km
(160 mi). At times, parts of it appear in various shades of white, green and
purple. The narrow eastward inlet of the chott is also known as Chott el Fejej.
It is the largest salt pan of the Sahara Desert, with a surface area of over
7,000 km2 (some sources state 5,000 km2). The site has a typical hot desert
climate. Due to the harsh climate with mean annual rainfall of below 100 mm and
daytime temperatures sometimes reaching 50 °C (122 °F) or more during summer
with dense solar radiation, water evaporates from the lake. In summer Chott el
Djerid is almost entirely dried up, and numerous fata morganas occur. Situated
at 33 ° 42'N 8 ° 26'E in the center-west of the country, between the cities of
Tozeur and Kebili.
During winter, a small tributary of water can be seen discharging into the
lake.
Because the flooded area is very variable, values presented for the area of
the lake (or its basin, which is almost always dry), can vary widely. Some
sources provide values as high as 10,000 km². Similarly, figures given for
altitude vary between 10 meters above and 25 meters below sea level.
Currently, freshwater irrigation schemes are being applied in the region to
help eliminate salt from soils and increase the productive area. (*1)
Approaching the city of Tozeur
Tozeur (Arabic: توزر Tūzer; Berber language: ⵜⵓⵣⴻⵔ; romanized: Tūzer) is
a city in southwest Tunisia. The city is located northwest of Chott el Djerid,
in between this Chott and the smaller Chott el Gharsa. It is the capital of
Tozeur Governorate. It was the site of the ancient city and former bishopric
Tusuros, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see.
During the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire and in the Vandal Kingdom,
Tozeur was the site of Tusuros, in the Roman province of Byzacena (originally
part of Africa Proconsularis). (*1)
Flying over the
Chott el Djerid salt lake
Passing over the town of Nefta right before landing in its
near airport
Nefta (or Nafta) is a Tunisian municipality and an oasis in Tozeur
Governorate north of the Chott el Djerid.
Nefta is believed to have been settled originally by shepherds who came from
the kingdom of Napata. The Romans and later the Byzantines built forts in the
oasis (Nepte) to provide protection against raids by desert nomads. In Byzantine
times Nefta and Tozeur were episcopal sees. In the mid-7th century Nefta was
conquered by the Arabs and, in spite of fierce resistance, converted to Islam. A
Christian community was however recorded as late as 1194
In subsequent centuries Nefta prospered as an important staging-point for
caravans (for a time the most important in Tunisia). Its decline began in the
15th century as a result of more frequent raids by nomadic tribes and the
general falling off in the caravan trade. With the coming of the French in 1881,
however, Nefta experienced a renewal.
The salt-flats near Nefta were used as a filming location for the Star Wars
saga in the late 20th century. (*1)
You can
download for free
this Flight Plan but only for your own private use. It is
strictly forbidden to share it or publish
it in other sites, forums, newsgroups or in any other way . You are
encouraged to share and publish links to this page
only, but not direct links to the file itself.
(*1) Credits: The descriptive texts are mainly an excerpt of those provided by
Wikipedia. Visit
Wikipedia to read the
full descriptions.
German
French
Portuguese
Russian
Home page
Site map
Radio Sherlock search engine
Terms of service
Privacy
Cookies