Star Wars at Matmata, Tunisia travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

Matmata is so great that it is about to become destroyed. The town is a must-see for tourists to Tunisia, and from early morning till late afternoon bus load after bus load arrive in this small – Village in Tunisia with about 5,000 inhabitants.

Each house forms a circular crater that is really the courtyard of a family. You can actually stand on the edge and look down on them – and that is what most tourists do today.
The interiors are whitewashed and quite cool in summer, indeed there are now hotels installed in these craters which visitors will find amazingly comfortable. They come to see the home of the Star Wars characters Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, which was located in the fictional town of Sidi Driss.

The stairs actually run up over Sidi Driss’s kitchen. While Hotel Sidi Driss can not be said to possess the most inviting accommodations , but it does boast a fairly decent restaurant. Many locals who live in underground homes open them up to tourists for a small entrance fee. Signs direct you to those, or simply ask around in the main street. More than likely, as a tourist you’ll be spotted by someone who wants to show you their house before you find it for yourself.

The amazing landscape is the reason that George Lucas chose to film part of the Star Wars movies here. In particular, he used a local hotel for the home of Luke Skywalker’s family. The Hotel Sidi Driss, where scenes from the Lars homestead in Star Wars were filmed. Accommodation is simple (the bedrooms are formed from individual caves hollowed out from the rock, with shared bathroom facilities), but unique; visit for a day trip or spend the night.