Djebel Ressas Rock climbing 12 routes in area

Driving Directions

(45-50 minutes; good roads.)

Djebel Ressas is about a 30 km drive from Tunis in the direction of Mornag. To get there…

1. Travel southeast on A1 for about 15 km, following signs to Hammamet and Sousse.

2. Take the “Mornag” exit, just before the tollbooths. Turn right at the top of the exit ramp, then down and left at the first stop sign you’ll see.

3. Keep to the road for 0.5 km and take the first right you come to, now following signs to Mornag.

4. Drive about 2 km straight into Mornag proper, crossing the first intersection you reach and making a left turn at the second intersection. (A right turn at this intersection would put you immediately at the last gas station en route.)

5. Now you’re in the middle of town and traveling southeast on C35 (although the road is unmarked) toward Djebel Ressas. On most days you’ll probably notice a bustling open market along the right side of the road.

6. Stay on the road for about 7 km, following signs for Bouficha until you see a signpost on the left with markings for Fonderie and Jebel Ressas.

7. Turn left at the signpost and follow the rural road for nearly 2 km, past orchards and farmhouses, until you see a small, unsigned lane branching off to the left. Follow this winding lane for 1.5 km to its end.

8. You’ll know you’re there when you’ve reached an empty lot adjacent to a sleepy farming settlement and framed by Djebel Ressas in the background.

Parking:

The locals are friendly and hard working, but most adults speak no French and certainly no English. Occasionally, small children will approach with playful curiosity. The area is usually quiet and, if your car is locked and your valuables are inconspicuous, you can expect things to remain undisturbed while you’re gone. It’s smart to park near the edge of the lot, as sometimes the local kids use the space for a soccer pitch, and if your vehicle is at midfield they’ll just play right over it.

Hiking Directions:

All paths described here begin a short distance from the car park area.

1. Orient yourself by facing the mountain’s highest visible peak (The Terminator Buttress), which is due south of your car.

2. Walk southwest on a little dirt lane that leads to the right corner of the settlement, and then behind a group of sheds. Try to ignore the grumpy, barking dogs that will likely approach and threaten as you go by.

3. Once past the buildings, you’ll notice to your left and higher up, a blocky, white-washed cement structure with a distinctive blue door that houses a cistern.

From this point you can choose to follow one of the routes described here or make a path of your own. A handful of neglected utility trails exist on the slopes that once served the many abandoned mines. Nevertheless, most of the hiking on and around the mountain involves navigating rough paths etched by herds of foraging sheep and goats. Naturally, these tracks are scrappy and ambiguous, and they tend to chaotically intersect one another like irregular runnels in a dry riverbed. Adequate route-finding skills and a good sense of direction (or a compass or GPS) will be appreciated during initial attempts at finding your way around.

Approach:

:

To reach the main climbing area (The School of Rock) follow these directions:

1. Walk the primitive lane from the car park to the back of the farming settlement and below the white cistern.

2. Instead of continuing on the farm lane (which proceeds straight & level, and then bends right), follow an inconspicuous footpath that diverges to the left and upward, toward the mountain. This path climbs above the lane (which you’ll see below and on your right), taking you through scattered trees and eventually above and parallel to the east bank of a dry creek bed.

3. After hiking for about 200 meters, cross a dry bed. At the crossing point, leave the trail and hike several paces up a rocky ravine to somewhat burned and especially gnarly old tree in the center of the drainage.

4. Continue beyond the tree for another 30m, then exit the ravine to the right and head 100m west toward a large clearing.

5. Upon entering the clearing, turn south (left) to again face the highest visible peak. Then walk 50m in that direction, toward a lone boulder that’s roughly 2 meters in diameter.

6. Just a few meters beyond the boulder, locate an indistinct goat track and follow it 100 m southwest (right) until it enters trees and develops into a clearly defined path.

7. Hike south (with the mountain to your left) for about 150 more meters, passing boulders and trees, to reach a grassy slope immediately left of the path. A stone cairn, has been placed along the trail to mark this spot and hopefully it will still exist when you arrive!

8. Turn left and scramble for 50 meters, up the steep slope, through the last of the trees and onto loose scree and talus.

9. Move upward for another 50m along the western (right) edge of the scree.

10. After passing a scraggly tree in the main current of the scree, keep ascending on loose rock until forced to choose between continuing onto a dirty outcropping or crossing the scree flow to climber's left.

11. Choose the left option and carefully traverse for 15 m over the scree, to yet another gnarly tree on the opposite side of the flow.

12. Now it's just a few more steep paces to reach the first of two large buttresses, which are divided by the upper terminus of the scree slope. The surrounding crags in this vestibule make up the School of Rock.