Djebel Chambi The highest peak in Tunisia

Djebel Chambi is the highest mountain peak in Tunisia standing at 1,544 meters above sea level (5066 feet).

The mountain is located inside Djebel Chambi National Park, a designated biosphere reserve since 1981. Djebel Chambi National Park is located on the South Western side of Tunisia close to the Algerian border.

The mountain is an extension of the Atlas Mountains, a range stretching from Morocco through Algeria and ending in Tunisia.

When I arrived in Tunisia, the first thing I had in mind was to climb the highest peak of the country. There is always something special about standing at the highest point of a new country and I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity.

I started reading online to gather some information and prepare for the journey.

Most of the articles online talked about the mountain in general but I couldn’t find a single recent trip report from other hikers.

I reached out to a local trekking company to find some answers and that’s how I learned that the area is closed to visitors due to terrorist activity in the area.

The area is not only closed to visitors but is extremely dangerous to visit.

The area is declared as a military-locked zone that requires prior authorization to enter for non-military entities.

Since 2012, the Tunisian National Guard has been working on eliminating terrorist groups taking refuge in the area as part of the Chambi Operations.

The area is filled with ground mines that took the lives of many Tunisian soldiers.

Many political assassinations, executions, and human slaughter have been taking place in the area since 2012.

The most recent one is on October 3rd, 2018 when an improvised explosive device struck an armored vehicle killing 2 soldiers and injuring 5 at Mount Chaambi, an Al-Qaeda wing in Tunisia claimed responsibility for the attack.

I have talked to a few people from the hiking community in Tunisia who attempted to obtain a group permit to visit in 2020 but the request was rejected by the military.

At this point in time, it’s extremely unsafe to climb the highest peak in Tunisia.