04 Jun 2019
Nefta, Tunisia
Sustainable Food and Agriculture, Sustainable Tourism

Dar Hi Life is not your average ecolodge. The owners commissioned renowned industrial designer Matali Crasset to build its unique structure in modern homage to the ancient desert houses of Nefta, an oasis village in far southwestern Tunisia.

Guests can look forward to relaxing in Dar Hi Life’s tranquil surrounds and natural geothermic spa facilities. Undertaking this luxurious experience also supports Dar Hi Life’s social enterprise, The Palm Lab, which employs local craftspeople and preserves Nefta’s beautiful — yet fragile — oasis for generations to come.

Dar Hi Life has lured plenty of tourists to Nefta by offering yoga retreats, meditation sessions and a firm promise of relaxation — a place where “letting go is de rigueur.”

The owners celebrate the idea of taking a step back from life’s stresses and simply doing nothing. Yoga and meditiation classes are available and, for the more restless and energetic, Dar Hi Life can arrange desert or oasis tours.

Crasset is committed to ensuring that Dar Hi Life gives back to the local community, a mission that she has realized through The Palm Lab.

The Palm Lab collaborates with Nefta’s artisans to produce a range of handicrafts including carpets, beach mats, fruit bowls and wooden stools. Each design melds time-honored Tunisian manufacturing techniques with Crasset’s eye for the avant-garde. The site also has two permaculture plots, which show how The Palm Lab is working to preserve Nefta’s ecosystem.

As a country, Tunisia proudly owns the contrast between its ancient past and often cosmopolitan present. You can experience both at once, and respect the environment while you are at it, at Dar Hi Life and The Palm Lab.

 

Learn more about Dar Hi Life and The Palm Lab through its website, Facebook and Instagram.

Photos courtesy of Dar Hi Life (Instagram)

Dar Hi Life Sustainable Tourism