El Oued's main draw is the town itself — wandering the alleys of the old city under the white-domed roofs, watching the desert light play across the sand-coloured walls. The Souf Museum covers the history and ethnography of the region. The central market is the social heart, busiest on Thursday. Just outside town, the Sidi Salem mosque and the surrounding ghout date palm gardens — sunken plantations dug down to the water table — are the iconic Souf valley landscapes. For desert excursions into the Grand Erg Oriental, local guides run trips ranging from a few hours to several days.