It makes an arresting sight, a tiny speck of an island rising from the middle of the ocean blanketed with lush greenery and topped with a jagged sloping rock, to a peak that sometimes may be hidden behind cloud cover.

This breath-taking vision makes its appearance at the last scene of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Rey lands on the secluded island and negotiated with a precarious rock path that leads her to the top, where she came face to face with vanished Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Cutting a lonesome figure at the peak, the aged Jedi stares pensively out to the sea while battling blistering winds.

The Skellig Michael, the bigger of the two Skellig Islands, lies west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. Over 350 million years of Devonian Sandstone form the volcanic looking Skellig rocks, giving it the rugged, uneven look. The glimpse we got from The Force Awakens hints at an island almost inhabitable (except if you’re a Jedi), and it was, for a long time until a monastery, believed to the one of Ireland’s earliest monastic settlements, was founded on the island.

Once a mating ground for birds, a Christian monastery and settlement sprung up between the 6^th and 8^th century. Abandoned in the late 12^th century, the St. Fionan’s monastery is today, still very well preserved. The island was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, because of its unique environmental setting and cultural significance.

Visitors to the island can explore the monastery and the settlement at the summit, which takes 670 steps to reach. The monks of the monastery lived in beehive shaped huts made of stone. Round on the outside, the huts are rectangular on the inside, built in a manner where not even a drop of rain can enter. Do venture into a hut to admire the layout. After the monks left the island, it once again flourished with birdlife, and is a favorite place of puffins, which often visit in late Spring.

Visitors can assess this far-flung island during the summer (May to October), where boat licences are granted to tour operators who ferry visitors to Skellig Michael. Island exploration is strict, during bad weather, climbs up to the monastery are forbidden because the timeworn steps are steep and rocky.

With the island showing up in the Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer, you can bet Skellig Michael would be hot property very soon, flooded with legions of Star Wars fans.

Pre-book a boat trip to the Skellig Michael here

“Well, if there’s a bright center to the universe, you’re on the planet that it’s farthest from” , described Luke Skywalker about Tatooine. It’s a fitting narrative. His homeland is a desert wasteland that stretches for miles from his underground dwelling till it disappears into the horizon.

I’ve always thought that scenes of Tatooine from the Star Wars: A New Hope was filmed in Tunisia’s Tataouine. I was sold by the name. In reality, most of Tatooine’s scenes were filmed in the village of Matmata in southern Tunisia. If you’re a Star Wars fan, coming to Matmata is like making a pilgrimage.

Known for its troglodyte dwellings- traditional underground structures created by digging a large pit in the ground, Matmata’s history goes beyond two centuries. Early Berbers settled in the village and practically dug a whole settlement into the stone environment, some as deep as 10 meters. The habitat is well structured, with a central yard surrounded by rooms, or rather, caves. The underground level is for living, while the upper level is reserved for food and vegetation. Entrance to the village is through a funnel-like tunnel that fans out when you approach the central yard that houses animals.

Matmata’s desolate surroundings and unique subterranean living conditions offer the perfect backdrop for the humble beginnings of a would-be Jedi warrior in a galaxy far, far away.

The Home of Uncle Owen

The Hotel Sidi Driss should be the first place for any Star Wars devotee to visit, being the location of Uncle Owen Lars’ homestead. Like the rest of the buildings in the village, the hotel is built into the ground with a series of tiny caves. Open all year round, it’s kept in almost the same condition as how it appeared in A New Hope back in 1977. Movie decorations were taken down after filming for A New Hope wrapped, but was rebuilt for Attack of the Clones. The hotel has five pits, of which four have rooms, and the fifth- the Star Wars pit, is actually the hotel’s restaurant. Before 1995, the room was used for storage, but a fan restored it to the original movie state. Today, you can actually dine here, totally reliving the scenes filmed here, and probably making it the closest you’ll get to be part of Star Wars.

If you’re hard core fan, book a room for an unusual overnight experience. For 20 USD, you get a room, dinner and even breakfast. Being underground means the rooms can get a little damp. And let’s not forget, Matmata is a simple village in the middle of the desert, so expect minimal amenities in the rooms. Each cave (or room) has a bed with basic Berber furnishings. You’ll also have to bear with communal toilet and shower facilities. But to wake up in the same place that Luke Skywalker once stayed, it might be worth your effort.

More than Star Wars
Beyond Star Wars, a visit to Matmata should include a quick lesson on Matmata’s history. There is a tiny museum behind Hotel Sidi Driss documenting the town’s history and gives visitors a peek into a typical villager’s daily life, with mocked up kitchens, bedrooms and dining rooms.

If you can, try visiting other cave dwellings without outdated futuristic props from the movie for a better representation of Berber living.

How Long Should You Visit?
There’s really no need to spend more than a night in Matmata. Make it part of your pit-stop on your holiday in the area. If you’re on a Star Wars pilgrimage, head over to Tatauoine to visit the well-preserved granary vaults featured in The Phantom Menace.

It’s easy to get to Matmata from Tunis, with daily bus service via Sfax and Sousse. You can also drive there, which takes around 45 minutes from Gabes.

Matmata may be a place of Star Wars discovery, but it is still  raw and untainted by commercialization resulting from tourism. Don’t visit expecting modern amenities and facilities. Be prepared to rough it out here. But for those who want to live and breathe Star Wars, a trip to Matmata awaits.

Have you visited Matmata before? Is it worth making the trip?

Trivia: Did you know that Matmata was used as a mission map in Call of Duty 2, as part of the North African campaign?

Pictures from Wikipedia and Pinterest.