Tour Overview
For such a tiny country – the smallest in North Africa – Tunisia packs a lot in. It is a truly kaleidoscopic nation, ranging from Mediterranean beaches to the Sahara desert, from ancient souks to Star Wars film sets. This Arab-Berber nation is one of the most liberal in the Islamic world; alcohol is freely available and women need not feel intimidated.The capital, Tunis, reflects the country’s diversity. Its French colonial past has a far-reaching influence (it only gained independence in 1956), most obviously in its cuisine that blends sophisticated French styles with Arab spice. Older history is evident in the remains of what was Roman Carthage, while the Roman ruins at Dougga and El Jem are some of the finest in Africa.
Despite its location, edging the Sahara, Tunisia is a surprisingly fertile land. It has six national parks; that around Lac Ichkeul is one of only two UNESCO-protected Biosphere Reserves in the world. If you are feeling energetic, the view from the near-deserted village of Takrouna over the mountainous north is stunning. Alternatively, visit a central desert oasis like Zaafrane, Tozeur or Kebili with its hot pools. Finally, when you tire of culture, history and nature, simply lie on the beach and relax at some point along its 1400km (875 miles) stretch of Mediterranean coastline.
Day by Day Itinerary
Day 01: Tunis, TunisiaArrive Tunis International Airport. Upon clearing Customs and Immigration, you are met for transfer to your hotel. Protected by a violet tinted lake covered with pearly winged flamingos, set against gently undulating hills and the "twin-horned mountain," Tunis, where "yesterday and today" seem to blend so naturally and intimately, offers us hospitality and the traditional good humor of its inhabitants.
Dinner
Tunisia Palace Day 02: Tunis - Carthage - Sidi Bou Said
This morning enjoy a walking tour of the city, a contrast between the medieval Arab medina, or old town, and the French-built modern city. You’ll begin within the medina at the Hammarda Pasha Mosque and mausoleum, and then walk through the Fez souk, and the perfume souk which in former days was famous throughout the Arab world. Arrive at the superb 9th century Aghlabid-built Zaitouna Mosque, walk down the Rue de la Kasbah toward the Sidi Youssef Mosque and Government Square. Continue to the medina, walking along the Rue de la Pacha toward the Dar Lasram Palace, one of the finest buildings in the medina which now houses the Headquarters for the Conservation of the Tunis Medina. Passing by the Rue des Librairies are three madrasas; an-Nakhla, al-Bachiya and as-Slimaniya. From there you take the Rue Jamaa az-Zaitouna back to the Place de la Victoire. Drive to the Bardo museum – a repository of the finest collection of Roman mosaics in the world. Here you will see exquisite examples of mosaics from the major Roman sites and you may even be lucky enough to see the bronze “Mahdia” statues. In the afternoon drive to Carthage and Sidi Bou Said. You will drive a few miles east to the site of ancient Carthage, founded by the Phoenicians in 814 B.C. and destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C. It is a vast site but one’s initial impression may be tempered by the fact that suburbs have grown up in and around it. Nonetheless the highlights are the Antonine Baths which even though little remains, gives one an idea of the immense size of them, the Byrsa museum, the amphitheater, the Punic Harbors and the Salammbo Tophet. It is in the latter site that children were supposedly ritually sacrificed – placed by priests into the ‘waiting’ arms of a massive bronze statue of Baal, under which burned a raging fire. For lunch, continue north to Sidi Bou Said, a delightful village of white washed cottages that tumble down cobbled streets to the sea. With their brightly painted blue iron window grilles and doors, and riotous splashes of brilliant bougainvillea it is not hard to see why the town has long been the haunt of writers and artists. Drive to Port el Kantaoui and your hotel for overnight.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hasdrubal
Day 03: Port el Kantaoui - Sfax - el Jem to Gafsa - Tozeur
Depart this morning to Sfax, where you will tour the old medina, which is well preserved and still serves as the marketplace for the residents of Sfax. After lunch at the Les Olivier’s Palace hotel, travel to el Jem, site of a massive Roman Coliseum, the third largest in the world, with a capacity of 30,000 spectators. During its glory days of the 3rd century, the town was known as Thysydrus and it grew rich from its location at the center of the olive and wheat growing area – the Sahel. Its wealth is attested by mosaics found in luxurious villas, many of which are now in the Bardo museum, some of which are in the little museum of el Djem. These mosaics seem to indicate that the inhabitants of el-Djem preferred the exhibitions of animals hunting other animals (lions fighting gazelles for example) rather than the gory spectacle of lions and Christians, which was a peculiar favorite of the crowds in Rome. Continue to Tozeur with a brief stop in Gafsa en route to visit the Roman’s Pool. Tozeur is the image of an African oasis with lots of tall palms, black-clad women and sand-colored geometric-patterned brick buildings. Its prosperity was due to its location on the great camel caravan routes that criss-crossed the Sahara. You’ll take a walk in the maze of alleyways of the old city built in the 14th century by the Ouled al-Hadaf tribe, then continue to the palmeraie with its 200,000 palms, past the Paradise gardens, the koubba of Sidi Ali Bou Lifa, ending at the Belvedere Rocks.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Dar Cherait Day 04: Ong Jemal - Chebika - Tamerza - Chotte el Jerid - Douz
Drive north into some of the country’s most spectacular mountain scenery, visit the mountain oasis of Tamerza, along with Mides and Chebika, which sit right on the Algerian border. You will pass by Ong Jemal (meaning neck of the camel) an unusual rock formation shaped surprisingly like the neck of a camel overlooking the barren plains. Walk with your guide between the mountain oasis villages, overlooking the Chott al-Garsa. In ancient days the village of Chebika was called Ad Speculum after the Roman troops who communicated by mirror. The towns were flooded in 1969 in freak torrential rains and were later abandoned. The original villages are now “ghost’ towns. These villages continue with the old tiered oasis-style of cultivation of crops –
vegetables are grown under pomegranate and orange trees which in turn are grown under date palms. Lunch will be in Tamerza in the restaurant Les Terraces de L’Atlas in the Tamerza Palace complex. Return to Tozeur where you will also visit Dar Cherait Museum housed in a restored mansion with an extensive collection of antiques and rooms set up as replicas of scenes from traditional
Tunisian life – past and present. Cross the salt-encrusted lake of Chott el-Jerid, remnant of the days when the sea once covered the now-barren sands of the Sahara and continue to Douz.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Sun Palm Day 05: Douz - Bir Soltane - Ksar Ghilane
Departure from Douz, Gateway to the Sahara, is the start of the Grand Erg. It has a large palmeraie and a little museum of the Sahara which gives some valuable information about local traditions including tattooing, which until recently was practiced by both men and women. In this region known as Nefzaoua, there are 5 tribes; the area round Douz is primarily Mrazig, in Zaafrane, the Aghara and in Sabria, - the Sabria. Although they may look alike, they have different markings, headdresses and weaving patterns. You will pass by Bir Soltane where a small stone dome surrounds an ancient well. Centuries of use has cut deep rope grooves into the well-head. Continuing on to Ksar Ghilane, with the only monument of any distinction being the old 2nd century Roman fort of Tisavar. (The word ‘ksar’ means stronghold in Berber.) South of here lies the vastness of the Sahara and the Libyan oasis of Ghadames. Your hotel is made up of private linen tented camps in the midst of the desert. You’ll have some time at leisure today to explore the surroundings on foot or to relax and swim in the area’s natural hot springs.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Pansea Ksar Ghilane
Day 06: Ksar Ghilane - Douiret - Chenini - Tatouine - Ksar Haddad - Matmata - Gabes
This morning set out to Douiret, an old and almost abandoned village across the arid plateau. Proceeding on to Chenini, which dates back to the 12th century, and sits high on a bluff with its houses built into the rock. This unique area of the country was for centuries a mix of settled Berbers and nomadic Arabs. The Berbers grew olives, figs and dates and in return the Arabs gave them wool from their goats and camels, which was then woven into the tent trappings the Arabs needed. It was a very symbiotic relationship although the fact that the Berbers felt the need to build such defensive villages shows that it was not always smooth sailing. Making your way to Tataouine, an ideal place for visiting the Berber ksours or granaries typical of the region. Throughout the south, nomadic Berbers stored their grain in these ksours, also known as ghorfas, meaning room in Arabic. Ghorfas are fortified grain storage cells built of stone, constructed side by side and on top of one another, at times reaching eight stories in height. Toujane is an extraordinary place of stone houses spread around a hillside and beneath the ruins of an old kasbah. It is cut by a gorge that leads down to the coastal plain. Continue to Matmata, of Star Wars notoriety, but more importantly, center of the most extensive number of traditional troglodyte pit homes in the region. The landscape is barren and marked with fissures, crags and small tabletop mountains. The Berber people built these simple underground dwellings to escape the extremes of weather and any unwelcome invaders. The last stop for the day will be, Gabes, where the main attractions are its central souk and the selling of spices and green henna. Tonight overnight in Kairouan.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
La Kasbah Day 07: Kairouan - Monastir - Tunis
Morning tour of Kairouan’s Islamic monuments. Kairouan is an isolated town founded by Arab invaders in the 7th century and considered by the Shia to be the fourth holiest Islamic site after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. It is a walled city completely dominated by its mosque, built in the 7th century by the founder of the city, Okba Ibn Nafi. Although nothing of that structure remains, and the building you see today was built in the 9th century by the ruling Aghlabids. It became a center of Malikite teaching in the early days of Islam (Malikite being one of the four schools of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence) until the coming of the Shia Fatimids. So-named after Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet, in the form of Obaidallah Said. The mosque consists of a huge white marble-paved courtyard enclosed by a colonnade of columns recycled from earlier Roman and Byzantine buildings. The prayer hall (which non-Muslims may not enter) is also composed of columns of granite and marble taken and re-used from other sites around the country, beautifully carved cedar doors, and the oldest minbar (pulpit) in the world. Its minaret is a mélange of styles. From there we visit the Zaouia Sidi Sahab, burial place of one of the Prophet’s companions – and also known as the ‘Barberis Mosque’ because he always carried with him three hairs from the Prophets beard. You will also see the Zaouia of Sidi Amor Abbada, built in the 19th century by an illiterate blacksmith whose revelations made him build huge iron anchors, candelabra and weaponry. A further walking tour of the old city will include the Mosques of the Bey and the Three Gates, the Bir Barouta and the souk. Drive to Monastir for lunch in one of their fish restaurants prior to a touring the ribat (fortress) and the Mausoleum of the Bourguiba family. The Ribat was built at the end of 8th century AD. The central watchtower provides excellent views of the coastline and local landscape. Return to Tunis for the night.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Tunisia Palace Day 08: Tunis - Depart
Transferred to the Tunis airport for your departing flight.
Breakfast
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