Tunisia Explorer

This morning you drive to Tunis renowned medina, listed as a UNESO World Heritage site.  Explore the medina and visit the Bardo Museum, which houses one of the greatest collections of Roman Mosaics in the world. It also has many pieces of scuplture and artwork from the places you will visit throughout the rest of the trip. 

After lunch you visit Roman Carthage. Legend has it that Carthage was founded in 814 BC by the Phoenician Princess Dido who fled from Tyre (in modern day Lebanon) when her husband was killed by her brother, Pymalion. She arrived here as a refugee but the city she founded grew to be a powerful trading centre – the third largest in the Mediterranean after Rome and Alexandria – and competed for empire. After Hannibal led his ill-fated attempt on Rome, accompanied by an army of 40,000 soldiers and 38 elephants, Carthage was besieged for three years  by vengeful Roman armies and finally razed to the ground in 146 BC. Although it rose again from the ashes to become the cultural and intellectual capital of the Roman province of Africa, and its fertile hinterland was known as the ‘bread basket’ of Rome, it eventually lapsed into relative insignificance after successive invasions by the Vandals, Byzantines and the Arabs.

A short way up the coast, the cubist whitewashed houses of the delightful cliff top village of Sidi Bou Said overlook the sea. Long beloved by the bohemian set, it has been the home of many an artist, writer, musician, poet or filmmaker.

Return to Tunis, the political and economic capital of Tunisia. It was founded on a traditional Muslim settlement – still evident in the medina that was constructed some 13 centuries ago. Although its old walls were dismantled by the French, its winding labyrinthe streets are too narrow for cars so inside life goes on pretty much unchanged. This provides welcome relief from the congested boulevards of the new city. Here every house once had its own well, and a shady courtyard offered relief from the heat of the midday sun. The hubbub of street life continues unabated in colourful souks that spill out onto the pavement, where veiled women go about their everyday business. (B,L,D)

This morning, you drive on into the lunar-like hills to Matmata (approx 1 hour). The Roman historian Herodotus first wrote about its underground houses in the 4th century BC, when he described the Berbers who lived here as troglodytes (cave dwellers). Homes have been excavated out of the softish yellow rock of the rounded hillsides – some are still inhabited although the number is dwindling. The main advantage of living in this kind of dwelling is that it provides a relatively constant environment (much like a wine cellar) in an area which suffers wide extremes of temperature and so it feels warm in winter and cool in summer. There’s not much to the village, and little in the way of agriculture - due to the almost complete absence of water - the principal reason why most people emigrate from here to work in the north. Cinema enthusiasts will immediately recognise the location of Luke Skywalker’s home as featured in Star Wars which you visit the remains of them.

Continuing onto Douz, the gateway town to the Sahara you visit the town centre and Sahara Desert museum before meeting with the camel drivers for a trek into the Sahara.  You will camp under the stars in the Bedouin style desert camp.
Bedouin Camp - 1 night (B,L,D)

You depart to Metlaoui for the Red Lizard train excursion (tickets included) through incredible and very diverse scenery. It is an old wooden train given by the French protectorate to the Bey of Tunis (former king of Tunisia). The Red Lizard train runs through the spectacular Selja river canyons. You then visit the lush palm filled oases surrounding the town, plus the oases at Nefta – an old town and oasis in a valley filled with thousands of palms. You then transfer back to Tozeur to overnight. (B,D)

Today you drive to the Roman site at Dougga, which was given UNESCO World Heritage status in 1997. It is the largest in Tunis and considered the most magnificent. You continue to the Andalucian city of Testour, founded by Andalucian Muslims evicted from Spain in the 1600s. The square is very Spanish in style and the Great Mosque dominates the old town. You will overnight in Tunis.
Hotel - 1 night (B)