Grand Tour of Tunisia
Day 1: London – Tunis – Hammamet
Welcome to Tunisia! We’ll be there to collect you at Tunis airport and take you on to the pre tour hotel. Dinner and overnight - Hammamet
Day 2: Hammamet – Kairouan – Sbeitla – Gafsa – Tozeur
Breakfast. Leaving Hammamet we head to Kairouan to explore the Great Mosque, which is one of the oldest in the world, and the Berbers mosque. Early afternoon we visit the carpet workshops and have lunch in a local restaurant. We then depart for the remarkable Roman city of Sbeitla, which is the most southerly of Tunisia’s major Roman sites. We see the three massive temples dedicated to Jupiter, Minerva and Juno which together provide some of the most beautiful and memorable views of Tunisia. Later, we continue on to Tozeur via the pink walled old city of Gafsa, famous for its tapestries and Roman Baths. Dinner and overnight - Tozeur
Day 3: Tozeur – Nafta – Tozeur
Breakfast. We travel over to the Oasis town of Nafta to see the 450’000 date palms hidden in a huge basin – the Corbeille - hemmed in by cliffs and fed by more than 150 natural springs. We return to Tozeur where we see the Cherait Museum, the Medina and some of the old houses in the Ouled Hadef area. In the afternoon it is possible to take the 4X4 to discover the mountain oases of Chibika, Tamerza and Mides. We enjoy the waterfalls at Chebika and Tamerza and the breathtaking Canyon which Mides overhangs. Tamerza’s spectacular location is seen in the Star Wars- The Phantom Menace movie. We head back to the hotel for a ‘Folklore Soiree’. Lunch, dinner and overnight - Tozeur
Day 4: Tozeur – Chott El Djerid – Douz – Zaafrane – Matmata
Breakfast. We leave for Chott El Djerid, a 150 mile long salt lake divided by a causeway, with never-ending salt crystals shining white on either side. You may like to sand sail! See the thin stream of water which hugs the causeway and appears turquoise on one side and vivid red on the other. This fabulous area provided the backdrop for the movie The English Patient. Onto Douz – an oasis town known as the Gateway to the Sahara where we visit the market and museum of nomadic traditions - and the dunes of Zaafrane where it is possible to trek into the Sahara on camels. After lunch we visit Matmata, famous for its cave dwellings and Troglodyte houses and villages which date from 4th Century BC and which were used in the Star Wars movies. Matmata has many of the world’s best examples of Troglodyte architecture, vertical caves dug into soft sandstone with doors and rooms tunnelled from the vertical walls. Lunch, dinner and overnight - Matmata
Day 5: Matmata – Medenine – Ghomrassen – Sfax
Breakfast. We set off for Medenine to visit the Metameur and continue on to the desert town of Tataouine where we stop to explore the sand locked village of Chenini. We visit the ancient 12th Century Berber village perched on the edge of the mountain which is also famous for its unusual cave dwellings. Mid afternoon, we continue our journey to Ghomrassen and the Ksar El Ferch. Each village has a Ksar which is a fortified granary store built by the regions tribes and made of stone, mud and wood. They are wonderfully photogenic. At the end of the afternoon, we leave for Sfax. Dinner and overnight – Sfax
Day 6: Sfax – El Djem – Monastir – Sousse – Port El Kantaoui – Hammamet
Breakfast. In the morning we will look around the city centre of Sfax, an old port city and olive oil capital regarded as Tunisia second largest town, not forgetting to stop at the souks and Medina. We then leave for El Djem where we visit the famous ancient Roman Amphitheatre, which is the third largest in the Roman world and one of the best preserved. It was the scene of gladiator displays, chariot races and circuses now replaced with concerts by world famous orchestras and a music festival each summer. On to Monastir where we stop for lunch and can briefly see the Ribat, an impressive fortress overlooking the harbour which featured in the Monty Python movie ‘ The Life of Brian’. After lunch we leave for Sousse where we visit the medina before leaving to spend some time relaxing at the pretty marina at Port El Kantaoui where we see examples of Andalusian-style architecture. We then return to Hammamet. Dinner and overnight - Hammamet
Day 7: Hammamet – Tunis – Carthage – Sidi Bou Said – Hammamet
Breakfast. We head to Tunis to visit the Bardo museum, a roman palace dating back to the 13th century where the Roman mosaics will astonish, and the Tunis Medina where we try the local cuisine and practice our haggling skills. It’s worth noting that this area is a UNESCO protected site. We continue on to Carthage, once the third largest city in the Roman empire, and see the Antonine Baths which date from the 2nd century. We then head over to Sid Bou Said, which is often referred to as an ‘artists paradise’ for its picturesque landscape. We explore the pretty village with cobbled streets and visit the shops, cafes and local art galleries. At the end of the afternoon we head back to Hammamet. Dinner and overnight - Hammamet
Day 8: Tunis – London
The tour is officially ended after breakfast. You will be then be transferred to Tunis airport for your flight back to London