TUNISIA EXPLORER

Day 1
Fly to Tunis.

Day 2
We drive to the Andalucian city of Testour, founded by Andalucian Muslims evicted from Spain in the 1600’s. The square is very Spanish in style and the Great Mosque dominates the old town. We continue 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. We spend the night at the mountain town of Le Kef, which clings to the side of the cliff.

Day 3
In the morning we visit the Roman site at Makthar; framed by its mountaintop setting. This is followed by a visit to Kairouan. The whole city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Islam’s fourth most holy centre. The Great Mosque is one of the most important in Tunis. From here we continue to Sbeitla, where we spend the night.

Day 4
We visit the Roman site of Sufetula near to Sbeitla before continuing to Tozeur on the edge of the Sahara. Tozeur has earned a reputation for the lush beauty of its oasis in which 200,000 date palms thrive and is now a popular tourist town.

Day 5
We depart by 4x4 vehicle to the desert area of Ong Jmal (The Camel's Neck) to see the stunning scenery used in the film The English Patient before continuing to the sand dunes of Neflayet where scenes from Star Wars were shot. After visiting this stunning area we continue to the oasis of Nefta before returning to Tozeur. The afternoon is free.

Day 6
We drive across the 2,000 square miles of the Chott El Djerid (salt lake), which appears mirage-like against the sand. Continuing onto Douz, the gateway town to the Sahara we visit the town centre and Sahara Desert museum before meeting with the camel drivers for a trek into the Sahara. We will see the cooks and camel drivers cook the traditional food, and bake bread in the sand. We are then entertained after dinner by the camel drivers playing traditional music around the campfire. We have dinner and overnight in a Bedouin camp.

Day 7
Leaving our camels we continue our journey across the rocky desert to Matmata home to the troglodytes, people who live underground. Matmata has become famous in more recent years for featuring in the series of the Star Wars films. We visit what remains of the original film set and nearby troglodyte homes. We will then drive to Sousse and en-route we will stop to visit the immense El Jem Amphitheatre, considered by many to be finer than Rome’s Colosseum.

Day 8
This morning, after a short tour of Sousse old quarter, we drive to Tunis and explore its renowned Medina, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will then visit the Bardo museum, which is housed in a former royal palace. The building itself is beautiful and surrounded by gardens. The museum contains a huge collection of Roman mosaics, Greek bronze statuary and Islamic artefacts. After lunch we will move to the Phoenician trading port of Carthage, once the second most important city of the Roman Empire. A little further north of Carthage is the charming village of Sidi Bou Said, originated around the tomb of a 13th century holy man. We wander through quiet back streets past traditional white houses. From here we return to Tunis, where we spend the night.

Day 9
Fly to London.