Resorts & Hotels

9 days / 8 nights

Tunis • Gabes • Douz • Tozeur • Kairouan • Tunis                   Request a Quotation

Prices start from £2499.00 per person sharing on a half board basis.

This tour is ideal for an exploratory visit to Tunisia to see the main highlights of this ancient country andto get a feel of the pulse of the land. See ancient Medina, drive through vast groves of palm trees, crossthe shimmering Chott El Jerid salt lake and go off the beaten track to mountain oases and ancientRoman ruins. Finally return to the chic cosmopolitan Tunis and delightful Sidi Bou Said.

Itinerary

Day 1 To Tunisia

Depart London on direct Tunis Air or BritishAirways flight to Tunis Carthage InternationalAirport. Drive to Hammamet. Overnight at HotelLe Hammamet.

day 2 To Gabes via Hammamet, Sousse, Monastir and El Jem

After breakfast drive via Hammamet to Sousse for atour around the ancient Medina – see the Ribat – asmall fort built around the 8th C. AD. Continue toMonastir and visit its imposing fortified Ribat built asa defence against marauding seabourne invaders.Next drive to El Jem and visit this superblypreserved Roman amphitheatre. From the top ofthe steeply stepped terraces you can imagine thecries from the crowd cheering and shouting orlistening intently to a play. After lunch drive toGabes and stop off in the lively market. Overnightat Hotel L’Oasis. Later take a delightful horse andcarriage ride through the oasis at Gabes.

day 3 To Douz via Medenine, Tataouine and Matmata

Drive to Medenine to see the ‘Ghorfas’ – theremains of the Berbers great fortified Ksour. Visit thepicturesque hill village of Chenini where thewhitewashed Mosque stands framed by the ochrecolouredhouses. Continue to Tataouine for lunch,then depart for the Berber village of Ksar Haddadaarchitecturally inspired by its ancient Ghorfas. AtMatmata visit a Troglodyte home and see the settingof epic scenes from Star Wars! After checking in tothe Hotel Ksar Amasie (Troglydyte) for the night,optional romantic camel ride into the sunset!

day 4 To Tozeur

After breakfast drive across the vast shimmeringexpanse of the salt lake of Chott El Jerid. This is aunique experience – mirage dance on the horizonand in the dry season multi-coloured pools form bythe raised road side – perhaps turquoise on thisside and pink on that – the minerals leaching outfrom the ground change the colour of the water.Dominated by its Palmeraie its groves are nurturedby 200 springs that still irrigate the land from plansdrawn up in the 13th C. AD. Check in at HotelEldorador Ksar Rouge for two nights. After lunchtour the old town of Tozeur.

day 5 Oases excursion to Chebika,Tamerza and Mides

In the morning visit the upland oases of Chebika,Tamerza and Mides sites of Roman defensive forts.Remainder of day at leisure.

day 6 To Kairouan – excursion on the Red Lezard train then on to Sbeitla

Drive to Metlaoui for a delightful train ride on thefamed Red Lezard – presented to the reigning Beyin 1910 by the French Government. Pass throughmagnificent mountain and desert scenery. Afterlunch drive to Sbeitla to see the impressive Romanruins, particularly the Arch of Diocletian and theForum. Continue on to Kairouan to stay two nightsat the Hotel La Kasbah.

day 7 Kairouan

Day at leisure to relax in this fasinating city.

day 8 To Tunis via Dougga

Early morning visit to the main sites of interest inthis most Holy of Islamic centres. View the SidiOqba Mosque, the Medina and Aghalabite Basins –9th C. water cisterns fed by an aqueduct some36 km long. Then leave for Dougga. After lunch visitthe World Heritage site at Dougga – perched likean eagle’s eyrie on a plateau overlooking thecountryside it is one of the best preserved sites inTunisia. The original 2nd C. BC Numidian settlementeventually became a Roman ‘Municipium’.Walk theancient stone paved street and glimpse theintricacies of the bath system – thought uniquely tobe ‘unisex! Drive onto Tunis and stay for two nightsat the Hotel Abou Nawas El Mechtel.

DAY 9 Tour of Tunis and excursion to Carthage and Sidi Bou Said

After breakfast tour the fascinating Bardo Museumwith its exceptional archaeological collectionincluding some remarkable mosaics. Visit the oldMedina with its maze of narrow alleyways and atreasure trove of colourful shops. Later drive toCarthage to taste the past grandeur of thePhoenician, Carthaginian and Roman remains. Finallyin the delightful Blue White village of Sidi Bou Saidwalk up the winding street, flanked by numerousshops selling local souvenirs, to see the fantasticview across the bay from the top.

DAY 10 To London

Transfer to Tunis Carthage International Airport ondirect Tunis Air or British Airways flight to London.Or extend your stay with a few days onthe golden shores of the Mediterranean Seaeither at the beginning or the end of your tour.Choose from Djerba, Monastir, Skanes, Mahdia,Sousse, Port El Kantaoui, Hammamet/Yasmine.

Or extend your stay with a few days on the golden shores of the Mediterranean Sea either at the beginning or the end of your tour. Choose from Djerba, Monastir, Skanes, Mahdia, Sousse, Port El Kantaoui, Hammamet/Yasmine. Please contact our reservations department for details.