It may be but a slim wedge of North Africa’s vast horizontal expanse, but Tunisia has enough history and diverse natural beauty to pack a country many times its size. With a balmy, sand-fringed Mediterranean coast, scented with jasmine and sea breezes, and where the fish on your plate is always fresh, Tunisia is prime territory for a straightforward sun-sand-and-sea holiday. But beyond the beaches, it’s a thrilling, underrated destination where distinct cultures and incredible extremes of landscape – forested coastlines, Saharan sand seas in the south – can be explored in just a few days.
After a long drive, we have arrived in Subaytilah. Police did not allow us to park next to the archaeological site of Sbeitla, so we moved 2 kilometers away to hotel parking (parking fee 35 TND, buffet dinner 35 TND, Celtia beer 4,5 TND). In the morning we made a short excursion of the...
We were waiting at the checkpoint (around 40 km from the mountain) for the national guard patrol. They arrived after 30 minutes and lead us to town Kalaat es Senam. Then we climbed the curvy narrow road to the parking place below the mountain (bakshis to shepherd – 1 TND). This...
We have arrived late at the southwestern edge of the Dougga archeological site. After a short talk with the guard, we were allowed to park here (bakshis 2 TND). Anyway, after an hour the national guard showed up and parked the patrol car (with two soldiers) just in front of our truck for...
We took the old narrow road through the hills to an elevation of 780 meters to Le Kef. We have parked in front of the former Presidential palace and from there we have explored the fortress with nice panoramic views and below medina with tiny cobblestones streets. The town was established...
We have visited extraordinary underground villas in the Roman City of Bulla Regia (entrance 8 TND). There was an older lady, a local English guide (15 TND / hour), available, so we got the opportunity to get some explanation about the site (better than a book). The town was built in the...
It took us one hour to climb 30 kilometers steep curvy road to Tunisia’s hill station Ain Draham. We arrived late, so we decided to park just on the road next to the gym. The owner and staff were very friendly and allowed us to use their toilets at the night and their guard took care of...
We made a short visit to Tabarka, a quiet coastal town with a tough old Genoese fort from the 16th century. This fort is Tabarka’s most instantly recognized landmark sitting on a wooded hill and watching over a long curve of white sand. We took a short walk around souvenirs stalls...
We drove to the mouth of the small river Zeyatine through a tiny road lined with marshes and eucalyptus trees. At the end of the road is Le Pirate Restaurant (if you need some help, ask for Samir) located just a few steps from the pretty wild beach. The long sandy beach is dazzling...
We planned to make overnight at a beautiful beach Sidi Ali El Mekki, but unfortunately, we got stuck in the middle of a medieval tunnel in a village just a few kilometers before it (roof frame damaged on the left side). So, we slept in some village on the way to Bizerte (highway fee 1...
We hit the road in the early afternoon and as usual, we refilled our diesel at Shell (V-Power sans soufre – 2 TND), some people told us better not to use the other cheaper ones (Gasoil or Gasoil sans soufre). Before the evening we have stopped for an overnight at Total gasoline station on...