Archive for Tunisia

Luxury Tour of Arabia and the Mediterranean

For the Most Exalted Standards
for your Honeymoon Wishes Tour

Ultra Deluxe Private Tour of Dubai
Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey

Dubai the true land of Arabia and 1001 Arabian Nights

Dubai the true land of Arabia and 1001 Arabian Nights

Luxury Mediterranean Private Tour. Private air-Conditioned Vehicle. Private Chauffeur and and Private Guide (private Egyptologist in Egypt). A Grand 34-Day Tour – starts Daily Year Round – You choose your own dates. We have even included all the tips – No Hidden Charges – No Additional Tax.

Come with us to Dubai and Abu Dhabi for a taste of Arabia with a cosmopolitan lifestyle. In Dubai you’ll find year round sunshine, and un-crowded, clean sandy beaches. In this crime-free society you’ll find that a very warm, welcoming team and society awaits you in Dubai. While shopping may not be high on your list, Dubai’s tax free markets means bargains galore. Attractive traditional Middle Eastern gifts such as coffee pots, rugs, silverware, jewelry, brass, and one of the world’s greatest gold trading centers offering unbeatable value. Hong Kong is no longer able to compete with Dubai with the wide selection of low-priced international brand name products such as audio equipment, VCRs, cameras, watches, fashions, perfumes and more. And do not forget about the award-winning Dubai Duty Free at the airport. Then we’ll take you through North Africa and the Land of the Sultans: Turkey /Anatolia, The Ancient Nile Kingdoms of the mighty Pharaohs, Cairo, Giza, enjoy a 5 day Nile Cruise, then it’s off to Carthage, capital of the legendary Hannibal, but there’s much more to this tour. You’ll also continue west on across North Africa to Morocco. Marrakech, Fez & Casablanca. Visit ancient cities, desert oases, curious troglodyte dwellings, Islamic splendors, and Roman ruins in Africa!

Tour

DAY 01 – DUBAI – Daily Arrival – Choose your own date. Private Touring – Private Transfers at ALL TIMES.
Please note that Friday is the weekend. We may switch tours around based on your arrival date to accommodate local holidays and weekend.

Arrive at Dubai International Airport at the United Arab Emirate on the Arabian Gulf. Complimentary visa will be issued upon arrival for the following nationalities; UK, EU, Switzerland, Sweden, USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. You are responsible for having a valid passport. Upon arrival  our local representative will meet you and escort you to your hotel: Borj Al-Arab Hotel (double suite) or similar.

DAY 2 – DUBAI – (BLD) – Private Touring

Dubai City Tour and the Gold souks:
Sample the historic sites and vibrant cosmopolitan life of Dubai on this comprehensive tour. The Tour begins in Jumeira, the picturesque palace and residential area of Dubai, also home to the famous Jumeira Mosque. The next stop is Sheikh Saeed House (former residence of ruling family). The Tour then continues to Al Bastakiya, the old part of Dubai, to reach the museum located in Al Fahidi Fort. All guests board the Abra (water taxi) to cross the Creek to the spice souk . Before savoring the sights and sounds of the fish, fruit and vegetable market. Lunch is included in a charming local restaurant.
In the afternoon we focus on the shopping and treasure hunt. We will take you to where the locals go shopping as well as Dubai’s famous Gold souk. We will have a brief stop at Ski Dubai (guests who wish to ski will purchase tickets on own locally).

Evening Dhow Cruise Dinner:
For a fabulous relaxing evening, join our fully fitted Arabian dhow for an evening’s cruise on the Creek. Enjoy a sumptuous feast of Arabic and Western cuisine while gently gliding past illuminated souks, banks and palaces.

Al Khayal Restaurant at the Jumeirah Beach hotel

You’ll have lots of choices for your dining while in Dubai such as the Al Khayal,
a fine dining Lebanese Cuisine Restaurant at the Jumeirah Beach hotel
that includes belly dancing and a live band.

DAY 3 – Desert Safari with dinner in the Arabian Desert – DUBAI – (BD)
Morning at leisure or enjoy some beach activities.

Half Day Desert Safari (4 Wheel Drive):
This Desert Safari tour departs in the afternoon across the desert of Dubai with several photo-op stops during an exciting 4×4 dune drive to the first destination – a camel farm. The drive continues across the desert. Keep in mind that before we head into the dunes area your driver will deflate the wheels of the 4×4 to allow for a smoother ride across the Sahara.
Dune bashing has become known as a fun experience – you will feel the thrill of desert driving as your professional driver takes you up and down on golden dunes.

We will stop to watch the beautiful sunset before reaching our campsite where you have the opportunity to ride a camel. After working up an appetite, enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner and a shisha (the most famous Arabic Water pipe). We conclude the evening with a true 1001 Arabian Nights tradition with a belly dancer performing her dance around the campfire before we head back to your hotel in Dubai.

DAY 4 – DUBAI – East Coast Tour (BL)
After breakfast  we head for Dhaid and then on to the Hajar mountains that offer a beautiful natural backdrop for Dubai. A stop at a local market where the local shop for locally made pottery, fruits and carpets. We will stop as well in Dibba and a brief stop at the colorful local fish market, always with the fresh catch from the Arabian Gulf. We drive along the coast passing by enchanting small villages and fishermen wharfs. We arrive at Al Badiyah mosque, one of the earliest mosques built in the UAE, continue on to Khor Fakkan, a regional popular spot for diving and snorkeling, where there will be an opportunity to relax at the beach and have a refreshing swim. We will also visit the Khor Fakkah souk. Continue to Fujairah where we stop at the renovated Fort. Before returning to Dubai, stop at the oasis of Bitnah with time to wander in the “Friday Market” in Masafi. Lunch is included enroute in a charming local restaurant.

DAY 5 – Dubai – Istanbul (B)
After breakfast our local rep. will assist with your private transfer to the Dubai International Airport. Business class air fare (taxes included) from Dubai to Istanbul is included in our rate. Land in Istanbul where our local rep. meets your flight, and escorts you to your hotel: Istanbul Four Seasons Hotel or Ciragan Palace Istanbul Kempinski Hotel.

Our representative, who sees you to your hotel, will answer any questions you may have about getting to know the city. As you ride into the great metropolis from the airport, two thousand years of history are revealed: towering Roman walls, ancient Byzantine churches, slender minarets framing the bulbous domes of graceful mosques. These ancient monuments float on the skyline of a bustling modern metropolis of ten million people. Welcome fruit basket in your room awaits you with our compliments.

Aaaaaaaah Istanbul  – The true city of the Mighty Sultans:
While this tour starts daily, please keep in mind that we reserve the right to substitute some sites in Istanbul based on the following: Topkapi Palace is closed on Tuesday; Ayasofia is closed on Monday; Kariye Museum is closed on Wednesdays; and the Grand Bazaar is closed on Sundays.

DAY 6 – Istanbul – The City of the Sultans (BL)
Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide. The center of ancient Constantinople and Istanbul was on Seraglio Point, framed by the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. We visit the Blue Mosque which was built by Sultan Ahmet III to challenge the architectural primacy of neighboring Sancta Sophia. We then walk next door to compare achievements in Justinian’s great Sancta Sophia. Right behind Sancta Sophia is our next stop, sumptuous Topkapi Palace, the sultans seraglio for centuries, filled with breathtaking exhibits of priceless jewels, golden thrones, delicate colored tiles, and lavish court costumes. After lunch in a local restaurant, we finish up in the bustling Grand Bazaar where you can find jewelry, carpets, goat-hair rugs, hand-painted ceramics, copper and brass in labyrinthine streets holding nearly 4000 shops.

Day 7 – Istanbul – Kusadasi (BL)
Transfers are always on a private basis. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur. Fly to Izmir (economy class airfare is always included – tax included). After landing in Izmir your first stop on this fascinating tour is at the House of the Virgin Mary. Then you will continue on to visit ancient Ephesus, one of the most magnificent and best-preserved ancient sites in the world.

See the Terrace Houses, the Odeon, the Market Basilica, Curetes Street, Bath, Celsus Library, Marble Street and the Great Theatre with a seating capacity of 25,000 people. The Terrace Houses, the newly excavated site in Ephesus, is where you will find the ancient homes of the richest Ephesians.

After lunch we visit the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk and see the Temple of Artemis, one of the wonders of the ancient world. View Basilica of St John and Isabey Mosque. En-route to Kusadasi enjoy the scenery and the local arts, enjoy possible shopping opportunity if you wish, then on to Sirince Village. This old Orthodox Village, 30 kilometers from Kusadasi, was once “Cirkince”(ugly). Indeed its inhabitants gave this name on the purpose as they did not want to be bothered by foreigners nor to share the beauty of their village. Still after years, visitors understood that the village was not ugly and called it “Sirince” (pretty). Today the village is a perfect synthesis of Turkish-Greek culture as of the 1920’s; after the Turkish Independence War, people exchange between Greek and Turks has occurred and all the typical Greek houses, though they kept their original outside characteristics, have the local layout inside. At Sirince Village you will have chance of seeing the local life at a village and purchasing some small local souvenirs and handicrafts. The village is also famous for its local grape and other fruit wines. During the lunch, mingle with the local people of the village as you will be a guest in their village for a simple cup of traditional Turkish coffee at the main coffee house of the village. Depending on the number of guests, a gypsy woman may read your fortune after you finish your coffee .

DAY 8 – APHRODISIAS – PAMUKKALE (BD)
Driving east along fertile river valleys crowded with fields and fruit orchards, we reach Aphrodisias, the City of Aphrodite, goddess of love. After our visit, we continue to Pamukkale, the “Cotton Fortress,” where cascades of gleaming white calcium cover a hillside. The warm mineral-laden waters attracted the Romans, who built the spa-city of Hierapolis here. We tour its ruins, and enjoy the swimming pool at our hotel here in the evening. Dinner is included at the hotel: Colossea Hotel or similar (local 5-star).

DAY 9 – KONYA (BD)
After breakfast we start our drive towards the mystical Konya, the capital of the 11th-century Seljuk Turkish Empire and the home of the mystical whirling dervishes. We visit the Mevlana Museum, with the tomb of Jelaleddin Rumi, founder of the Whirling Dervish order, and also the Karatay Museum, a 13th-century theological seminary. Dinner is included at the hotel: Dedeman or Hilton Konya Hotel.

DAY 10 – KONYA – CAPPADOCIA (BD)
We travel eastwards along the ancient Silk Road, stopping at the camel caravanserai of Sultanhan for a look at this “caravan motel.” Entering biblical Cappadocia, we descend into the ground at Derinkuyu or Kaymakli to explore an entire city carved from the soft volcanic rock by ancient Christians. Dinner is included at the hotel: Cave Suites Hotel. If your prefer a non-cave hotel, then we will use Dedeman or one of the top boutique hotels.

DAY 11 – CAPPADOCIA (BD)
We explore the “moonscape” of Cappadocia, visiting the painted churches in the Göreme and Zelve Valleys, the rock hewn dwellings in Ortahisar, the pottery-making center of Avanos, and the incredible underground city of Kaymakl (or Derinkuyu) to explore an entire city carved from the soft volcanic rock by ancient Christians.

DAY 12 – ISTANBUL (B)
Always private car / driver for all your transfers in Turkey. After breakfast you will fly back to Istanbul and your hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure to explore Istanbul as you wish. For deluxe hotels: Ceylan Intercontinental Istanbul, Hyatt Istanbul, Hilton Istanbul, Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul or similar.

DAY 13 – Istanbul – CAIRO – Cairo Airport VIP Hall (B)
Our local representative will escort you to the airport for your flight to Cairo. Business class air fare (tax included) is included for the flight from Istanbul to Cairo.

Our representative will greet you at the airport VIP Arrival Hall at the Cairo Airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as  American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports, then you claim your luggage. After you clear the passport and customs formalities and exit the terminal, our local representative will escort you by private vehicle to the hotel.

Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room with our compliments. Four Seasons Nile Plaza, or Four Seasons First Residence or similar.

DAY 14 – CAIRO – Monday (BL)
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Citadel of Saladin, and the Mohammed Ali Mosque, made of alabaster. Lunch is included at the Mena House.

View from the sundeck of the Nile Goddess

DAY 15 – ASWAN, Camel Caravan! Board your Nile Cruise – Private car and Egyptologist for all your cruise shore excursions (BLD)
We fly to Aswan and board our Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin. In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile. Only for those who are interested: a short camel caravan and ride for almost half an hour to visit a local Nubian Village.

DAY 16 – ASWAN & KOM OMBO – On Board Your Nile Cruise (BLD)
First we tour new Nubian Museum then the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk. Then we go by motor launch to the island temples of Philae. Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we sail downstream to Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples.

DAY 17 – EDFU – ESNA – On Board Your Nile Cruise (BLD)
We moor in Edfu, climb aboard horse-drawn carriages, and clip-clop through the town to the Temple of Horus, Egypt’s best-preserved temple. Re-embarking, we cruise to Esna and its great temple dedicated to Khnum, the creator-god. Afternoon tea is served on deck. Evening finds us in Luxor.

DAY 18 – LUXOR – On Board Your Nile Cruise – The Workers Village, the first known workers strike in history (BLD)
We tour the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon before we continue on Luxor’s west bank to get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers’ settlement of Deir el-Medinah.

While most of the imposing stone monuments and sites of Egypt honor the lives and after-lives of royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and surprising insights into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated the tombs.

Here we’ll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic animals. These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized rooms, courtyard, kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient Egypt might not have been a workers’ paradise, we’ll see that artisans and builders were highly regarded in their community. We are proud to be the only operator to offer regular visits to this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise programs.

Back to your cruise in time for lunch. Afternoon tea is served on deck. The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the afternoon.

DAY 19 – LUXOR – Fly Back to CAIRO (B)
Breakfast, check-out from your Nile Cruise and your return flight to Cairo in business class. All domestic flights are included in our rate. In the afternoon, wander through the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping.

DAY 20 – On Desert Safari for the Day – Fayoum Oases – And you thought the Pyramids were old (BL)
We leave Cairo by sunrise (private air conditioned car/driver/guide). Full day Fayoum Oases including:
Hawara Pyramid, El Lahoun Pyramid, Ruins of Karanis, drive by Lake Qarun, lunch is included at a local restaurant.

The wilds of the desert begin right on the outskirts of Cairo, and continue for hundreds of miles to the east and west, through sands, rock, mountains, oases, and a surprising variety of scenery and inhabitants.

Join us for a day ranging across the desert like modern nomads. In place of camels, we’ll travel in comfortable, reliable four-by-four Toyota Land Cruisers. Your guide and drivers will meet you at your hotel, and soon you’ll leave bustling Cairo behind as you undertake the drive toward the Oasis of El Fayoum, 150 kilometers to the southwest. Hard as it is to believe, a great inland sea once covered these sands. It was a holy reserve of sacred crocodiles, symbolized by the god Sobek.

We’ll visit the temple of Kom Oshim, drive over ancient lake beds, and alongside the waters of today’s Fayoum Lake to reach the fishermen’s village of Chak Chouk. There we’ll stop for a lunch of fish caught fresh that morning. There will be time to wander the village lanes and discreetly watch the everyday activities of baking flatbread, irrigating crops from the lake’s waters, and bringing in the catch. We’ll also include the craft and pottery museum where the best works of local artisans are on display.

Then it’s into our four-by-fours again, for an off-road adventure! We’ll head alongside and across desert washes, between dunes, and over ancient lake beds for 35 kilometers to the Valley of the Whales (In Arabic: Wadi-El-Hitan). Incredibly, these great mammals once thrived – almost forty million years ago – in waters surrounded by sands. We’ll stop and gaze in amazement at their fossilized remains alongside smaller sea creatures that remain in stone. This valley was discovered in 1936, by the German geologist George Schweinfurth in the northwestern corner of Wadi El-Rayan.

The valley provides evidence of one of the major changes in this mammal evolution has been declared by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. It is believed that these land based whales once had feet that may have helped them somewhat while ashore. A team from the University of Michigan discovered in the late 80’s that these Zeuglodon whales did have rudimentary feet. This was a startling discovery, suggesting that whales of Wadi – El-Hi tan had recently started living in water as well. These whales were not related to any of the whales we have today, rather a more slender body and may grow up to 75 feet long. Several skeletons of whales are exposed in the sand. George Schweinfurth named this extinct species the Zeuglodon Isis Whales.

In the evening you’ll return to your hotel in Cairo. Land transportation in air-conditioned four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruiser with the services of driver and English-speaking driver. Lunch is included.

DAY 21 – TUNIS (B)
Board your flight heading west for Tunis. All transfers are always on a private basis. Air fare is included Cairo to Tunis, with tax. Our local staff will meet you upon arrival at Tunis Carthage International Airport. You’ll be assisted with the formalities, and escorted to one of the the fine hotels. There will be time to relax and recuperate from your journey, and enjoy the excellent facilities. If you wish, you can adventure into the center of Tunis to start your exploration of the winding alleys of the souk, filled with treasures of beaten brass and basketry and carpets, and merchants who will welcome you with traditional mint tea.

DAY 22 – HAMMAMET, SOUSSE, MONASTIR, EL DJEM, SFAX – (BLD)
After a leisurely breakfast, we’ll set off to explore! Our first stop is Hammamet, a cosmopolitan port where sun-worshippers from all over happily coexist with fishermen and traditional ways. We’ll stop at the port of El Kantaoui, and then proceed back into time to venerable Sousse, once the Phoenician City called Hadrumatum. We’ll stroll through the medina, the old quarter, cooled by sea breezes, and visit the museum as well as the Ribat, a stronghold of the warriors of Islam. Then we’ll continue to Monastir, where we’ll stop for lunch, and visit its own notable ribat, as well as the Bourguiba Mosque, dedicated to the hero of Tunisia’s independence. Lunch will be served at a comfortable four-star hotel. In El Djem, we’ll marvel at an ancient amphitheater, before continuing to stop for the night in four-star lodgings in the bustling coastal city of Sfax.

DAY 23 – SFAX, DJERBA, GABES, MATMATA (BLD)
Our busy day starts with a drive to the coastal city of Gabes, a Roman outpost of old and a traditional market center where, for centuries, goods from across the sea and across the desert have changed hands. We’ll visit the oasis, where palm groves and gardens flourish. We’ll then cross to Djerba, an island where Ulysses once encountered the legendary Lotus-Eaters. You’ll have time to explore the old quarters, including the synagogue of Hara Sghira, Hara Kebira with its modern Jewish community, and Guellala, with its craft stalls, and to see the waterfront and fishing fleet, and the lively town of Houmt Souk. After a lunch stop (lunch is included), we’ll cross back to the mainland. Our route takes us through terrain of increasingly sparse grasses and shrubs, into the desert to Matmata.

We’ll stop to look in on a community of miniature underground houses, where the earliest settlers sheltered from the extremes of the desert above — as do the Berbers of today. We’ll settle in to comfortable lodgings and dinner at a four-star hotel.

DAY 24 – MATMATA, KEBILI, DOUZ, TOZEUR (BLD)
Today we’ll enjoy a full day of desert adventure. First we’ll visit the village of Kebili, largest of a cluster of oases, islands of life in a harsh landscape, then proceed to Douz, fabled as the Gateway to the Sahara. There a special treats awaits, the opportunity to sample a caravan trek! This close encounter with a camel is entirely at your option! Afterwards, we set off across the Chott El Djerid, a great dry salt lake, for Tozeur. Here, we’ll wonder at the ancient irrigation works, and visit the zoo. Our lodgings for the next two nights will be at the comfortable, four-star Hotel Ramla.

DAY 25 – TOZEUR, NEFTA (BLD)
We’ll learn more about oases this morning. Despite the dryness of its surface, great aquifers underlie the Sahara. Where they spill their riches out in springs, they create the green havens of Tunisia’s oases. We’ll see a dramatic example, as we explore the irrigated fields around Tozeur and motor overland to the great palm groves at Nefta. Nefta is also an important religious center, with notable mosques, and a town of craftsmen, especially basket weavers. We’ll return to Tozeur for lunch at our hotel, after which you’re free until dinner. You can choose to enjoy the unique desert resort comforts at your hotel. Or, you might decide to wander the streets of Tozeur, look in on daily life, admire the classic North African houses built around patios on terraces above a river fed by springs, and shop for baskets and capes of camel hair.

DAY 26 – TOZEUR, GAFSA, SBEITLA, KAIROUAN, TUNIS (BLD)
We’ll delve more into Tunisia’s rich and varied past today, as we motor overland through pleasant, rolling coastal lands. At Gafsa, we’ll see the Roman pools of Capsa, the ancient crossroads between desert oases and the cultivated coastal lands. We’ll wonder at the Roman ruins of Suffetula, as well as the great mosque. Later in the day we’ll reach Kairouan, an ancient, holy, and vibrant city noted for its historic mosques and centers of learning. We’ll lunch at the five-star Hotel La Kasbah. Kairouan also is noted for its souk, and the crafting of carpets and leather goods. Of course, there will be time to check out these wares before we depart to Tunis, where a night’s rest and dinner await us once again at the Hotel El Hana.

DAY 27 – TUNIS, CARTHAGE, SIDI BOU SAID (BLD)
On our last full day we’ll marvel at the ruins of Carthage, a true metropolis of the ancient world, as evidenced by its theater, circus, baths, port installations, and extensive urban plan. We’ll lunch at a fine local restaurant, then speed forward in time to the middle ages, as we visit the picture-perfect Moorish village of Sidi Bou Said. With its whitewashed walls and narrow laneways, it’s the perfect setting as we stop for traditional mint tea. Back in Tunis we’ll stop at the Bardo Museum, to view the most extensive Roman mosaics in the world. We’ll then head for the Medina, the old quarter of the city, with its warrens of shops filled with wares ranging from humdrum to exotic. After a break to freshen up, we’ll meet up at our hotel for our farewell dinner.

DAY 28 – Fly Tunisia – Morocco (B)
After breakfast our local personnel will escort you to the international airport, where you’ll board your flight to Marrakech (via Casablanca). Business class air fare (tax included) between Tunisia and Morocco is included. Upon arrival our local rep. escorts you to your hotel. Mint Tea, welcome local pastries and fruit awaits you at your hotel room.

DAY 29 – MARRAKECH (BLD)
Full day tour: There is much to see in this great city which Winston Churchill called “the most beautiful place in the world at sunset.” Your private guide will meet you after breakfast and explore Marrakech with you! The top sights today include: the stately Koutoubia Minaret, the hidden tombs of the Saadian dynasty, the Menara pavilion and gardens, the ruins of sprawling Badi Palace, the Bahia Palace Museum, the Ben Yousef medersa, and the Koubba (chapel) of el-Ba’adiyn. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. After a break at the hotel for siesta, your guide will call on you for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout the palm trees grove on the edge of the Sahara. Dinner is included at a Moroccan restaurant with local music and/or local folk show.

DAY 30 – MARRAKECH – Home Hosted Dinner (BD)
Why not devote today to Marrakech’s fabulous medieval souk (bazaar)? Penetrating the labyrinthine souk, you’ll see some of the age-old guilds at work, including the dyers and tanners. Save an hour–and bring your camera–for famous Djemaa el-Fna square with its fun circus atmosphere of itinerant dancers, jugglers, acrobats, storytellers, soothsayers, snake charmers, medicine men and public scribes. Find a cozy bistro for lunch.

A complimentary Dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals. You may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family (T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town). This evening we’ll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread… right into the homes of some of the people of Marrakech! You’ll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you’ll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they’re sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you’ll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, if you prefer, you may enjoy dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 31 – MARRAKECH TO CASABLANCA BY TRAIN (B)
Today you board the Marrakech Express bound for Casablanca! (train ticket/first class is included, issued & delivered in Morocco). Our local rep. will escort you on board the train up to Casablanca. Roll across the beautiful Moroccan countryside, admiring the towering Atlas Mountains in the distance, and the timeless scenes of North African village and town life right beside the rails. When you arrive in Casablanca, our local guide meets your train and embank on a panoramic tour of the city including the great mosque of Hassan II before escorting you to your hotel: Royal Mansour or similar. Once you’re settled in, take out your guidebook and explore Morocco’s commercial capital.

DAY 32 – CASABLANCA TO FEZ (B)
After breakfast board your first-class train to Fez (train ticket included), another of Morocco’s four royal cities. When you arrive in Fez, our staff will escort you to your hotel, and the city is yours to explore, guidebook in hand. The Lonely Planet guide includes all the important things to see, and recommendations for restaurants in all price ranges, so you’ll never be at a loss for advice.
Explore Tunisia

DAY 33 – FEZ (B)
Oldest of Morocco’s four Imperial Cities, Fez is endlessly fascinating, and today we have included in our rate a full day covering the top sights include the medina (old city), the 15-century Borj Nord Arms Museum, the gateway of the royal palace, the fortifications of the Kasbah, the 9th-century Karaouine Mosque and University, the medersas (theological seminaries) of Bou Inania and Attarine, the shrine of the city’s founder Moulay Idris II, the Nejjarine Fountain, the monumental gateway of Bab Boujelloud, the old harem gardens, Dar Batha Museum, and the artisans’ guilds in the souks.

DAY 34 – DEPARTURE From Fez or Casablanca (B)
Our local rep. escorts you to the airport for your flight back homeward. Please advise us in advance if you are flying out of Fez or Casablanca. Bon Voyage!

Rates per person in US $
Deluxe*
In Triple occupancy
US$ 21,910.
In Double occupancy
US$ 22,275.
In Single occupancy
US$ 26,480.

Deluxe hotel category applies to hotels in Egypt, Morocco, Turkey. But for Tunisia, with the exception of the city of Tunis, Hammamat, etc., we will have to use 4-star and 3-star accommodations in the smaller towns/cities in the south and inland.

Inclusions:

  • Round-trip transportation between airport and hotels, always on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  • Air fare Dubai / Istanbul / Cairo in business class tax included.
  • Air fare Cairo/ Tunis/Marrakech. In business class Tax included.
  • Hotel Accommodations as mentioned in itinerary, in comfortable Five or four-star (first-class) hotels
  • Five days deluxe Nile Cruise including all shore excursions and all meals.
  • Meals as indicated from preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner).
  • Private Guided sightseeing as indicated in air-conditioned vehicle, including all admission fees.
  • One-way first-class train transportation Marrakech-Casablanca and Casablanca-Fez, or vice-versa.
  • Travel guidebook for Turkey Tunis, Morocco, Egypt (for guests residing in the USA).
  • A complimentary home hosted family dinner in Marrakech
  • Bottled water (one per person) delivered to your cabin daily while you are on board the Nile cruise.
  • Tea or coffee / bottled water with each meal while on board the Nile cruise.
  • Gratuities for all local personnel: tips to the guides, drivers, porters and crew on board your cruise.
  • VIP Arrival Hall At Cairo Airport
    Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as  American, Australian, NZ , EU, Canadian , EU Singaporean and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports, then you claim your luggage. After you clear the passport and customs formalities and exit the terminal, our local representative will escort you by private vehicle to the hotel.

Not Included:

  • International air transportation from/to your home country
  • Optional excursions
  • Any meal not specifically mentioned beverages, and personal expenses.
  • Travel insurance.
  • Airport taxes.
  • Visa fee for Turkey, paid in cash upon arrival (for USA, Canadian, EU, Japanese, Australian citizens), or secure from the Turkish Consulate before your departure.

Discover Tunisia In Two Weeks
Dougga Bulla Regia and El Kef Version

Your private Roman Pool in Tunisia

Your private Roman Pool in Tunisia

This is a Private Tour and includes a Camel Caravan. Choose your own date. Spend two weeks on a Northern Cities and Southern Oases Tour of Tunisia — from North to South with Dromedary Mehari in the Sahara. Combine with  Morocco.

Tour

Day 1: AIRPORT TUNIS CARTHAGE / HOTEL TUNIS: 10 KM
Arrival at Tunis Carthage airport, assistance and transfer to the hotel in Tunis, all transfers are on a private basis.

Day 2: Tunis/Carthage /Sidi Bou Said: 175 KM
After breakfast, departure to Carthage: set up in 814 B.C. and Rome’s biggest rival where we can find one of the best historic sites in the western Mediterranean. Visit of the roman ruins, the Thermal bath of Antonin, the Punic ports and the National museum.

Departure to Sidi Bou Said: a truly magnificent village to be found with its Moorish white houses sitting high on the hill in privileged harmony. Visit of the Marabou City then enjoy lunch at restaurant “La Victoire” or similar. Time permitting we may be able to enjoy “ice cream” and tea (included in “Café Sidi Chabaane” or “Café des Nattes” that have a very nice Sea view).

After lunch (included) departure to the Bardo museum: the most important archaeological museum of the Maghrebian countries and the richest concerning the Roman mosaics in the world. Departure to Tunis, visit of the Medina and free time in the souks for shopping. Continuation to Kairouan, and your hotel, dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Tunis –Bulla Regia-Dougga
After breakfast, departure and on to BULLA REGIA. Arrival and visit the Roman site. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant.  Continue on to DOUGGA. Visit this ancient site, then check-in at hotel: Thugga (best available and the only one on site), where dinner awaits you.

Day 4: DOUGGA –EL KEF –KAIROUAN
Breakfast is always included daily at your hotel.  Departure for EL KEF. Arrival and visit the MEDINA and the Museum. Lunch is included today at a local restaurant.  In the afternoon we continue on to KAIROUAN. Visit the Medina. Check in, dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Day 5: KAIROUAN/SBEITLA/TOZEUR: 325 KM
After breakfast, visit of the holy Islamic city founded in 671 by Okba Ibn Nafaa. Visit of the huge Mosque Okba Ibn Nafaa, the Aglabiden pool and the Saint Abou Zemaa El Balaoui. Free time for shopping in the Medina. Departure to Sbeitla, visit of the archeological site. Continuation to Tozeur via Gafsa: one of the famous oases in the world which is surrounded by 200 springs. It is sheltered by a palm grove of more than 1000 HA – about 400.000 palm trees. Dinner is included at your hotel.

Day 6: Tozeur /Lezard Rouge/Chebika /Tamerza /Mides: 200 KM
After breakfast, departure to Metlaoui for a complimentary ride on the restored “1930’s” style train “Lezard Rouge”, please note that The Red Lizard excursion is not a daily service: available only on Tuesday at 10h00, Friday at 10h30 and Sunday at 10h30 – this time table is subject to change without notice. Visit the Selja Gorges and the magnificent canyons.

In the afternoon, departure in 4X4 vehicle to the mountain oasis, visit of Chebika: the old village and the palm grove. Visit of Tamerza: the palm grove and the water-fall, stop in the old village, then continuation to Midis, visit of the canyons. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: TOZEUR/KEBILI/DOUZ: 125 KM
After breakfast, departure to Kébili via Chott El Jerid, the salt lake; stop at the water spring and visit of the oases in Kebili. Continuations to Douz; the gateway to the desert, offers an authentic and genuine picture of desert traditions, folk art and customs. The village itself, surrounded by sand dunes, is the departure point for the Mehares and Saharian safaris. A unique Caravan adventure awaits you tomorrow. Check-in at the hotel with lunch included. The afternoon is yours at leisure, dinner and overnight stay.

Day 8: Dromedary Mehari in the Desert – Camel Safaris – & Bedouin Camp
After breakfast, contacts with camels and initiation into camel riding. After basic instructions departure to discover the tranquility of the desert. Walk on the great sand dunes, Bedouin camp style lunch is included. Leisure walking and camel riding to Bir ben Grira, Elfhidia. Bivouac and Bedouin Tent where you will enjoy a BBQ dinner of Tunisian food by the campfire under the light of the stars.

Day 9: DOUZ/KSAR GHILANE: 155 KM
After breakfast, departure in 4X4 vehicle to Ksar Ghilane. the desert between the mountains from the East and West and in the South surrounded by the sand desert. It offers you its calm and its shadow same as its sources and irrigation channels: the freshness of a pause. Arrival in Ksar Ghilène, installation in the Campement Yadis Ksar Ghilane ( former Relais Pansea): 60 Saharian tents which are able to host between 1 to 3 persons, all equipped with a bathroom with a shower and a WC and a little salon with heater and air-condition.The pool and its solarium are open 24 hours, bathing towels are furnished. Visit the Roman forts and return to the Campement. Dinner and accommodation.

Day 10: KSAR GHILANE/TATAOUINE/MEDENINE/DJERBA: 200 KM
After breakfast, departure to visit Tataouine via Berber villages. Ksar Haddada, Ghomrassen, and Chenini. Continuation to Djerba island, via Mednine. In Djerba dinner awaits you.

Day 11: DJERBA
Full day at leisure in this Mediterranean Riviera with breakfast and dinner included at the hotel.

Day 12: DJERBA/GABES/SFAX: 235 KM
After breakfast, departure to Gabès: sea side oasis by the Golf of Syrta overlooking the sea, visit of the maritime oasis, free visit in the Jara souk, possibility of horse carriage ride (optional and on guest’s charge). Continuation to Sfax, the second capital of Tunisia, where dinner is included.

Day 13: SFAX/EL JEM/MONASTIR/HAMMAMET: 250 KM
After breakfast, departure to El Jem, visit of the 2nd Roman Amphitheater of the world with a capacity of 35.000 viewers. Continuation to Monastir, visit the Ribath and the Mausoleum Habib Bourguiba. Continuation to Hammamet, dinner, and overnight at the hotel.

Day 14: HAMMAMET- Full Day At Leisure
After breakfast, enjoy your day at leisure maybe at the beach or last minute hunt for one more treasure at the local baazar and souks.

Day 15: Departure (B)
After breakfast, assistance and transfer to the airport for trip back home. Bon Voyage!

Choice A: Four Stars Hotels – Rates per person in US$

 

Minimum 2 Guests
Minimum 4 Guests
Sharing in triple occupancy:
$ 3240.
$ 2450.
Sharing in double occupancy:
$ 3320.
$ 2515.
In single occupancy:
$ 4230.
$ 3527.

General Listing for Hotels in Tunisia
Category A: Sample 4-Star Hotels (or similar)

For Extra Night Please add $60. USD per person in double. This includes breakfast and tax.

  • Tunis: Mercure El Mechtel, El Mouradi Gammarath, Tunisia Palace Hotel . Hotel Majestic (www.majestichotel.tn)
  • Dougga : Hotel Thugga
  • Djerba: Hotel Laico Djerba (www.laico.com)
  • Douz: Hotel Sahara Douz (www.saharadouz.com) and the Camepment Sahara Smile
  • Ksar Ghilane : Campement Yadis Ksar Ghilane
    (four stars) (www.yadis.com)
  • Kairouan: Hotel La Kasbah (www.goldenyasmin.com) Five Stars modest
  • Hammamet:El Mouraid El Menzah , Hotel LE Sultan (www.lesultan.com)
  • Sfax: Hotel Golden Tulip Sfax (www.goldentulip.com)
  • Tozeur : Hotel Ras EL Ain Tozeur (www.goldenyasmin.com

 

Category B: Modest Five-Star Hotels – Rates per person in US$

 

Minimum 2 Guests
Minimum 4 Guests
Sharing in triple occupancy:
$ 3990.
$ 3275.
Sharing in double occupancy:
$ 3845.
$ 3389.
In single occupancy:
$ 4967.
$ 4255.

General Listing for Tunisia
Sample 5 Star Hotels (or similar)

For Extra Night Please add $85. USD per person in double. This includes breakfast and tax.

  • Tunis: Hotel El Mouradi Africa (www.elmouraid.com) Golden Tulip Hotel Chartage . Barcelo Carthage Thalassa, El Mouradi Gammarth or similar
  • Dougga : Hotel Thugga
  • Djerba: Hotel Radisson SAS Djerba & Resort.
  • Douz: Hotel Sahara Douz ( four stars ) (www.saharadouz.com) and the Camepment Sahara Smile
  • Ksar Ghilane: Campement Yadis Ksar Ghilane
    (four stars) (www.yadis.com)
  • Kairouan: Hotel La Kasbah (www.goldenyasmin.com) Five Stars modest
  • Sfax: Hotel Les Oliviers Palace Sfax (www.goldenyasmin.com)
  • Tozeur: Palm Beach Hotel
  • Hammamet: El Hambra, Hotel Laico Yasmine .
    Hotel Alhambra Halasso
    (www.alhambra-thalasso.com)


Prices include:

  • Round-trip transportation between airport and hotels, always on a private basis.
  • Hotel Accommodations, with private facilities.
  • Meals as indicated from preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner).
  • Guided sightseeing as indicated including all admission fees.
  • Transport by air conditioned coaches, 4X4 vehicle and Camels.
  • Escort with professional guide speaking English and professional desert guide.
  • The Red Lizard excursions: this is not a daily service : available only on Tuesday at 10h00, Friday at 10h30 and Sunday at 10h30)

Not Included:

  • International air transportation. Optional excursions, such as camel ride.
  • Any meal not specifically mentioned beverages, and personal expenses.
  • Gratuities for local personnel.
  • Travel insurance
  • Airport taxes.

Add a Spa Treatment Package or Hamam
to your Honeymoon and Vacation in Tunisia

Add a Spa Treatment Package or Hamam to your Honeymoon and Vacation in Tunisia

Treasures of Tunisia
Honeymoon Vacation in Tunisia

Private Tour  — The Honeymoon Edition

A grand 10 day tour of Tunisia
Choose your own date,
or arrive weekly on Thursday in Tunis

Honeymoon in Tunisia

We’ll take you through Carthage, Dougga, Thuburbo Majus desert oases, curious troglodyte dwellings, a Roman amphitheater, and unspoiled beaches. You’ll appreciate the breathtaking beauty of a land that has drawn wanderers over the centuries. Compare with the 12-day version.

The Mediterranean resorts of Europe are wonderful, but they can be crowded and expensive. So where do discerning Europeans go to find the perfect laid-back, affordable Mediterranean vacation? Why, they go to Tunisia, of course!

The clear blue water, the shimmering sun, the white sand beaches are all the same in Tunisia, the southern shore of the Mediterranean, just across the sea from Sicily and Sardinia. The prices are lower, the pace is more relaxed, and the cuisine and service in this former French colony are French-inspired. (Everyone speaks French as well as Arabic, and many people in hotels, restaurants and other tourist spots speak some English, too.)

Tunisia’s history has always been linked to Europe’s. Hannibal of Carthage crossed from Tunisia to Europe with 30,000 men and a few dozen elephants and humbled the Roman legions. Rome ultimately triumphed, however, and Tunisia became the Roman province of Africa. Today the picturesque ruins of great Roman cities are spread throughout the Tunisian countryside.

Be sure to see Tunisia’s African side as well: its legacy of Umayyad, Abbasid and Ottoman culture and cuisine, the picture-perfect desert oases shaded by date palms, and the markets filled with handicrafts and exotic spices.

Tour

DAY 1: TUNIS – Choose your own arrival date / Daily arrival – Year round.
This is a private tour – Private vehicle, private chauffeur.

Our local staff will meet you upon arrival at Tunis Carthage International Airport. You’ll be assisted with the formalities, and escorted to the fine Hotel Africa El Mouradi (5-star) or similar. There will be time to relax and recuperate from your journey and enjoy the excellent facilities. If you wish, you can adventure into the center of Tunis to start your exploration of the winding alleys of the souk, filled with treasures of beaten brass and basketry and carpets, and merchants who will welcome you with traditional mint tea.

DAY 2: THUBURBO MAJUS – DOUGGA – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
After breakfast at the hotel, we start our full day to Thuburbo Majus. This town of Libyan and then Punic origin sided with Carthage and thus had to pay a tribute to Rome. Thuburbo Maius reached its apogee in the 2nd c with 10,000 inhabitants and and impressive array of of monuments: the forum, built in 161-2, the capitol (168) and a number of temples (Temple of peace, Temple of Mercury, Temple of B’a alat, Temple of Caelestis, Temple of Saturn) of which one later became a basilica. We’ll tour as well the market, Roman bath and the amphitheater.

We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before proceeding to Dougga: A Numidian city, mentioned in the 4th century B.C. by Diodorus the Sicilian as Tocai, tukka was from the 2nd to 1st century B.C. one of the residences of the Massyle Kings (MASSINISSA, MICIPSA,JUGURTHA). In Roman times the municipal land was split into two parts; the Numidian city, and a pagus (rural area) under the authority of Carthage, Whole again, thugga was a municipium in 205 and honorary colonia in 261. With some 5,000 residents, thugga had a municipal bourgeoisie which endowed her with a number of rich monuments. The monuments are incredibly well preserved, allowing us to imagine the infrastructure this small Proconsular town possessed: 12 temples, 3 of which were transformed into churches in the 4th Century, 3 Roman baths, numerous fountains, aqueducts and more. Thugga slowly lost its glory, though it still enjoyed brief periods of revival in the 3rd, the 4th and 6th centuries (Byzantine fortress). Though it was never deserted, archaeological research required the removal of its residents to a new Dougga lying below classical thugga. Return early evening to our hotel Hotel Africa El Mouradi (5-star) or similar in time for dinner.

DAY 3: CARTHAGE, SIDI BOU SAID (200 Kilometers) – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
We’ll marvel at the ruins of Carthage, a true metropolis of the ancient world, as evidenced by its theater, circus, baths, port installations, and extensive urban plan. We’ll lunch at a fine local restaurant, then speed forward in time to the middle ages as we visit the picture-perfect Moorish village of Sidi Bou Said. With its whitewashed walls and narrow laneways, it’s the perfect setting as we stop for traditional mint tea. Back in Tunis, we’ll stop at the Bardo Museum, to view the most extensive Roman mosaics in the world. We’ll then head for the Medina, the old quarter of the city, with its warrens of shops filled with wares ranging from humdrum to exotic. Hotel Africa El Mouradi (5-star) or similar.

DAY 4: HAMMAMET, SOUSSE, EL DJEM, SFAX – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
After breakfast we’ll set off to explore Hammamet, a cosmopolitan port where sun-worshippers from all over happily coexist with fishermen and traditional ways. We’ll stop at the port of El Kantaoui, and then proceed back into time to venerable Sousse, once the Phoenician City called Hadrumatum. We’ll stroll through the medina, the old quarter, cooled by sea breezes, and visit the museum as well as the Ribat, a stronghold of the warriors of Islam. Continuing to Sousse, once the Phoenician city of Hadrumatum, we walk through the medina (old city), cooled by breezes off the harbor, and visit the Roman catacombs. Our next stop is El Jem, which boasts a Roman coliseum very similar to the famous one in Rome. Our busy day continues with a drive to Sfax. Dinner and overnight at hotel: Les Oliviers Palace (5-star)  or similar.

DAY 5: SFAX – Djerba Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BD)
After breakfast we drive to the coastal city of Gabes, a Roman outpost of old and a traditional market center where, for centuries, goods from across the sea and across the desert have changed hands. We’ll visit the oasis, where palm groves and gardens flourish. We’ll then cross to Djerba, an island where Ulysses once encountered the legendary Lotus-Eaters. We will explore the old quarters, including the synagogue of Hara Sghira, Hara Kebira with its modern Jewish community, and Guellala, with its craft stalls, and to see the waterfront and fishing fleet, and the lively town of Houmt Souk. Dinner is included at your Hotel: Melia Djerba Menzel or similar.

DAY 6: Djerba (BD)
Breakfast and dinner at your hotel. Full day on your own. Enjoy your hotel facilities or water sports, or simply lounge on the beach and take in the beauty of this true Tunisian Mediterranean riviera.

Sample choices of beaches on Jerba / Djerba:

  • Djerba La Nomade – The beach at Club Med boasts a health centre which is a spa based on water therapy, amongst the many facilities of the resort and of course the great white sandy beach.
  • Djerba Palm Beach – In front of the Sofitel hotel about 5 kilometers from the capital is one of the finest beaches on the island for swimming and snorkeling.
  • Melia Djerba Menzel – Beautiful palm trees are abound on this beach , beautiful warm blue waters.

DAY 7: Djerba (BD)
Breakfast & dinner at your hotel. One more day in this Mediterranean paradise. Enjoy the island as you wish  or ask us for available optional tours.

DAY 8: MATMATA, KEBILI, DOUZ – ( 300 Kilometers) – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
After breakfast  we cross back to the main land. Our route takes us through terrain of increasingly sparse grasses and shrubs, into the desert to Matmata. We’ll stop to look in on a community of miniature underground houses, where the earliest settlers sheltered from the extremes of the desert above — as do the Berbers of today. We’ll enjoy a full day of desert adventure. We’ll visit the village of Kebili, largest of a cluster of oases, islands of life in a harsh landscape, then proceed to Douz, fabled as the Gateway to the Sahara. There, a special treats awaits, the opportunity to sample a caravan trek! This close encounter with a camel is entirely at your option! This is included in our rate on a complimentary basis.

DAY 9: GAFSA, SBEITLA, KAIROUAN, TUNIS – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
Departure directly to SBEITLA via CHOTT EL JERID & Metlaoui. We’ll delve more into Tunisia’s rich and varied past today, as we motor overland through pleasant, rolling coastal lands, the ancient crossroads between desert oases and the cultivated coastal lands. We’ll wonder at the Roman ruins of Suffetula, as well as the great mosque. We’ll lunch at the 3-star Hotel Sofeiula then drive to Kairouan Kairouan, an ancient, holy, and vibrant city noted for its historic mosques and centers of learning. Kairouan also is noted for its souk, and the crafting of carpets and leather goods. Visit a carpet shop & the aglibythes pools. Of course, there will be time to check out these wares. DINNER and OVERNIGHT IN KAIROUAN.

DAY 10: DEPARTURE – (B)
After breakfast our local personnel will escort you to the international airport where you’ll start your homeward journey. Private vehicle, private chauffeur.

 RATES per person in US$: Arrive any date – Private Tour/Private Guide
Sharing in Double or triple Occupancy: $ 3140.
In Single occupancy: $ 4760.

Prices include:

  • Round-trip transportation between airport, always on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  • Hotel Accommodations as mentioned in itinerary, in comfortable three or four-star (first-class) hotels, with private facilities.
  • Meals as indicated from preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner).
  • Guided sightseeing as indicated in air-conditioned coach, including all admission fees.

Not Included:

  • International air transportation. Optional excursions, such as camel ride.
  • Any meal not specifically mentioned beverages, and personal expenses.
  • Gratuities for local personnel.
  • Travel insurance (available upon request).
  • Airport taxes.

Matmata and Star Wars Sites in Tunisia
On a Budget

Very popular with “galactic traveler”

A 6 day FRIENDS ABROADsm TOUR
For the Independent traveler

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace village near Nafta, Tunisia

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace village near Nafta, Tunisia.
By Utilisateur:Bel Adone, via Wikimedia Commons.

Tunisia!! AAAAH! desert oases, curious troglodyte dwellings, Islamic splendors, a Roman amphitheater, and unspoiled beaches. You’ll appreciate the breathtaking beauty of a land that has drawn wanderers over the centuries.

O yes, galactic traveler, there is a land where fabled cities arise from the sand, where gnomes have left behind their warrens of dwellings, where sleek craft hover millimeters above the surface free from gravitational bonds. Green oases and palm-fringed beaches promise extraterrestrial pleasures. The land is Tunisia. Visit Matmata Oases and maybe experience the troglodyte accommodation (subject to availability).

We’ll send you a copy of the Lonely Planet guide to Tunisia so you can read up on this romantic destination.

International airfare is not included in the rates, so feel free to use frequent flyer tickets, or ask us about our special fares.

Tour

Suggested Itinerary
(if you have your own ideas, we’ll be glad to custom tailor your visit)

Episodes I II, and IV of Star Wars were filmed among, and inspired by, the extraordinary landscapes, the exotic architecture, and the pervasive mystery of this land, and we’ll explore it in the Star Wars spirit. We’ll visit legendary Kairouan, canyons and waterfalls concealed in desert fastnesses, and traverse great sand dunes. Our adventure will culminate with an in-depth exploration of Oung Jemel, the real-life desert planet of Tatooine.

Join us, for a combination of fantasy, pleasure, and enlightenment in the Tunisia of Star Wars and Moroccan Kasbahs.

Day 1 – Tunis
Our local staff will meet you upon arrival at Tunis Carthage International Airport. You’ll be assisted with the formalities, and escorted your hotel. Maison Doree or similar.

Day 2 – Suggested tour: THUBURBO MAJUS & DOUGGA (B)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Own activities.

Day 3 – Suggested tour: SFAX, DJERBA, GABES, MATMATA (B)
Transportation between cities on your own, we’ll be booking the hotel in Matmata or Gabes for you .
Sidi Driss hotel in Matmata, modest 2-3 stars rating, or similar.

Day 4 – Matmata, EL DJEM (B)
After breakfast, proceed on your own to Gabes & El Djem/El Jem. Own activities. We’ll book your accommodations in modest 3-star Ksar El Djem.

Day 5 – Sidi Bou Said, Tunis (B)
After breakfast drive back ON YOUR own to to Sidi Bou Said, and Tunis. Hotel and overnight.

Day 6 – Departure for Marrakech (B)
After breakfast our local personnel will escort you to the international airport where you’ll board your flight onward to Marrakech. Bon Voyage!

Rates per person In USD $: Tourist Class Hotels
Triple
US$ 1970.00
Double
US$ 2050.00
Single
US$ 2315.00

 DEPARTURE DATES
You may begin your tour on any day of the week. For Christmas and New Year’s weeks, please add 15 % supplement to the rates.

 

Your Friends Abroadsm tour includes:

  • Hotel accommodation at a carefully- selected 3 stars hotel, including tax, breakfast daily and service charges.
  • Airport transfers on Day 1 and day 6.
  • Lonely Planet guidebook to Tunisia
  • Consultation and referral services of our local Friends Abroadsm representative in each city on your tour.

What’s not included:

  • International airfare
  • Any transportation within cities
  • Lunch or dinner
  • Tours, entrance fees, local guides etc
  • Tips
  • Travel Insurance, we’ll be glad to mail you the flyer
  • Beverages

Treasures of the Roman Empire in North Africa

A 12 day Adventure Tour of Tunisia
Including a one night camping in the Sahara

Matmatat Al Qadimal, Tunisia.

Matmata Al Qadimal, Tunisia. © Tanya Dedyukhina | Wikimedia Commons

We’ll take you through Carthage, Dougga, Thuburbo Majus desert oases, curious troglodyte dwellings, and Matmata Oases. Experience the exhilaration of the motorized Sahara caravan and a short camping experience. Visit a Roman amphitheater, a medieval synagogue, and unspoiled beaches. You’ll appreciate the breathtaking beauty of a land that has drawn wanderers over the centuries. This is a Private Tour. Choose Your Own Date!

Tour

DAY 1: TUNIS – Daily – Year Round – This is a PRIVATE TOUR – Choose Your Own Date
Our local staff will meet you upon arrival at Tunis Carthage International Airport. You’ll be assisted with the formalities and escorted to your fine hotel. There will be time to relax and recuperate from your journey and enjoy the excellent facilities. If you wish, you can adventure into the center of Tunis to start your exploration of the winding alleys of the souk, filled with treasures of beaten brass and basketry and carpets, and merchants who will welcome you with traditional mint tea. Private transfers at all times. Private vehicle, private chauffeur.

DAY 2: CHARTAGE, SIDI BOU SAID – Hammamet – (200 + Kilometers)
Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
After we tour and visit the Bardo Museum, to view the most extensive Roman mosaics in the world, we’ll then head for the Medina, the old quarter of the city, with its warrens of shops filled with wares ranging from humdrum to exotic. After lunch at a fine local restaurant we head out of Tunis to marvel at the ruins of Carthage, a true metropolis of the ancient world, as evidenced by its theater, circus, Thermes baths of Antonus, the Punic Port installations, the Colisieum and extensive urban plan, then speed forward in time to the middle ages, as we visit the picture-perfect Moorish village of Sidi Bou Said. With its whitewashed walls and narrow laneways, it’s the perfect setting as we stop for traditional mint tea. Back to Tunis.

DAY 3: THUBURBO MAJUS – DOUGGA – Hammamet – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
After breakfast we’ll set off on a drive through Hammamet, a cosmopolitan port where sun-worshippers from all over who happily coexist with fishermen and traditional ways, and head out as we start our full day to Dougga and Thuburbo Majus. Lunch is included at a modest yet charming local hotel’s restaurant in Dougga: Hotel Thugga. After lunch we head to Thuburbo Majus. This town of Libyan and then Punic origin sided with Carthage and thus had to pay a tribute to Rome. Thuburbo Maius reached its apogee in the 2nd c with 10,000 inhabitants and and impressive array of of monuments: the forum, built in 161-2, the capitol (168) and a number of temples (Temple of peace, Temple of Mercury, Temple of B’a alat, Temple of Caelestis, Temple of Saturn) of which one later became a basilica. We’ll tour as well the market, Roman bath and the amphitheater. We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before proceeding to Dougga: A Numidian city, mentioned in the 4th century B.C. By Diodorus the Sicilian as Tocai, tukka was from the 2nd to 1st century B.C. One of the residences of the Massyle Kings (MASSINISSA, MICIPSA, JUGURTHA). In Roman times the municipal land was split into two parts; the Numidian city, and a pagus (rural area) under the authority of Carthage, Whole again, thugga was a municipium in 205 and honorary colonia in 261. With some 5,000 residents, thugga had a municipal bourgeoisie which endowed her with a number of rich monuments. The monuments are incredibly well preserved, allowing us to imagine the infrastructure this small Proconsular town possessed: 12 temples, 3 of which were transformed into churches in the 4th Century , 3 Roman baths, numerous fountains, aqueducts and more. Thugga slowly lost its glory, though it still enjoyed brief periods of revival in the 3rd, the 4th and 6th centuries (Byzantine fortress). Though it was never deserted, archaeological research required the removal of its residents to a new Dougga lying below classical thugga. Return early evening to our hotel in Hammamet in time for dinner.

DAY 4: HAMMAMET, EL JEM, SFAX , GABES, DJERBA – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
After breakfast we’ll set off to El Jem which boasts a Roman coliseum very similar to the famous one in Rome. Our busy day continues with a drive to SFAX. Stop to visit the Medina and lunch at HOTEL AMIN (2-star) in SFAX. After lunch we press on to the coastal city of Gabes, a Roman outpost of old and a traditional market center where, for centuries, goods from across the sea and across the desert have changed hands. We’ll visit the oasis, where palm groves and gardens flourish. We’ll then cross to the Island of Djerba and your hotel and where dinner awaits you. Djerba is the island where Ulysses once encountered the legendary Lotus-Eaters.

Beach in Djerba, Tunisia. © SuperManu | Wikimedia Commons

DAY 5: Tunisian Sun. Tunisian Riviera – Djerba – Private Guide (BLD)
Today we explore the old quarters, including the synagogue of Hara Sghira, Hara Kebira with its modern Jewish community, and Guellala, with its craft stalls, and to see the waterfront and fishing fleet, and the lively town of Houmt Souk. After a lunch stop (included), we’ll head back to the hotel, or enjoy the afternoon as you wish and head back to the hotel on your own. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Day 6: Djerba, MEDENINE, TATAOUINE, MATMATA – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
After breakfast at the hotel we’ll head southward, in our well-equipped vehicles, crossing the short distance to the mainland of Tunisia, to follow the route of an ancient Roman highway to Medinne and Ghorfas. We’ll have the opportunity to look in on the ways of the Berbers, the most ancient of North African peoples. Lunch will be at Tatouine in Hotel Sangho Priviliege Tataouine (3-star), In the afternoon, we’ll visit the village of Chenini, deep in the midst of palm groves past the Chella falls, and Ghomrassen, before we reach our stopping point for the night, Matmata, and dinner at the Hotel Diar El Barbar (4-star) (www.diarelbarbar.com), or similar.

Village of Chenini, Tunisia.

Village of Chenini, Tunisia. © Gabriel Rodríguez | Wikimedia Commons.

DAY 7: MATMATA, DESERT CAMP – PANSEA Ksar Ghilane – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
Our route today takes us through a terrain of increasingly sparse grasses and shrubs into the desert. We’ll stop to look in on a community of miniature underground houses, where the earliest settlers sheltered from the extremes of the desert above as do the Berbers of today. Then into the Sahara and to Ksar Ghilaine, we’ll stop for lunch, and check-in at our camp and then have a leisurely afternoon to look around on our own such as visiting the hot water sources in Ksar Ghilane and enjoy a camel ride tour. In the evening, we’ll establish camp, CAMPEMENT PAN SEA (4-star) and witness the desert sunset and the infinite night sky. We’ll savor a dinner prepared in the PANSEA camp, then rest soundly in the cool night, camp style modest meals for today.

A shimmering mirage awaits you in the Tunisian Sahara – nestled at its own oasis in the midst of the Sahara desert in southern Tunisia, offering its charm and shade, its spring and the whispering waters of its seguias: Pansea welcomes you to this hospitable land of colours and contrasts, spices and scents. Your private oasis in the Sahara.

DAY 8: Ksar Ghilane, DOUZ – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
Our route takes us through terrain of increasingly sparse grasses and shrubs into the desert. We’ll enjoy a full day of desert adventure visiting the village of Zaafrane, Douret and Chennini,; then proceed to Douz, fabled as the Gateway to the Sahara. Check in at our hotel and enjoy lunch: Hotel EL Mouradi Douz 4-star (www.elmouradi.com) (Best available as there are no 5-star hotels in DOUZ). Afternoon tour of the medina of DOUZ, then on to Kebili, largest of a cluster of oases, islands of life in a harsh landscape. There a special treats awaits – the opportunity to sample a caravan trek! This close encounter with a camel is entirely at your option (additional $$ for the camel ride)! Dinner is of course included at your hotel.

DAY 9: Chott El Jerid – Nafta – TOZEUR – – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
We set off across the Chott El Djerid, a great dry salt lake, for Tozeur. Here, we’ll wonder at the ancient irrigation works. We’ll learn more about oases today. Despite the dryness of its surface, great aquifers underlie the Sahara. Where they spill their riches out in springs, they create the green havens of Tunisia’s oases. We’ll see a dramatic example as we explore the irrigated fields around Tozeur. Continue on to visit the palmerai of NAFTA and the ONG EL JEMEL ‘s site. We’ll return to Tozeur late afternoon. Check in and enjoy lunch at Hotel El Mouradi 4-star, or HOTEL DAR CHRAIET 5-star. After lunch we will motor overland to the great mountain oases of Chebika, Mides and Tamerza (in a 4 wheel drive).

You can choose to enjoy the unique desert resort comforts at your hotel or you might decide to wander the streets of Tozeur to look in on daily life, admire the classic North African houses built around patios on terraces above a river fed by springs, and shop for baskets and capes of camel hair. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Chott el Djerid – salt lake and salt flats in Tunisia.
© Angelika Mostova | Bigstock

DAY 10: TOZEUR, GAFSA, SBEITLA, KAIROUAN, TUNIS – Friday – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
We’ll delve more into Tunisia’s rich and varied past today, as we motor overland through pleasant, rolling coastal lands. At Gafsa we’ll see the Roman pools of Capsa, the ancient crossroads between desert oases and the cultivated coastal lands. Lunch is included at Hotel Juguratha Palace 5-star. We’ll wonder at the Roman ruins of Sbeitla, Museum (it closes on Monday).

Later in the day, we’ll reach Kairouan, an ancient, holy, and vibrant city noted for its historic mosques and centers of learning. Kairouan also is noted for its souk, and the crafting of carpets and leather goods. Of course, there will be time to check out these wares. Dinner and overnight at Hotel LA Kasbah 5-star (www.goldenyasmin.com) in KAIROUAN.

Day 11: KAIROUAN – MONASTIR –SOUSSE – TUNIS (BLD)
After breakfast we tour the old Medina of Kairouan, the great mosque and the Aghlabythe Pools of Kairouan before we head for Monastir  where lunch awaits us at Hotel Vime Helya Beach 4-star. After lunch we tour the Medina, the Mausolée of Bourguiba and the Ribat of Monastir. Then we will go on to the nearby mediterranean town of SOUSSE and visit the Ribat and the Port EL Kantoui. We continue on to Tunis where dinner awaits us at at Hotel Tunisia Palace (4-star) (www.goldenyasmin.com), or Hotel Golden Tulip Chartage (5-star).

DAY 12: DEPARTURE – Monday – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (B)
After breakfast our local personnel will escort you to the international airport, where you’ll start your homeward journey.

RATES per person in US$

Category A:
Sharing in Double or triple Occupancy: $ 3688. USD
In Single occupancy: 5113 . USD

5-star Hotels:

  • TUNIS: Hotel GOLDEN TULIP 5-star CARTHAGE
  • HAMMAMET: Hotel MEHARI HAMMAMET 5-star (www.goldenyasmin.com)
  • DJERBA: Hotel RADISSON BLU Resort & Thalasso 5-star DJERBA (www.radissonblu.com)
  • MATMATA: Hotel DIAR EL BARBAR 4-star (www.diarelbarbar.com)
  • KSAR GHILANE: Campement PAN SEA 4-star (www.pansea.com) the only luxury campement.
  • DOUZ: Hotel EL MOURADI DOUZ 4-star (www.elmouradi.com)
  • TOZEUR: Hotel DAR CHRAIET 5-star TOZEUR
  • KAIROUAN: HOTEL LA KASBAH 5-star (www.goldenyasmin.com) (the only 5=star hotel)
Category B:
Sharing in Double or triple Occupancy: $ 3379. USD
In Single occupancy: $ 4880.USD

4-star Hotels:

 For Dec 20- Jan 3: Please add 20% to any of the listed rates

Prices include:

  • Round-trip transportation between airport. Always on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  • Hotel Accommodations as listed, with private facilities, plus the camping night.
  • Meals as indicated from preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner).
  • Private guided sightseeing as indicated in air-conditioned coach, including all admission fees.

Not Included:

  • International air transportation.
  • Any meal not specifically mentioned beverages, and personal expenses.
  • Gratuities for local personnel.
  • Travel insurance
  • Airport taxes.

Tunisia and Morocco

From Dougga to Marrakech – 14 Days

Including Ksar Oule Sultane
Star Wars Movie Set Locations

Very popular with the “galactic traveler”

Ksar Ouled Soltane, Tunisia. Photo by Asram, via Wikimedia Commons.

Ksar Ouled Soltane, Tunisia. Photo by Asram, via Wikimedia Commons.

Compare with the 12-day version or the 6-day Tunisia (budget travel)

Tour

Day 1: Tunisia – Daily arrival
Our local representative will meet you upon arrival at the Tunis Carthage International Airport. You’ll be assisted with the formalities and escorted your hotel. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.

Day 2: Tunis (B)
Full day for your own activities or ask us for available optional tours.

Day 3: DOUGGA (BL)
After breakfast at the hotel we start our full day to Dougga: A Numidian city, mentioned in the 4th century B.C. by Diodorus the Sicilian as Tocai, tukka was from the 2nd to 1st century B.C. one of the residences of the Massyle Kings (MASSINISSA, MICIPSA,JUGURTHA).

In Roman times the municipal land was split into two parts; the Numidian city, and a pagus (rural area) under the authority of Carthage. Whole again, thugga was a municipium in 205 and honorary colonia in 261. With some 5,000 residents, thugga had a municipal bourgeoisie which endowed her with a number of rich monuments.

The monuments are incredibly well preserved, allowing us to imagine the infrastructure this small Proconsular town possessed: 12 temples, 3 of which were transformed into churches in the 4th Century, 3 Roman baths, numerous fountains, aqueducts and more. Thugga slowly lost its glory, though it still enjoyed brief periods of revival in the 3rd, the 4th and 6th centuries (Byzantine fortress).

Though it was never deserted, archaeological research required the removal of its residents to a new Dougga lying below classical thugga. We’ll enjoy lunch (included) at a local restaurant. Return early evening to our hotel in Tunis.

Day 4: SFAX, GABES, MATMATA (BL)
Our busy day starts with a drive to the coastal city of Gabes, a Roman outpost of old and a traditional market center where, for centuries, goods from across the sea and across the desert have changed hands. We’ll visit the oasis, where palm groves and gardens flourish. After a lunch stop (included) our route takes us through terrain of increasingly sparse grasses and shrubs, into the desert to Matmata. We’ll visit of the troglodya community of miniature underground houses, where the earliest settlers sheltered from the extremes of the desert above — as do the Berbers of today. We’ll settle in to comfortable lodgings at a four-star hotel. For those interested in the real experience of “Star War” ambiance, then you may spend the night at Sidi Driss hotel in Matmata, modest 2-3 star rating. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

Day 5: MATMATA Tatouine Matmata (BL)
Tataouine, Medenine Ksar Region:
Although Medenine is an important crossroads, it has little of interest to offer the visitor. It is, however, the canter of the Ksour area. A Ksar (plural Ksour) is a fortified village built in a distinctive style. Usually the Berbers built their Ksour on top of a hill from mud. One of the best preserved Ksour in Tunisia is at Ksar Ouled Soltane near Tataouine. Lucasfilm used Ksar Hadada for shooting some scenes in 1997. It was used as a Mos Espa background where Qui-Gon (Jedi Master) and Shmi (Anakin’s mother) speak of Anakin’s parentage. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

TUNISIA – Matmata/ Hotel Sidi Driss. Video by SetOfDrifters.

Tunisia!! AAAAH! Desert oases, curious troglodyte dwellings, Islamic splendors, a Roman amphitheater, and unspoiled beaches. You’ll appreciate the breathtaking beauty of a land that has drawn wanderers over the centuries.

O yes, galactic traveler, there is a land where fabled cities arise from the sand, where gnomes have left behind their warrens of dwellings, where sleek craft hover millimeters above the surface, free from gravitational bonds. Green oases and palm-fringed beaches promise extraterrestrial pleasures. The land is Tunisia. Visit Matmata Oases and maybe experience the troglodyte accommodation (Subject to availability). We’ll send you a copy of the Lonely Planet guide to Tunisia and Morocco, so you can read up on this romantic destination. Episodes I, II, and IV of Star Wars were filmed among, and inspired by, the extraordinary landscapes, the exotic architecture, and the pervasive mystery of this land, and we’ll explore it in the Star Wars spirit. We’ll visit legendary Kairouan, canyons and waterfalls concealed in desert fastnesses, and traverse great sand dunes. Our adventure will culminate with an in-depth exploration of Oung Jemel, the real-life desert planet of Tatooine. Join us, for a combination of fantasy, pleasure, and enlightenment, in the Tunisia of Star Wars and Moroccan Kasbahs.

International airfare is not included in the rates, so feel free to use frequent flyer tickets, or ask us about our special fares.

Day 6: Matmata, EL DJEM (B)
After breakfast, proceed in your private chauffeured car to Gabes & El Djem / El Jem, which boasts a Roman coliseum very similar to the famous one in Rome. Accommodation  in the modest 3-star Ksar El Djem. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

Day 7: Sidi Bou Said (B)
After breakfast, drive back to to Sidi Bou Saidl Visit of the picturesque village on the hill and stroll in the narrow streets. After enjoying the traditional tea with mint at the cafe Sidi Chabaane overlooking the Mediterranean sea, transfer to the Hotel for the night. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

Day 8: Departure for Marrakech (B)
After breakfast, our local personnel will escort you to the international airport, where you’ll board flight onward to Marrakech. International air fare between Tunisia and Marrakech is included in our rates.  Depending on your day of travel you may fly Tunis Casablanca Marrakech or via Paris.

You arrive in the Kingdom of Morocco, landing at Marrakech, our staff greets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Then take your first plunge into this wonderful, exotic city.

Day 9: MARRAKECH – Complimentary HOME HOSTED DINNER (BLD)
Full day tour in this great city which Winston Churchill called “the most beautiful place in the world at sunset.” Today we explore! The top sights include the stately Koutoubia Minaret, the hidden tombs of the Saadian dynasty, the Menara pavilion and gardens, the ruins of sprawling Badi Palace, the Bahia Palace Museum, the Ben Yousef medersa, and the Koubba (chapel) of el-Ba’adiyn.

Not to forget Marrakech’s fabulous medieval souk (bazaar). Penetrating the labyrinthine souk, you’ll see some of the age-old guilds at work, including the dyers and tanners. Save an hour–and bring your camera–for the famous Djemaa el-Fna square with its circus atmosphere of itinerant dancers, jugglers, acrobats, storytellers, soothsayers, snake charmers, medicine men and public scribes. Lunch is included in a charming local restaurant.

This evening we’ll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread… right into the homes of some of the people of Istanbul! You’ll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you’ll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they’re sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you’ll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening  by letting us know your preferences.

Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

DAY 10: MARRAKECH TO VOLUBILIS (BL)
We’ll set out in the morning for the site of Volubilis, (private car & driver) once the capital of the Roman province of Mauritania Tingitania. We’ll have lunch included en route. In Volubilis we’ll spend the night at the modest Hotel Volubilis. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

DAY 11: FEZ (B)
After a breakfast at leisure, we’ll spend another half day in Volubilis then it is on to Fez.

DAY 12: FEZ (BL)
Put on your walking shoes this afternoon for a trip back in time to the ninth century as you explore the old city of Fez. Its Medina and labyrinth of souks have been declared a world cultural treasure. Explore as you wish on your own. Oldest of Morocco’s four Imperial Cities, Fez is endlessly fascinating, and today it’s yours. Top sights include the medina (old city), the 15-century Borj Nord Arms Museum, the gateway of the royal palace, the fortifications of the Kasbah, the 9th-century Karaouine Mosque and University, the medersas (theological seminaries) of Bou Inania and Attarine, the shrine of the city’s founder Moulay Idris II, the Nejjarine Fountain, the monumental gateway of Bab Boujelloud, the old harem gardens, Dar Batha Museum, and the artisans’ guilds in the souks. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

DAY 13: Chefchaouen (BL)
We’ll pick you up in the morning and proceed to Chefchaouen. Accommodations will be in the Parador hotel or similar. (Chaouen means the peaks and Chef means look, Chefchaouen is look at the peaks).

Chefchaouen: This delightful town in the Rif Mountains is a favourite with travelers for obvious reasons, the air is cool and clear, the people are noticeably more relaxed than in Tangier and Tetouen. Founded by Moulay Ali Ben Rachid in 1471 as a base from which to attack the Portuguese in Ceuta, the town prospered and grew considerably with the arrival of Muslims refugees from Spain.

Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide. Visit the Market near Mohamed V th square, the Medina, la Plaza Uta el-Hammam & Kasbah. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant.

DAY 14: DEPARTURE (B)
Our staff escorts you to the Casablanca airport. For you or the guests taking the ferry, we will escort you to the pier in Tangiers. Ferry ticket to Spain or Gibraltar is included in our cost. Bon Voyage.

Rates per person
Deluxe
First Class
Triple
US$ 5660.
US$ 5140.
Double
US$ 5798.
US$ 5262.
Single
US$ 6270.
US$ 6032.

 

DEPARTURE DATES
You may begin your tour on any day of the week. For Christmas and New Year’s weeks, please add a 15% supplement to the rate.

Your Friends Abroadsm tour includes:

  • Hotel accommodation at a carefully-selected hotel in the class of your choice (Deluxe, First Class, Tourist Class), including tax, breakfast daily and service charges.
  • Transportation between cities in Tunisia, by an air conditioned van/car as per itinerary.
  • International air fare Tunisia/ Marrakech
  • Tours , entrance fees, local guides as per itinerary.
  • Train transportation in Morocco, first class tickets as listed
  • Consultation and referral services of our local Friends Abroadsm representative in each city on your tour.
  • Complimentary Panoramic tour of Casablanca. Including entrance fees to the Grand Mosque (except on Fridays no tours of the mosque on Fridays).
  • Complimentary Home hosted dinner in Marrakech.

 

What’s not included:

  • International airfare to or from Morocco
  • Lunch or dinner except where/when listed
  • In Morocco we did not include tours and local guides (except when/where listed), which are always available at extra cost if you would like them
  • Tips
  • Travel Insurance, we’ll be glad to mail you the flyer
  • Beverages

 

Tunisia Sample Hotels
For deluxe & First Class we’ll use El Hanna International or 5-star beach property: Khamsa Corinthia Hotel in Tunis.

 

Sample Hotels Morocco Five Stars First class
Four Stars
Casablanca Royal Mansour Palace D’Anfa
Marrakech Imperial Borj or Kenzi Farah Tichka, Holiday or Diwan
Fes Les Merinides Wassim, Menzah Zalagh
Voulubilis
Chefchaouen

 

Add a Spa Treatment Package or Hamam
to your Honeymoon and Vacation in Morocco or Tunisia

bigstock-Young-woman-in-hammam-or-turki-37064623

More Options

Discover Tunisia In Two Weeks

Tourist caravan in the Sahara desert. Tunisia

Tourist caravan in the Sahara desert, Tunisia.
© Evgenia | Bigstock.

This is a Private Tour and includes a Camel Caravan. Choose your own date. Spend two weeks on a Northern Cities and Southern Oases Tour of Tunisia — from North to South with Dromedary Mehari in the Sahara. Combine with Morocco.

Tour

Day 1: AIRPORT TUNIS CARTHAGE / HOTEL TUNIS = 10 KM
Arrival at Tunis Carthage airport, assistance and transfer to the hotel in Tunis, all transfers are on a private basis.

Day 2: TUNIS/CARTHAGE/SIDI BOU SAID/KAIROUAN = 175 KM
After breakfast, departure to Carthage: set up in 814 B.C. and Rome’s biggest rival where we can find one of the best historic sites in the western Mediterranean. Visit of the roman ruins, the Thermal bath of Antonin, the Punic ports and the National museum.

Departure to Sidi Bou Said: a truly magnificent village to be found with its Moorish white houses sitting high on the hill in privileged harmony. Visit of the Marabou City then enjoy lunch at restaurant ” La Victoire ” or similar . Time permitting we may be able to enjoy ” ice cream ” and tea ( included in “Café Sidi Chabaane” or “Café des Nattes” that have a very nice Sea view.

After lunch (included) departure to the Bardo museum: the most important archaeological museum of the Maghrebian countries and the richest concerning the Roman mosaics in the world. Departure to Tunis, visit of the Medina and free time in the souks for shopping. Continuation to Kairouan, and your hotel, dinner and overnight.

Lézard Rouge train, Tunisia. © Dennis Jarvis | Wikimedia Commons

Day 3: KAIROUAN/SBEITLA/TOZEUR = 325 KM
After breakfast, visit of the holy Islamic city founded in 671 by Okba Ibn Nafaa. Visit of the huge Mosque Okba Ibn Nafaa, the Aglabiden pool and the Saint Abou Zemaa El Balaoui. Free time for shopping in the Medina. Departure to Sbeitla, visit of the archeological site. Continuation to Tozeur via Gafsa: one of the famous oases in the world which is surrounded by 200 springs. It is sheltered by a palm grove of more than 1000 HA – about 400.000 palm trees. Dinner is included at your hotel.

Day 4: Tozeur/Lezard Rouge/Chebika/Tamerza/Mides : 200 KM
After breakfast, departure to Metlaoui for a complimentary ride on the restored” 1930’s ” style train “Lezard Rouge” , please note that The Red Lizard excursions: is not a daily service : available only on Tuesday at 10h00 , Friday at 10h30 and Sunday at 10h30 – this time table is subject to change without notice ), visit of the Selja Gorges and the magnificent canyons.
In the afternoon, departure in 4X4 vehicle to the mountain oasis, visit of Chebika: the old village and the palm grove. Visit of Tamerza: the palm grove and the water-fall, stop in the old village, then continuation to Midis, visit of the canyons. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 5: TOZEUR/KEBILI/DOUZ : 125 KM
After breakfast, departure to Kébili via Chott El Jerid, the salt lake; stop at the water spring and visit of the oases in Kebili. Continuations to Douz; the gateway to the desert, offers an authentic and genuine picture of desert traditions, folk art and customs. The village itself, surrounded by sand dunes, is the departure point for the Mehares and Saharian safaris. A unique Caravan adventure awaits you tomorrow. Check-in at the hotel with lunch included . The afternoon is yours at leisure , dinner and overnight stay.

Day 6: Dromedary Mehari in the Desert – Camel Safaris – Bedouin Camp
After breakfast, contacts with camels and initiation into camel riding. After basic instructions departure to discover the tranquility of the desert. Walk on the great sand dunes, Bedouin camp style lunch is included. Leisure walking and camel riding to Bir ben Grira , Elfhidia. Bivouac and Bedouin Tent where you will enjoy a BBQ dinner of Tunisian food by the campfire under the light of the starts.

Day 7: DROMEDARY MEHARI IN THE DESERT
After breakfast, continuation of the Mehari, discovering the beautiful dunes.
Bedouin camp style lunch which is included. After lunch, return to Douz, dinner and overnight stay in the hotel.

Day 8: DOUZ/KSAR GHILANE = 155 KM
After breakfast, departure in 4X4 vehicle to Ksar Ghilane. the desert between the mountains from the East and West and in the South surrounded by the sand desert. It offers you its calm and its shadow same as its sources and irrigation channels: the freshness of a pause. Arrival in Ksar Ghilène, installation in the Campement Yadis Ksar Ghilane ( former Relais Pansea) : 60 Saharian tents which are able to host between 1 to 3 persons, all equipped with a bathroom with a shower and a WC and a little salon with heater and air-condition.The pool and its solarium are open 24 hours, bathing towels are furnished. Visit the Roman forts and return to the Campement . Dinner and accommodation.

Day 9: KSAR GHILANE/TATAOUINE/MEDENINE/DJERBA = 200 KM
After breakfast, departure to visit Tataouine via Berber villages. Ksar Haddada, Ghomrassen, and Chenini. Continuation to Djerba island, via Mednine, in Djerba dinner awaits you.

Day 10: DJERBA
Full day at leisure in this Mediterranean Riviera with breakfast and dinner included at the hotel.

Day 11: DJERBA/GABES/SFAX = 235 KM
After breakfast, departure to Gabès: sea side oasis by the Golf of Syrta overlooking the sea, visit of the maritime oasis, free visit in the Jara souk, possibility of horse carriage ride (optional and on guest’s charge).
Continuation to Sfax, the 2nd capital of Tunisia, where dinner is included.

Day 12: SFAX/EL JEM/MONASTIR/HAMMAMET = 250 KM
After breakfast, departure to El Jem, visit of the 2nd Roman Amphitheater of the world with a capacity of 35.000 viewers. Continuation to Monastir, visit the Ribath and the Mausoleum Habib Bourguiba. Continuation to Hammamet, dinner, and overnight at the hotel.

Day 13: HAMMAMET- TUNIS-CARTHAGE = 65 KM
After breakfast, we’ll escort you to Tunis and your hotel. You’ll have the rest of the day at leisure maybe for you to explore the museum and /or the souks.

Day 14: Departure (B)
After breakfast, assistance and transfer to the airport for trip back home. Bon Voyage! Add Dougga, Bulla Regia and El Kef.

Choice A: Four Stars Hotels:

RATES per person in US$:

Minimum 2 Guests
Minimum 4 Guests
Sharing in triple occupancy:
$ 3080.
$ 2290.
Sharing in double occupancy:
$ 3170.
$ 2351.
In single occupancy:
$ 3960.
$ 3255.

General Listing for Hotels in Tunisia
Category A: Sample 4-Star Hotels (or similar)

For Extra Night please add: $60 USD per person in double. This includes breakfast and tax.

Category B: Modest Five Stars Hotels

RATES per person in US$:

Minimum 2 Guests
Minimum 4 Guests
Sharing in triple occupancy:
$ 3790.
$ 3074.
Sharing in double occupancy:
$ 3645.
$ 3188.
In single occupancy:
$ 4566.
$ 3929.

General Listing for Tunisia
Sample 5 Star Hotels (or similar)

For Extra Night Please add: $85 USD per person in double. This includes breakfast and tax.

  • Tunis: Hotel El Mouradi Africa (www.elmouraid.com) Golden Tulip Hotel Carthage. Barcelo Carthage Thalassa, El Mouradi Gammarth or similar
  • Djerba: Hotel Radisson SAS Djerba & Resort.
  • Douz: Hotel Sahara Douz (four stars) (www.saharadouz.com) and the Camepment Sahara Smile
  • Ksar Ghilane : Campement Yadis Ksar Ghilane
    (four stars) (www.yadis.com)
  • Kairouan: Hotel La Kasbah (www.goldenyasmin.com) Five Stars modest
  • Sfax: Hotel Les Oliviers Palace Sfax (www.goldenyasmin.com)
  • Tozeur: Palm Beach Hotel
  • Hammamet: El Hambra, Hotel Laico Yasmine. Hotel Alhambra Halasso (www.alhambra-thalasso.com)


Prices include:

  • Round-trip transportation between airport and hotels, always on a private basis.
  • Hotel Accommodations, with private facilities.
  • Meals as indicated from preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner).
  • Guided sightseeing as indicated including all admission fees.
  • Transport by air conditioned coaches, 4X4 vehicle and Camels.
  • Escort with professional guide speaking English and professional desert guide.
  • The Red Lizard excursions: this is not a daily service : available only on Tuesday at 10h00, Friday at 10h30 and Sunday at 10h30)

Not Included:

  • International air transportation. Optional excursions, such as camel ride.
  • Any meal not specifically mentioned beverages, and personal expenses.
  • Gratuities for local personnel.
  • Travel insurance
  • Airport taxes.
Add a Spa Treatment Package or Hamam
to your Honeymoon and Vacation in Tunisia
Young woman in a hammam or turkish bath
More Choices

From Dougga to Marrakech

From Dougga to Marrakech Tour

A 12 day Private Tour of Tunisia and Morocco
Very popular with the “galactic traveler”

Choose Your Own Date
Daily Arrival – Year Round

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace village near Nafta, Tunisia.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace village near Nafta, Tunisia.
Public domain | Wikimedia Commons

Tunisia!! AAAAH! desert oases, curious troglodyte dwellings, Islamic splendors, a Roman amphitheater, and unspoiled beaches. You’ll appreciate the breathtaking beauty of a land that has drawn wanderers over the centuries.

O yes, galactic traveller, there is a land where fabled cities arise from the sand, where gnomes have left behind their warrens of dwellings, where sleek craft hover millimeters above the surface free from gravitational bonds. Green oases and palm-fringed beaches promise extraterrestrial pleasures. The land is Tunisia. Visit Matmata Oases and maybe experience the troglodyte accommodation (Subject to availability). We’ll send you a copy of the Lonely Planet guide to Tunisia and Morocco, so you can read up on this romantic destination. Episodes I II, and IV of Star Wars were filmed among, and inspired by, the extraordinary landscapes, the exotic architecture, and the pervasive mystery of this land, and we’ll explore it in the Star Wars spirit. We’ll visit legendary Kairouan, canyons and waterfalls concealed in desert fastnesses, and traverse great sand dunes. Our adventure will culminate with an in-depth exploration of Oung Jemel, the real-life desert planet of Tatooine. Join us, for a combination of fantasy, pleasure, and enlightenment, in the Tunisia of Star Wars and Moroccan Kasbahs.

International airfare is not included in the rates, so feel free to use frequent flyer tickets, or ask us about our special fares.

Tour

Suggested Itinerary
(if you have your own ideas, we’ll be glad to custom tailor your visit)

Day 1: Tunis – Daily, Year Round – Choose your own travel dates
Arrive any day of the year. Our local staff will meet you upon arrival at Tunis Carthage International Airport. You’ll be assisted with the formalities and escorted your hotel. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.

Day 2: THUBURBO MAJUS & DOUGGA (BL)
After breakfast at the hotel, we start our full day to Thuburbo Majus:
This town of Libyan and then Punic origin sided with Carthage and thus had to pay a tribute to Rome. Thuburbo Maius reached its apogee in the 2nd c with 10,000 inhabitants and an impressive array of of monuments: the forum, built in 161-2, the capitol (168) and a number of temples (Temple of peace, Temple of Mercury, Temple of B’a alat, Temple of Caelestis, Temple of Saturn) of which one later became a basilica. We will also tour the market, Roman bath and the amphitheater.

We’ll enjoy lunch (Included) at a local restaurant before proceeding to Dougga: A Numidian city, mentioned in the 4th century B.C. by Diodorus the Sicilian as Tocai, tukka was from the 2nd to 1st century B.C. one of the residences of the Massyle Kings (MASSINISSA, MICIPSA,JUGURTHA).

In Roman times the municipal land was split into two parts; the Numidian city, and a pagus (rural area) under the authority of Carthage, Whole again, thugga was a municipium in 205 and honorary colonia in 261. With some 5,000 residents, thugga had a municipal bourgeoisie which endowed her with a number of rich monuments.

The monuments are incredibly well preserved, allowing us to imagine the infrastructure this small Proconsular town possessed: 12 temples, 3 of which were transformed into churches in the 4th Century , 3 Roman baths, numerous fountains, aqueducts and more. Thugga slowly lost its glory, though it still enjoyed brief periods of revival in the 3rd, the 4th and 6th centuries (Byzantine fortress). Though it was never deserted, archaeological research required the removal of its residents to a new Dougga lying below classical thugga.

Return early evening to our hotel in Tunis. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

Day 3: SFAX, DJERBA, GABES, MATMATA (BL)
Our busy day starts with a drive to the coastal city of Gabes, a Roman outpost of old and a traditional market center where, for centuries, goods from across the sea and across the desert have changed hands. We’ll visit the oasis where palm groves and gardens flourish. We’ll then cross to Djerba, an island where Ulysses once encountered the legendary Lotus-Eaters. You’ll have time to explore the old quarters, and Guellala with its craft stalls, and to see the waterfront and fishing fleet, and the lively town of Houmt Souk. After a lunch stop (included), we’ll cross back to the mainland. Our route takes us through terrain of increasingly sparse grasses and shrubs, into the desert to Matmata. We’ll visit of the troglodya community of miniature underground houses where the earliest settlers sheltered from the extremes of the desert above — as do the Berbers of today. We’ll settle in to comfortable lodgings at a four-star hotel. For those interested in the real experience of “Star War” ambiance  you may spend the night at Sidi Driss hotel in Matmata – a modest 2-3 stars rating. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

Day 4: Matmata, EL DJEM (B)
After breakfast, proceed in your private chauffeured car to Gabes & El Djem / El Jem, which boasts a Roman coliseum very similar to the famous one in Rome. Accommodation in the modest 3-star Ksar El Djem. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

Day 5: Sidi Bou Said (B)
After breakfast drive back to to Sidi Bou Said and visit the picturesque village on the hill, strolling in the narrow streets. After enjoying the traditional tea with mint at the cafe Sidi Chabaane overlooking the Mediterranean sea, transfer to the Hotel and spend the night. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

Day 6: Departure for Marrakech (B)
After breakfast our local personnel will escort you to the international airport where you’ll board a flight to Marrakech. Air fare is included between Tunisia & Marrakech in our rates.

We’ll be glad to assist of course with your air fare, depending on your day of travel, you may fly Tunis Casablanca Marrakech or via Paris.

You arrive in the Kingdom of Morocco, landing at Marrakech, our staff greets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Then take your first plunge into this wonderful, exotic city.

DAY 7: MARRAKECH – Complimentary HOME HOSTED DINNER (BLD)
Full day tour in this great city which Winston Churchill called “the most beautiful place in the world at sunset.” Today we explore! The top sights include the stately Koutoubia Minaret, the hidden tombs of the Saadian dynasty, the Menara pavilion and gardens, the ruins of sprawling Badi Palace, the Bahia Palace Museum, the Ben Yousef medersa, and the Koubba (chapel) of el-Ba’adiyn.

Not to forget Marrakech’s fabulous medieval souk (bazaar). Penetrating the labyrinthine souk, you’ll see some of the age-old guilds at work, including the dyers and tanners. Save an hour–and bring your camera–for famous Djemaa el-Fna square with its circus atmosphere of itinerant dancers, jugglers, acrobats, storytellers, soothsayers, snake charmers, medicine men and public scribes. Lunch included at a charming local restaurant.

This evening we’ll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread… right into the homes of some of the people of Istanbul! You’ll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you’ll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they’re sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you’ll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening, by letting us know your preferences.

Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

Video by Paul Pesie

DAY 8: MARRAKECH TO VOLUBILIS (BL)
We’ll set out in the morning for the site of Volubilis (private car & driver), once the capital of the Roman province of Mauritania Tingitania. We’ll have lunch included en route. In Volubilis we’ll spend the night at the modest Hotel Volubilis. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

DAY 9: FEZ (BL)
After breakfast continue to Moulay Idriss, the picturesque shrine village named for the founder of the kingdom who is interred here, and then on to Fez. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

DAY 10: FEZ (BL)
Full Day Tour in Fez: Put on your walking shoes this afternoon for a trip in time back to the ninth century, as you explore the old city of Fez. Its Medina and its labyrinth of souks have been declared a world cultural treasure. Explore as you wish on your own.

Oldest of Morocco’s four Imperial Cities, Fez is endlessly fascinating, and today it’s yours. Top sights include the medina (old city), the 15-century Borj Nord Arms Museum, the gateway of the royal palace, the fortifications of the Kasbah, the 9th-century Karaouine Mosque and University, the medersas (theological seminaries) of Bou Inania and Attarine, the shrine of the city’s founder Moulay Idris II, the Nejjarine Fountain, the monumental gateway of Bab Boujelloud, the old harem gardens, Dar Batha Museum, and the artisans’ guilds in the souks. Lunch is included in a charming local restaurant

Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

DAY 11: Chefchaouen (BL)
We’ll pick you up in the morning and proceed to Chefchaouen. Accommodation will be in the Parador hotel or similar. (Chaouen means the peaks and Chef means look, Chefchaouen is look at the peaks.)

Chefchaouen: This delightful town in the Rif Mountains is a favourite with travellers for obvious reasons, the air is cool and clear, the people are noticeably more relaxed than in tangier and Tetouen. Founded by Moulay Ali Ben Rachid in 1471 as a base from which to attack the Portuguese in Ceuta, the town prospered and grew considerably with the arrival of Muslims refugees from Spain.

Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide: Visit the Market near Mohamed Vth square, the Medina, la Plaza Uta el-Hammam & Kasbah. Lunch is included in a charming local restaurant.

DAY 12: DEPARTURE (B)
Our staff escorts you to Casablanca airport for your, or for the guests taking the ferry, we escort you to the pier in Tangiers. Bon Voyage. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.

DEPARTURE DATES
You may begin your tour on any day of the week. For Christmas week and New Year’s week, please add a 15 % supplement to the rates.

Rates per person
Deluxe First Class
Triple US$ 5111 US$ 4915
Double US$ 5345 US$ 5120
Single US$ 6523 US$ 6391

Tunisia Sample Hotels
For deluxe & First Class we’ll use El Hanna International or a 5-star beach property: Khamsa Corinthia Hotel in Tunis.

For tourist class the hotels are either 3 or 2 stars. Sample: Maison Doree in Tunis, Sidi Driss in Matmata, and Ksar El Djem in El Djem.

Sample Hotels Morocco
Five Stars First class: Four Stars
Casablanca Royal Mansour Palaca D’ Anfa
Marrakech Imperial Borj or Kenzi Farah Tichka, Holiday or Diwan
Fes Les Merinides Wassim, Menzah Zalagh
Voulubilis
Chefchaouen

Your Friends Abroadsm tour includes:

  • Hotel accommodation at a carefully-selected hotel in the class of your choice (Deluxe, First Class, Tourist Class), including tax, breakfast daily and service charges.
  • Transportation between cities in Tunisia, by an air conditioned van/car as per itinerary.
  • International air fare Tunisia/ Marrakech
  • Tours, entrance fees, local guides as per itinerary.
  • Train transportation in Morocco, first class tickets as listed
  • Lonely Planet guidebook to Morocco and Tunisia
  • Consultation and referral services of our local Friends Abroadsm representative in each city on your tour.
  • Complimentary Panoramic tour of Casablanca. Including entrance fees to the Grand Mosque (except on Fridays. There are no tours of the mosque on Fridays).
  • Complimentary Home hosted dinner in Marrakech.

What’s not included:

  • International airfare from to your home country
  • Lunch or dinner except where/when listed
  • In Morocco we did not include tours and local guides (except when/where listed), which are always available at extra cost if you would like them
  • Ferry ticket to Spain or Gibraltar.
  • Tips
  • Travel Insurance, we’ll be glad to mail you the flyer
  • Beverages
Add a Spa Treatment Package or Hamam to
your Honeymoon and Vacation in Morocco or Tunisia
Young woman in a hammam or turkish bath
More Choices

Treasures of Tunisia

North African Adventure Tour

Private Tour of Carthage, Dougga, Thuburbo Majus and More

The beach at Hammamet. Photo by Marc Ryckaert  [CC-BY-3.0-nl], via Wikimedia Commons

The beach at Hammamet. Photo by Marc Ryckaert [CC-BY-3.0-nl], via Wikimedia Commons

A grand 10 day tour starting daily or weekly on Thursday in Tunis. We’ll take you through Carthage, Dougga, Thuburbo Majus desert oases, curious troglodyte dwellings, Islamic splendors, a Roman amphitheater, a medieval synagogue, and unspoiled beaches. You’ll appreciate the breathtaking beauty of a land that has drawn wanderers over the centuries. Compare with the Honeymoon version.

Tour

DAY 1: TUNIS – Choose your own arrival date/ Daily arrival – Year round. This is a private tour – Private vehicle, private chauffeur.
Our local staff will meet you upon arrival at Tunis Carthage International Airport. You’ll be assisted with the formalities, and escorted to the fine Hotel El Hana International. There will be time to relax and recuperate from your journey, and enjoy the excellent facilities. If you wish, you can go on an adventure into the center of Tunis to start your exploration of the winding alleys of the souk, filled with treasures of beaten brass and basketry and carpets, and merchants who will welcome you with traditional mint tea.

DAY 2: THUBURBO MAJUS – DOUGGA – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
After breakfast at the hotel, we start our full day to Thuburbo Majus. This town of Libyan and then Punic origin sided with Carthage and thus had to pay a tribute to Rome. Thuburbo Maius reached its apogee in the 2nd c. with 10,000 inhabitants and and an impressive array of of monuments: the forum, built in 161-2, the capitol (168) and a number of temples (Temple of peace, Temple of Mercury, Temple of B’a alat, Temple of Caelestis, Temple of Saturn) of which one later became a basilica. We’ll tour as well the market, Roman bath and the amphitheater. We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before proceeding to Dougga: A Numidian city, mentioned in the 4th century B.C. by Diodorus the Sicilian as Tocai, tukka was from the 2nd to 1st century B.C. one of the residences of the Massyle Kings (MASSINISSA, MICIPSA,JUGURTHA). In Roman times the municipal land was split into two parts; the Numidian city, and a pagus (rural area) under the authority of Carthage. Whole again, thugga was a municipium in 205 and honorary colonia in 261. With some 5,000 residents, thugga had a municipal bourgeoisie which endowed her with a number of rich monuments. The monuments are incredibly well preserved, allowing us to imagine the infrastructure this small Proconsular town possessed: 12 temples, 3 of which were transformed into churches in the 4th Century, 3 Roman baths, numerous fountains, aqueducts and more. Thugga slowly lost its glory, though it still enjoyed brief periods of revival in the 3rd, the 4th and 6th centuries (Byzantine fortress). Though it was never deserted, archaeological research required the removal of its residents to a new Dougga lying below classical thugga. Return early evening to our hotel in Tunis in time for dinner.

DAY 3: CARTHAGE, SIDI BOU SAID (200 Kilometers) – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
We’ll marvel at the ruins of Carthage, a true metropolis of the ancient world, as seen by its theater, circus, baths, port installations, and extensive urban plan. We’ll lunch at a fine local restaurant, then speed forward in time to the middle ages as we visit the picture-perfect Moorish village of Sidi Bou Said. With its whitewashed walls and narrow lanes, it’s the perfect setting as we stop for traditional mint tea. Back in Tunis we’ll stop at the Bardo Museum to view the most extensive Roman mosaics in the world. We’ll then head for the Medina, the old quarter of the city, with its warrens of shops filled with wares ranging from the humdrum to the exotic.

DAY 4: HAMMAMET, SOUSSE, EL DJEM, SFAX , GABES, DJERBA – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
After breakfast we will set off to explore! Hammamet is a cosmopolitan port where sun-worshippers from all over happily coexist with fishermen and traditional ways. We’ll stop at the port of El Kantaoui and then proceed back into time to venerable Sousse, once the Phoenician City called Hadrumatum. We’ll stroll through the medina, the old quarter, cooled by sea breezes, and visit the museum as well as the Ribat, a stronghold of the warriors of Islam. Continuing to Sousse, once the Phoenician city of Hadrumatum, we walk through the medina (old city), cooled by breezes off the harbor, and visit the Roman catacombs. Our next stop is El Jem which boasts a Roman coliseum very similar to the famous one in Rome. Our busy day continues with a drive to the coastal city of Gabes, a Roman outpost of old and a traditional market center where, for centuries, goods from across the sea and across the desert have changed hands. We’ll visit the oasis, where palm groves and gardens flourish. We’ll then cross to Djerba, an island where Ulysses once encountered the legendary Lotus-Eaters.

DAY 5: DJERBA – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
Today we explore the old quarters, including the synagogue of Hara Sghira, Hara Kebira with its modern Jewish community, and Guellala, with its craft stalls, and to see the waterfront and fishing fleet, and the lively town of Houmt Souk. After a lunch stop we’ll cross back to the mainland.

DAY 6: MATMATA, KEBILI, DOUZ – ( 300 Kilometers) -Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
Our route takes us through a terrain of increasingly sparse grasses and shrubs, into the desert to Matmata. We’ll stop to look in on a community of miniature underground houses where the earliest settlers sheltered from the extremes of the desert above — as do the Berbers of today. We’ll enjoy a full day of desert adventure first visiting the village of Kebili, largest of a cluster of oases, islands of life in a harsh landscape, and then proceed to Douz, fabled as the Gateway to the Sahara. There a special treats waits, the opportunity to sample a caravan trek! This close encounter with a camel is entirely at your option!

DAY 7: TOZEUR – (280 Kilometers) – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
We set off across the Chott El Djerid, a great dry salt lake, for Tozeur. Here, we will wonder at the ancient irrigation works. We’ll learn more about oases today. Despite the dryness of its surface, great aquifers underlie the Sahara. Where they spill their riches out in springs, they create the green havens of Tunisia’s oases. We’ll see a dramatic example as we explore the irrigated fields around Tozeur and motor overland to the great mountain oases of Chebika and Tamerza  (in 4 wheel drive). We’ll return to Tozeur late afternoon after which you’re free until dinner. You can choose to enjoy the unique desert resort comforts at your hotel. Or, you might decide to wander the streets of Tozeur, look in on daily life, admire the classic North African houses built around patios on terraces above a river fed by springs, and shop for baskets and capes of camel hair.

DAY 8: TOZEUR, GAFSA, SBEITLA, KAIROUAN, TUNIS – Private vehicle, private chauffeur (BLD)
We’ll delve more into Tunisia’s rich and varied past today as we motor overland through pleasant, rolling coastal lands. At Gafsa, we’ll see the Roman pools of Capsa, the ancient crossroads between desert oases and the cultivated coastal lands. We’ll wonder at the Roman ruins of Suffetula, as well as the great mosque. Later in the day, we’ll reach Kairouan, an ancient, holy, and vibrant city noted for its historic mosques and centers of learning. We’ll lunch at the five-star Hotel La Kasbah. Kairouan also is noted for its souk, and the crafting of carpets and leather goods. Of course, there will be time to check out these wares, before we depart to Tunis, or Hammamat where a night’s rest and dinner await us at the Hotel.

DAY 9: At Leisure – (B)
Full day at leisure or relax on the beach.

DAY 10: DEPARTURE – (B)
After breakfast our local personnel will escort you to the international airport where you’ll start your homeward journey. Private vehicle, private chauffeur.

RATES per person in US$:
Choose your own date. Daily Arrival – Private tour / private guide
Sharing in Double or triple Occupancy: $ 3240.00
In Single occupancy: $ 4460 .00

Prices include:

  • Round-trip transportation between airport, all transfers are always on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  • Hotel Accommodations as mentioned in itinerary, in comfortable three or four-star (first-class) hotels, with private facilities.
  • Meals as indicated from preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner).
  • Guided sightseeing as indicated in air-conditioned coach, including all admission fees

Not Included:

  • International air transportation. Optional excursions, such as camel ride.
  • Any meal not specifically mentioned beverages, and personal expenses.
  • Gratuities for local personnel.
  • Travel insurance (available upon request).
  • Airport taxes.

The Island of Djerba

Legend has it that Djerba was the island of the Lotus-Eaters where Odysseus stranded on his voyage through the Mediterranean.The island, called Meninx until the third century AD, included three principal towns. One of these, whose modern name is Burgu, is found near Midoun in the center of the island. The remains of a large town dating from the fourth century BC are signaled by high mounds and dense pottery, as well as by a major tomb, possibly that of a member of the Numidian royal family. Another city, on the southeast coast of the island at Meninx, was a major producer of murex dye, cited by Pliny the Elder as second only to Tyre in this respect; substantial amounts of coloured marble testify to its wealth. In the third century the same town appears to have been called Girba, whence the present name of the island. At least two bishops of Girba are known, Monnulus and Vincent, who assisted at the Councils of Carthage in 255 and 525 (Toulotte, Géographie de l’Afrique chrétienne Proconsulaire, Paris, 1892, pp. 353 and 380). Their cathedral can be identified with ruins to the southwest of Meninx. A third important town, on the south coast near the modern pottery village of Guellala; was probably the ancient Haribus. The island was densely inhabited in the Roman and Byzantine periods, and probably imported much of the grain consumed by its inhabitants. A collapse can be seen after 650 A.D., when the Justinianic plague may have struck the port of Meninx.

Bassi Mosque
During the Middle Ages, it was occupied by members of the Kharejite sect, known as the Ibadites. the Christians of Sicily and Aragon disputed its possession with the Ibadites of the island. Remains from this period include numerous small mosques dating as early as the twelfth century, as well as two substantial forts. The island was controlled twice by the Norman Kingdom of Sicily: in *1135 – 1158 and in *1284 – 1333. During the second of these periods it was organised as a feudal lordship, with the following Lords of Jerba: 1284 – 1305 Roger I, 1305 – 1307 and 1307 – 1310 Roger II (twice), 1310 Charles, 1310 Francis-Roger III; there were also royal governors, partially overlapping with the lordship terms: c.1305 – 1308 Simon de Montolieu, 1308 – 1315 Raymond Montaner.

In 1513, after three years in exile in Rome, the Fregosi family returned to Genoa, Ottaviano was elected Doge, and his brother Federigo Fregosi (archbishop, later cardinal), having become his chief counsellor, was placed at the head of the army, and defended the republic against internal dangers (revolts of the Adorni and the Fieschi) and external dangers, notably suppression of the Barbary piracy: Cortogoli, a corsair from Tunis, blockaded the coast with a squadron, and within a few days had captured eighteen merchantmen; being given the command of the Genoese fleet, in which Andrea Doria was serving, Federigo surprised Cortogoli before Bizerta, effected a descent on the island of Djerba and returned to Genoa with great booty.

It was also twice occupied by Spain: 1521 – 1524 & 1551 – 31 July 1560; again there were governors: 1521 – 1524 …, 1560 Giovanni Andrea Doria.

The island was temporarily the base of the Turkish corsair and admiral Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha in the 16th century. In May 14, 1560, the Ottoman fleet under the command of Piyale Pasha and Turgut Reis severely defeated the Holy League of Philip II at the Battle of Djerba.

Djerba belonged to the Ottoman regency of Tunis until 1881, subsequently under the French colonial protectorate, which became the modern republic of Tunisia.

An archaeological field survey of Jerba, carried out under the auspices of the University of Pennsylvania, the American Academy in Rome and the Tunisian Instiut National du Patrimoine between 1995 and 2000, revealed over 400 archaeological sites, including many Punic and Roman villas.

Carthage and the Oases of Matmata

A Grand 9 days Private Tour of Tunisia

Village of Matmata in Tunisia

Village of Matmata in Tunisia. Photo by Letizia.

We’ll take you through Carthage, desert oases, curious troglodyte dwellings, Islamic splendors, a Roman amphitheater, a medieval synagogue, and unspoiled beaches. You’ll appreciate the breathtaking beauty of a land that has drawn wanderers over the centuries. Combine with Morocco.

Tour

DAY 1: TUNIS – This is a Private Tour – Daily Arrival – Year Round – Choose Your Own Date (D)
Our local representative will meet you upon arrival at the Tunis Carthage International Airport. You’ll be assisted with the formalities, and escorted to your fine hotel in Tunis or “Palm Beach” Hotel in Hammamet or similar. There will be time to relax, recuperate from your journey, and enjoy the excellent facilities. If you wish, you can adventure into the center of Tunis to start your exploration of the winding alleys of the souk, filled with treasures of beaten brass and basketry and carpets, and merchants who will welcome you with traditional mint tea. Dinner will be at your hotel.

DAY 2: CHARTAGE, SIDI BOU SAID – Sunday (200 Kilometers) (BLD)
We’ll marvel at the ruins of Carthage, a true metropolis of the ancient world as seen by its theater, circus, baths, port installations, and extensive urban plan. We’ll lunch at a fine local restaurant, then speed forward in time to the middle ages as we visit the picture-perfect Moorish village of Sidi Bou Said. With its whitewashed walls and narrow lane ways it’s the perfect setting as we stop for traditional mint tea. Back in Tunis, we’ll stop at the Bardo Museum to view the most extensive Roman mosaics in the world. We’ll then head for the Medina, the old quarter of the city, with its warrens of shops filled with wares ranging from humdrum to exotic. Your hotel in Tunis or “Palm Beach” Hotel in Hammamet or similar.

DAY 3: HAMMAMET, SOUSSE, EL DJEM, SFAX , GABES – 400 Kilometers – Monday (BLD)
After breakfast, we’ll set off to explore! Hammamet is a cosmopolitan port where sun-worshippers from all over happily coexist with fishermen and traditional ways. We’ll stop at the port of El Kantaoui and then proceed back into time to venerable Sousse, once the Phoenician City called Hadrumatum. We’ll stroll through the medina, the old quarter, cooled by sea breezes, and visit the museum as well as the Ribat, a stronghold of the warriors of Islam, and visit the Roman catacombs. Our next stop is El Jem, which boasts a Roman coliseum very similar to the famous one in Rome. Lunch will be served at “Palm Beach Jawhra Club” in Sousse or “Donia” in Sfax. Our busy day continues with a drive to the coastal city of Gabes, a Roman outpost of old and a traditional market center where, for centuries, goods from across the sea and across the desert have changed hands. We’ll visit the oasis, where palm groves and gardens flourish. Accommodation  in Gabes: Hotel “Oasis” or “Chems.”

DAY 4: GABES, DJERBA (250 Kilometers) – Tuesday (BLD)
Today we cross to Djerba, an island where Ulysses once encountered the legendary Lotus-Eaters. Explore the old quarters, including the synagogue of Hara Sghira, Hara Kebira with its modern Jewish community, and Guellala with its craft stalls, and to see the waterfront and fishing fleet, and the lively town of Houmt Souk. After a lunch stop, we’ll either return to our hotel on the Island of Djerba (“Palm Beach” or similar) or cross back to the mainland and overnight in Gabes at hotel Oasis or Chems. Dinner at the hotel.

DAY 5: MATMATA, KEBILI, DOUZ – ( 300 Kilometers) – Wednesday (BLD)
Our route takes us through terrain of increasingly sparse grasses and shrubs, into the desert to Matmata. We’ll stop to look in on a community of miniature underground houses, where the earliest settlers sheltered from the extremes of the desert above — as do the Berbers of today. We’ll enjoy a full day of desert adventure, we’ll visit the village of Kebili, largest of a cluster of oases, islands of life in a harsh landscape, then proceed to Douz, fabled as the Gateway to the Sahara. There, a special treats waits, the opportunity to sample a caravan trek! This close encounter with a camel is entirely at your option! Hotel: “Oasis” in Kebili, or “Palmyre” in Tozeur.

DAY 6: TOZEUR – (280 Kilometers) – Thursday (BLD)
We set off across the Chott El Djerid, a great dry salt lake, for Tozeur. Here, we’ll wonder at the ancient irrigation works. We’ll learn more about oases today. Despite the dryness of its surface, great aquifers underlie the Sahara. Where they spill their riches out in springs, they create the green havens of Tunisia’s oases. We’ll see a dramatic example, as we explore the irrigated fields around Tozeur and motor overland to the great mountain oases of Chebika and Tamerza (in 4 wheel drive). We’ll return to Tozeur late afternoon, after which you’re free until dinner. You can choose to enjoy the unique desert resort comforts at your hotel. Or you might decide to wander the streets of Tozeur, look in on daily life, admire the classic North African houses built around patios on terraces above a river fed by springs, and shop for baskets and capes of camel hair.

DAY 7: TOZEUR, GAFSA, SBEITLA, KAIROUAN, TUNIS – Friday (BLD)
We’ll delve more into Tunisia’s rich and varied past today, as we motor overland through pleasant, rolling coastal lands. At Gafsa, we’ll see the Roman pools of Capsa, the ancient crossroads between desert oases and the cultivated coastal lands. We’ll wonder at the Roman ruins of Sbeitla, Suffetula, as well as the great mosque. Later in the day, we’ll reach Kairouan, an ancient, holy, and vibrant city noted for its historic mosques and centers of learning. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Kairouan also is noted for its souk, and the crafting of carpets and leather goods. Of course, there will be time to check out these wares, before we depart to Tunis, or Hammamat where a night’s rest and dinner await us once again at the hotel in Tunis or “Palm Beach” in Hammamet or similar.

DAY 8: At Leisure – Saturday (B)
Full day at leisure. Ask us about available additional tours (additional $$$ apply) or simply enjoy this Mediterranean North African Riviera.

DAY 9: DEPARTURE – Sunday (B)
After breakfast, our local personnel will escort you to the international airport, where you’ll start your homeward journey. Bon Voyage!

 

Choice A: Four Star Hotels
RATES per person in US$:
Minimum 2 Guests
Minimum 4 Guests
Sharing in triple occupancy:
$ 2290.
$ 1880.
Sharing in double occupancy:
$ 2350.
$ 2041.
In single occupancy:
$ 3210.
$ 2903.

 

Sample 4-Star Hotels (or similar):
MONASTIR Hotel Vime HELYA BEACH
TOZEUR Hotel EL MOURADI TOZEUR
DOUZ Hotel EL MOURADI DOUZ
SAFX Hotel GOLDEN TULIP SFAX
Tunis Tunisia Palace Hotel

 

Choice B : Modest Five Stars Hotels
RATES per person in US$:
Minimum 2 Guests
Minimum 4 Guests
Sharing in triple occupancy:
$ 2584.
$ 2262.
Sharing in double occupancy:
$ 2622.
$ 2374.
In single occupancy:
$ 3700.
$ 3211.

 

Sample Hotels With 5 Stars Category ( or similar): 
MONASTIR Hotel AMIR PALACE – Five Star – M
TOZEUR Hotel DAR CHRAIET – Five Star
DOUZ Hotel EL MOURADI DOUZ – Four Stars (best available)
SFAX Hotel LES OLIVIERS PALACE SFAX – Five Star
Tunis Golden Tulip Hotel – Five Stars


Prices include:

  • Round-trip transportation between airport and hotels, always on a private basis.
  • Hotel Accommodations as mentioned, with private facilities, including all taxes.
  • Meals as indicated from preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner).
  • Guided sightseeing as indicated in air-conditioned vehicle, including all admission fees.


Not Included:

  • International air transportation. Optional excursions, such as camel ride.
  • Any meal not specifically mentioned beverages, and personal expenses.
  • Gratuities for local personnel.
  • Travel insurance
  • Airport taxes.

 

Want a Mediterranean vacation like the Europeans enjoy? Go to Tunisia!Go to Tunisia

The Mediterranean resorts of Europe are wonderful, but they can be crowded and expensive. So where do discerning Europeans go to find the perfect laid-back, affordable Mediterranean vacation? Why, they go to Tunisia, of course!

The clear blue water, the shimmering sun, the white sand beaches are all the same in Tunisia, the southern shore of the Mediterranean,  just across the sea from Sicily and Sardinia. The prices are lower, the pace is more relaxed, and the cuisine and service in this former French colony are French-inspired. (Everyone speaks French as well as Arabic, and many people in hotels, restaurants and other tourist spots speak some English, too.)

Tunisia’s history has always been linked to Europe’s. Hannibal of Carthage crossed from Tunisia to Europe with 30,000 men and a few dozen elephants and humbled the Roman legions. Rome ultimately triumphed, however, and Tunisia became the Roman province of Africa. Today the picturesque ruins of great Roman cities are spread throughout the Tunisian countryside.

Be sure to see Tunisia’s African side as well: its legacy of Umayyad, Abbasid and Ottoman culture and cuisine; the picture-perfect desert oases shaded by date palms; and the markets filled with handicrafts and exotic spices.