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

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.

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 Abroad^sm 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

• The 6 days in Tunisia on a budget.