TUNISIA
Trip Start
Apr 30, 1982
1
14
21
Trip End
Dec 23, 2005
TUNIS, Tunisia
Friday, March 3, 2006
I made six trips in Tunisia being in front of Italy, 2 hours by air from Milan
very cheap and adapt for a pause of one week to relax along its beaches or to wander in the desert, the oaziz, the salt lake, the berberian hill villages,etc...
My first trip was in Hammamet, a nice town on the north east coast , with white houses, a medina, a nice beach and hot spring waters (hamam) famous in the roman empire when North Africa, under better climate, was rich of wheat and its harvest supplied whole Italy
The second holiday was in Cap Mahdia a fishermen village in the middle of the east coast with a long sand beach
The third in Monastir and Sousse, the touristy cities between Hamamet and Djerba, the first famous as home city of the tunisian former President Mr.Bourghiba, the second large city with sand beaches and good hotels
beach in Jerba
.The fourth in Djerba island in the south, a touristy island full of luxury hotels, flat windy, reach of palm trees and easy for excursion to the southern desert.
The fifth Djerba again
The sixth a tour around all Tunisia.
Tunisia is very easy and nice country, while people are not so friendly in my opinion and it is better to avoid the contact as most of them try to scam and rip off.
Tunis is a nice capital, with an interesting museum, the Bardo for mosaics and arab art, Sidi Bou Said a nice touristy town at one hour by tramway from the city, with white houses, beautiful gardens and pleasant bars and boutiques of handicrafts
Close to the city you can also visit the ruins of Carthages, the famous punic city, great enemy of the roman empire
there is also a big bazaar (arab market), some nice alleys and you can also see some european style houses
Going towards south you meet Kairouan, one of the most important islamic holy cities not particularly interesting and El Jem aith a fabulous giant roman Colosseum, well preserved
Then you arrive to the great salt lake of Chott el Jerid, almost completely dry with a one meter high road that cut the lake in two parts and connects Kebili with Tozeur, a nice oaziz town with a big palmery (thousands of palm trees), an interesting museum of the costumes and traditions and pleasant red brick carved houses
Chenini
.Not far you can reach Douz, in front of soft desert dunes that you can climb by camel or by foot or take an excursion into the desert (much more interesting as I did).
In Tunisia there are sea, desert and mountains oaziz.
I visited some little nice mountain oaziz (Tamerza) where you can see some waterfalls, canyons, palm trees and stone dry mountains.
In the south you can visit Matmata (where the movie Starwars was filmed) where it seems to be on the Moon and there are fresh houses under the earth or
Chenini an interesting berbere village on a mountain with houses carved inside the soft walls of the hill with an astonishing view of the valley below
Medenine and Tatauine, two interesting towns with coloured markets inside old wheat warehouses and historical ruins
In the south you can join excursions to the dunes of pure desert by 4x4 land rovers
