Tunisia Days Tour

Upon arrival at the Tunis airport assistance and transfer to hotel The remainder of the day is free Dinner and overnight

After breakfast we will begin by visiting Carthage the capital of the great Carthaginian Empire There will be visits to the Byrsa Hill with its vestiges of Carthaginian and Roman buildings Next we continue to the Punic ports including the Salammbo Tophet where urns containing the ashes and milk teeth of 8th century BC children have been unearthed and the Antonine Baths a huge Roman bath complex on the edge of the Mediterranean Next we will visit the picturesque Andalusian village Sidi Bou Said It is a delightful place for a leisurely stroll through its winding cobbled streets Departure to the medina Tunis historic heart a UNESCO World Heritage Site you will stroll through the winding Medinas streets with its souk door to door shops selling all types of local curiosities one of the worlds great marketplaces and retrace its remarkable wealthy past you will have also a walking tour within the modern city Continue to visit the Bardo Museum This is Tunisias National Museum and the repository of the countrys rich archaeological collections including the worlds largest collection of Roman polychrome mosaics It contains stunning mosaics and relics from the sites we have visited Return to Hotel dinner and over night

After breakfast Depart to Kairouan this city remains a purely Arab city filled with outstanding examples of the finest Islamic architecture in Tunisia Visit the Great Mosque the oldest place of worship in North Africa and the zaouia or tomb complex of Sidi Sahab a companion of the Prophet We will see the impressive pools at Aghlabid Basins built in the 9th century to collect and store winter rainwater Then free time to stroll into the medina old town the ancient marketplace encircled by 11th century walls Continue to Sbeitla to view its remnants of the Roman Empire The small town of Sbeitla is the site of the ancient city of Sufetula and possesses some of the best preserved Roman temples anywhere In addition to temples dedicated to the Roman gods Jupiter Juno and Minerva the site also has 2 early Christian basilicas and an extensive bath complex with a remarkably sophisticated system for heating the floors Continue to Tozeur dinner and overnight at your hotel

After breakfast Depart to Kairouan this city remains a purely Arab city filled with outstanding examples of the finest Islamic architecture in Tunisia Visit the Great Mosque the oldest place of worship in North Africa and the zaouia or tomb complex of Sidi Sahab a companion of the Prophet We will see the impressive pools at Aghlabid Basins built in the 9th century to collect and store winter rainwater Then free time to stroll into the medina old town the ancient marketplace encircled by 11th century walls Continue to Sbeitla to view its remnants of the Roman Empire The small town of Sbeitla is the site of the ancient city of Sufetula and possesses some of the best preserved Roman temples anywhere In addition to temples dedicated to the Roman gods Jupiter Juno and Minerva the site also has 2 early Christian basilicas and an extensive bath complex with a remarkably sophisticated system for heating the floors Continue to Tozeur dinner and overnight at your hotel

Morning at leisure or you can take an optional extra US Dollars excursion It is a discovery extra US Dollars tour to the mountain oases where many of the scenes of The English Patient were filmed You will drive south into some of the countrys most spectacular mountain scenery visit the mountain oasis of Tamerza along with Mides and Chebika You will drive south into some of the countrys most spectacular mountain scenery visit the mountain oasis of Tamerza along with Mides and Chebika In ancient days the village of Heike was called Ad speculum after the Roman troops who communicated by mirror The towns were flooded in 1969 in freak torrential rains and were later abandoned The original villages are now ghost towns Next visit the old town of Tozeur little changed since the 14th century when it was built This quarter is famous for the unique decorative architecture in brick with exuberant towering facades patterned in bas relief zigzags Next we will visit the Museum of palm trees a very nicely done exposition about the date palm trees It offers also a tour inside the oasis an explanation of the irrigation system This visit will end by a degustation of dates products Dinner and overnight

After breakfast we will travel to the small remote town of Nefta This peaceful oasis with a crater like depression planted with palm trees in its centre is crowned with the white domes of numerous Zaouias holy sanctuaries We will visit the old quarter with its distinctive architecture and observe through ancient doorways the looms and rugs that provide a living for most of the people Here you can have an optional dollars carriage rideby horses that will give you the opportunity to visit the oasis and have close idea about palms plantation We will drive to Chott El Jerid This chott flat dry salt lake is the largest in Tunisia and only becomes an inner sea during the winter rains Most of the year it is a salty and dry marsh with the light reflected from the crystal surface creating mirages this region is also wellknown for its Desert Roses We drive to Douz the oasis town known as the Gateway to the Sahara where each Thursday is a market day nomads gather for the customary trading and barter of camels horses crafts blankets and typical Berber trinkets Visit the desert village of Douz with its sand coloured homes narrow streets Here you have the opportunity optional dollars to have a camel ride passing over the majestic sand dunes and picturesque Sahara desert here the Sahara seems to go on forever Dinner and overnight

After breakfast departure to Matmata a Berber village of Star Wars notoriety but m ore importantly center of the most extensive number of traditional troglodyte pit homes in the region To get a feel for troglodyte living visit of one of these dwelling caves then visit the hotel Sidi Driss where scenes from the Lars homestead in Star Wars were filmed Departure to Gabès the main attraction in the city centre is the souk Souk Jara area where locals sell fruit and vegetables spices dried fish and mounds of green henna for which the city is renowned visit of the souks and market spices Continue to El Jem Known in Punic and Roman times as Thysdrus to visit the largest and most spectacular Roman amphitheater in North Africa and the best preserved in the world The coliseum appears better preserved than the one in Rome and certainly has seen far less numbers of tourists over the years This colossal edifice classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site which seems to rise out of nowhere was designed with seating for 30000 people and is similar to Romes Coliseum In the small archaeological museum see the gorgeous collection of mosaics Visit the remains of Roman villas behind the museum From El Jem you continue east towards the coast and head north to the city of Sousse or the city of Hammamet Dinner and overnight in Sousse Monastir or Hammamet

After breakfast we will have a half day sightseeing tour of the city You will visit the medina and have a stroll in its colourful souk market to experience the local atmosphere and the traditional hand craft Possibility for shopping Free afternoon at your hotel Dinner and overnight