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Chartage
and the Oases of Matmata
A
Grand 9 days Private Tour of Tunisia
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
DAY 1 - TUNIS - This is a Private Tour
- Choose Your Own Date (D)
Our local rep. will meet you upon arrival at Tunis Carthage International
Airport. You'll be assisted with the formalities, and escorted to your
fine hotel l in Tunis or "Palm Beach" Hotel in Hammamet 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.
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 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
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, 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 and. 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 for additional tours available ( 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
Want
a Mediterranean vacation like the Europeans enjoy
? Go to Tunisia!

Choice
A : Four Stars 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
Hotels With 4 Stars Category ( or similar) :
MONASTIR: Hotel Vime HELYA BEACH - Four Stars
TOZEUR: Hotel EL MOURADI TOZEUR- Four Stars
DOUZ: Hotel EL MOURADI DOUZ - Four Stars
SAFX: Hotel GOLDEN TULIP SFAX - Four Stars
Tunis: Tunisia Palace Hotel - Four Stars
Choice
B : Modest Five Stars Hotels
RATES per person in US$:
| RATES
per person in US$: |
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.
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, its picture-perfect desert oases shaded
by date palms, its markets filled with handicrafts and exotic spices.
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.
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