We'll take you through Carthage, desert oases, curious troglodyte dwellings,a
Roman amphitheater, and unspoiled beaches. Then it's on the the Malta
and Sicily. You'll appreciate the breathtaking beauty of these Mediterranean
Island has drawn wanderers over the centuries.
Compare
with the 10 days Tunisia and Malta , add a
Nile Cruise ,
Morocco , or
Libya
DAY
1 - TUNIS - Saturday- Weekly - Year round
Private Vehicle , private chauffeur for all your transfers
Start in Tunis on the first Saturday of each month.
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 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.
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 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
El Hana International in Tunis or "Palm Beach" Hotel in Hammamet
or similar
Private Vehicle , private chauffeur for all your
tours in Tunisia
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" . Private
Vehicle , private chauffeur for all your tours in Tunisia
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.
Private
Vehicle , private chauffeur for all your tours in Tunisia
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. Private
Vehicle , private chauffeur for all your tours in Tunisia
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. Private
Vehicle , private chauffeur for all your tours in Tunisia
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 El Hana in Tunis or "Palm Beach"
in Hammamet or similar. Private
Vehicle , private chauffeur for all your tours in Tunisia
DAY 8 -At Leisure- Saturday (B)
Full day at leisure or relax on the beach .
DAY 9 - The Island of Malta-Sunday (B)
After breakfast, our local personnel will escort you
to the international airport, where you'll your flight heading for Valetta
,Malta and your 4 stars ,hotel ( Forum/ Victoria or Corinthia Marina)
.
DAY 10 - Monday- VALLETTA - City of the Knights- (B)
Morning tour of the Capital Valletta and walk to the Upper Barracca
Gardens for a panoramic view of the Grand Harbour. Then on to St. John's
co-Cathedral, Malta's greatest treasure which includes the famous painting
by Caravaggio. Our tour proceeds to the Grand Master's Palace, which
houses Parliament, the offices of the President of Malta and the Armoire.
Remainder of the day at leisure
