SAHARA & OASIS

2 DAYS SAFARI TRIP IN THE SOUTH OF TUNISIA

DAY1: EL JEM / SFAX / MATMATA / DOUZ

Early in the morning meet up with our tour guide for the start of our 2 day safari trip. We start our tour heading down the east towards El Jem. El Jem is particulary famous for the Coliseum which could accommodate over thirty thousand spectators in its heyday, this magnificent Roman Amphitheatre is very well preserved, possibly better than the Coliseum in Rome. Our journey then continues to Matmata, en route you will notice the landscape gradually changing to a more rural and lunar type terrain. On arrival in Matmata we will stop for a local lunch and later visit a Troglodyte dwelling, similar to the dwellings featured in the hit movie Star Wars I. We continue our tour heading towards Douz which is known as the ‘Gateway to the Desert'. Douz is a typical desert village and is surrounded with flat desert, as far as the eye can sea and the occasional sand dunes and palm tree oasis are visible. You will also have the opportunity to explore the area on a camel or cart ride, for the more adventurous quad bikes are also available (camel, cart and quad rides are additional and payable locally). After our desert experience we make our way to our 4* hotel for an overnight stay and dinner.


DAY2: DOUZ / CHOTT EL JERID / TOZEUR / CHEBIKA / TAMERZA / GAFSA / KAIROUAN

After breakfast we continue our tour crossing the huge Chott El Jerid, which is a dry salt lake, in the distance you will see the massive Atlas Mountains region which is our next destination. We arrive on the outskirts of Tozeur, one of the largest southern settlements. Here you will visit the town and some of its places of interest. After our brief stop in Tozeur we continue with the next part of our tour and considered by many of our guests as one of the highlights of the two days. We wind our way into the mountain region to our next stop at the small settlement of Chebika. Chebika has two villages, the old and the new. The old village was destroyed by storms, however some of the dwellings and buildings still remain intact. It was built on a around a steep gorge and provides amazing all round scenery. You will have the opportunity to explore this beautiful location where you will see natural springs, a palm oasis and you can also walk through the gorge, a wonderful experience as you cross the small streams and pass small waterfalls. We continue with our mountain adventure en route passing the isolated mountain village of Tamerza and also visit another oasis and waterfall. Our mountain region tour ends as we move onto the town of Gafsa for lunch. After lunch we head back to the north. Our drive takes through a variety of local villages and changing landscapes until we reach our final stop during of the tour in Kairouan. The Holy City of Kairouan has more than fifty mosques which are clustered within the old medina, however the ninth century Great Mosque is the most impressive. You will do a panoramic visit of Kairouan. Transfer to the airport or to your hotel of stay.