Tunisia from the Mainland to Djerba: Tozeur, Douz and Carthage Small Group Tour in 8 Days

Upon arrival at the Tunis-Carthage International Airport, our airport staff and your driver will greet and assist you and transfer you to your accommodation in Hammamet. Spend the rest of the day relaxing in the hotel facilities or head outside to explore the area and in the evening enjoy a delicious dinner at your hotel.

After breakfast, you will be picked up at approximately 8 am. This day will start with the transfer to Kairouan. Take a walking tour with your guide through the old Medina of Kairouan to the Great Mosque of Kairouan, located in the middle of the Medina and built by the Arab general Uqba Ibn Nafi in 670 AD. The site attracts thousands of local and international visitors for its magnificent architectural and spiritual value. The next visit is to the impressive ancient engineering site of the Aghlabid basins, where two large water basins and a few cisterns have survived the passing of centuries as they helped conserve and distribute decades of scarce drinking water resources. After Kairouan, head south to Gafsa for lunch before arriving at the city of palm trees Tozeur at around 6 pm.

After breakfast spend the rest of the day at leisure enjoying hotel´s facilities. After lunch, make your way out of Tozeur through the biggest salt lake in the country, Chott el Djerid, with an outstanding never-ending view of white and pink mirages, also used as a filming site for Star Wars. Arrive at Douz, the "gateway to the Sahara", enjoy some free time, or an optional camel ride. You can also go on an optional excursion in the morning which is available on site. Optional activities starting at 8 am: Take 4x4 ride through the desert and the occasional dry salt lakes to arrive at the stunning mountain oasis of Chebika. Or choose another 4X4 ride to visit the site of the Star Wars filming location found in the middle of the Sahara Desert, only a couple of minutes from Tozeur.

You will start your day around 8 am and drive to Matmata. The area contains one of the best-preserved, still inhabited troglodyte houses, carved by Tunisian Berbers in the middle of the surrounding earth. A filming site of the Star Wars movie is also open for visitors in Matmata. Your next stop is the Island of Dreams, where you will start with lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch you will discover the downtown area of the Island, Houmt Souk, renowned for being the attraction of the locals for daily shopping and containing colourful souks, and also colourful neighbourhood such as the Djerba Hood, a street in which artists from all over the world gathered in 2014 and created beautiful graffiti art pieces. The day will finish with a check in at your hotel around 6 pm.

Enjoy your breakfast and be ready around 8 am to move into a different culture located in Djerba, equally significant for its history, in the Jewish hood, the center of which is the Synagogue of El Ghriba in the village of Erriadh. 20 synagogues were once present in Erriadh, one of which is today a site of pilgrimage for many visitors from all over the world. The synagogue is a modest building when seen from the outside, but has a fascinating interior, richly decorated by colorful windows and tiles, and very well preserved authentic furniture. It is most fascinating to know that today Djerba is home to around 1400 Jewish people, living in harmony on the island along with Muslims, reunited under the Tunisian patrimony. After lunch, you will head to Guellala, from the Berber name Iquallalen, meaning potteries and renowned for pottery making, an activity practiced since centuries and defining the main economic base for the locals then and until the present day. Head back to your resort at around 6 pm for dinner time.

After breakfast around 8 am, the tour heads towards El Djem home of the Roman amphitheatre of El Djem, the second largest Roman Amphitheatre, built around 18 centuries ago, and still today exceptionally well preserved. The site was mainly used for spectator events, namely gladiator battles. Have lunch in a local restaurant in El Djem. The day will finish by a short walk in the leisure harbour of Port El Kantaoui, where you will have opportunity to purchase some souvenirs or simply enjoy the scene while sipping some Tunisian coffee or fresh juice. Head to your hotel at around 6 pm for dinner and overnight.

Today starts with a transfer around 8 am to the picturesque Sidi Bou Said after breakfast at the hotel. This charming village is known for its white walls and indigo blue windows and doors, and features dazzling views over the Mediterranean Sea, set at an altitude of over 100 metres high. Your next stop is at the neighbouring archaeological site of Carthage, located on a magnificent coastline. Although the ancient city was destroyed by the Romans, this UNESCO World Heritage Site features excavations of homes, baths and sewage systems. The other significant site in the area is the Carthage amphitheatre, built towards the first century AD and later rebuilt by the Romans. The theatre today hosts some 30,000 visitors at the yearly International Music Festival of Carthage. After lunch, head towards downtown Tunis to visit the Bardo National Museum, renowned for its rich collection of mosaics and located in an old Beylical castle in the middle of the old city of Tunis. The day is concluded with a visit and free time in the ancient Medina of Tunis before you head to Gammarth around 6 pm to check in to your hotel and have dinner.

After breakfast, and depending on your flight time, you will be transferred to the airport and assisted for departure. (Depending on your flights' times, lunch is included either on your arrival day or on your departure day).

This tour runs from the north of Tunisia to the island of Djerba and back. You arrive in Tunis and stay the first night in Hammamet. Day two takes in the Great Mosque of Kairouan on the way to the oasis of Tozeur. Douz, on the edge of the Sahara, is next. You then visit the cave houses of Matmata and cross to Djerba for two nights. On Djerba you see the market of Houmt Souk, the El Ghriba synagogue and the pottery village of Guellala. The road north stops at the Roman amphitheatre of El Djem and Port El Kantaoui, with a night in Sousse. The last full day covers Sidi Bou Said, Carthage, the Bardo National Museum and the medina of Tunis. Guides speak English, French, German, Italian or Spanish and the tour is shared with other travellers. Seven nights in 4-star and 5-star hotels, seven breakfasts, seven lunches, seven dinners and the entrance fees are included. Departures are every Sunday.

• Travel Insurance
• Personal Expenses
• Gratuities
• Optional Activities / Highlights
• Meals and drinks not specifically stated as included

Visa fees. Local hotel tax. Personal expenses. Porterage and gratuities. Optional activities. Meals and drinks not mentioned in the programme. Any type of personal or travel insurance. Other services not clearly indicated in the package inclusions above

Price per person sharing a double room. Single rooms on request. The land arrangements are confirmed by the supplier, TUI Tunisia, within two working days of booking. A local hotel tax is paid at each hotel. Check the entry rules for your passport before booking.