Travel Tips: Tunisia, Africa

One short week in Tunisia in 2006 was a good experience.  Tunisia is a small country in north Africa between Libya and Egypt, on the Mediterranean with typical Arabic culture yet still different. Close to Sicily Italy, one lands at the capital Tunis airport, which is modern, well air-conditioned and equipped. Travelling to the tourist areas by bus,  through the Nabeul region and province, there are lovely resorts and palm trees all the way. Tourism and many resorts are in the north and north west on the Mediterranean Sea, with Sousse and Djerba being the most popular. 

Hammamet

Resorts with all inclusive packages offer lazy beach short holidays, a healthy and delicious diet of  freshly grilled fish, salads and deserts galore. The Tunisian staff in our four seat resort were modern, spoke good English and French and were  friendly and service oriented.

Reaorts normally have animation teams. So you can tan, laze, read and swim or work off all the food doing, aqua aerobics in the pool, table tennis or tennis, beach walks and volley ball, afternoon aerobics, archery and pool games, or para-sailing and other beach entertainment.  Kids are taken too group activities to draw and play, take part in treasure hunts or ride ponies. The Tunisian teams were modern, genuine, kind, trustworthy and helpful. They took excellent of our young companions.

Afternoons can be spent lazing at your room with private garden, or walking the large lovely premises gardens with loads of fruit trees. Or of course, siesta. Visits to the local small cities are fun late afternoon trips when it's cooler. There are interesting markets, stylish blue and white architecture, local cafes with mint tea and shisha-pipes, all with lovely mosaic interiors. Or try the Hammamet Beach cafes with views over the ocean and sitting on large cushions on the floor.

 
Typical blue and white architecture in town

 
Kittens lying in lovely mosaic pottery on the market

 

Cafe on Hammamet Beach 

 

 

A small archeological museum in Hammamet

Resorts have entertainment every evening with belly-dancing, games and comedy. Excursions include inter-alia, quad-bike safaris, spa days and camel safaris. Taken by jeep into the countryside, two up on a camel we had a lovely slow day in a large group, feeling what it must be like to be a nomad travelling through dry, arid landscape. A little like Turkey, except much smaller, Tunisia is an exotic country, with great weather, a different culture, good food and friendly people.

 

Camel safari

Tourism and good resorts are in Sousse and Djerba and because the sea and hotel pools are so welcome in such hot weather, no cities were visited. When I see photos of Monastir though, I suppose along with Marrakesh in Morocco,  I need to visit to experience more! The dry weather, palm trees and Arabic architecture reminds me of parts of Seville, Spain.

                                                                    Monastir Beach