Mike

Hi there...my g/f and I are planning a one week trip to Tunisia in August; it is extremely difficult to find information on the country here in Canada. Just looking for any advice on what to see, precautions to takes, etcetera.

Thank you in advance for any info. you can provide.

t alexander

Dear Mike,
My husband and I are flying off to Tunisia next week (from Canada). I would be pleased to report back to you on our return at the beginning of June. We too have had trouble getting much information. You may wish to purchase the "Rough Guide"-it is helpful. Panorama- a travel agency in Britain also has some interesting brochures. They have a web site and will send their information to you very quickly. This web page is also a valuable source of information. Good luck planning your holiday!

George Holt

There is an earlier thread in this section:- 'travel to Tunisia and Egypt (10 responses; most recent posted on 3/19/1998 11:51 pm)' which you might find helpful if you haven't already found it.

Mike

George and t.alexander: Thank you very much for the replies. Yes, George I did find the previous post...very interesting and helpful. And t.alexander I would be very interested in hearing about your trip when you return. Thank you both for replying.

JSnow

I just got back two weeks ago from a month-long Italy/Tunisia trip. We used the Let's Go 1998 book for Italy/Tunisia, but you should take their suggestions with a bit of scepticism. Some of the "quaint"places were a bit below my (already pretty low) standards of safety and cleanliness. We went to Djerba, Hammamet, Tunis, and Sidi Bou Said. The tourist industry is pretty new, so plan on either roughing it or staying in tourist resorts. English-only speakers will be in for a surprise... people spoke mostly German/French/Arabic. E-mail me if you want more info.

t alexander

Hi Mike- <BR>My husband and I have been back for a week now and have had some time to reflect on our holiday in Tunisia. All in all it was an interesting trip but tourism in this country is fairly new. You should be careful about where you go if you want to avoid the European (mostly German and French) package tour crowd. Hammamet and Nabeul may be particularly problematic in this regard-depending on your hotel. The beaches are nice-but not as nice as the Caribbean. We particularly enjoyed Djerba, Douz(take the 1 hour camel ride into the desert) and Tozeur. There are some magnificent ruins at Sbeitla. El Djem was interesting too. We also enjoyed the underground Berber dwellings at Matmata(where the bar scene in Star Wars was filmed). Take the usual precautions with food and drink only bottled water. Please advise the females in your group to dress modestly- doing otherwise is clearly out of place and will invite unnecessary problems. Though we enjoyed our holiday and toured throughout the country, I was diasappointed in the lack of contact with local Tunisians. We were part of a small group of 14 on an organized tour of the country. We saw a lot but opportunities to interact with local people were very limited and I found that frustrating. Have a good trip and feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions. <BR>t alexander

r.difonzo

We're 2 seniors who with 2 30'ish are going next <BR>year. We would apprec.any Travel Agcy. anyone <BR>would recommend. Mastermark Tours in Houston, Tx. <BR>is one. We LOVE archeology but are afraid to go <BR>on our own. Anyone been there, done that? How <BR>about the language barrier? Is it just safer to <BR>go with a group. We got info. from the Embassy <BR>in D.C. and the library but nothing beats being <BR>there. We are staying 1 week. How about the airlines <BR>one better to get there than another. Lots of <BR>questions. I hope some answers. Thanks,Rose

Alan Rea

A simple search of the net for "Tunisia" will get quite a bit of information. However, most of it is posted by the Tunisian Travel Ministry. Bias???? <BR>We are taking a conducted tour of Tunisia on Feb1999. Will post my observations on our return.

Alan Rea

Back from our conducted tour of Tunisia. We had a week at the hotel Aziza on the ocean near Hammamet with side trips to Nabeul, Tunis, Carthage, Korbous, Kerkouane, and Sidi Bou Said. The old ruins at Kerkouane were quite extensive and interesting. The whole Cap Bon area is quite green and prosperous looking. <BR>We then toured the country by bus for 5 days. Monastir to see the old Medina, ElJem to visit the old roman colluseum (smaller, but better preserved than the one in Rome) Spending the night in Sfax, the 2nd largest city in the country. South to Gabes and a tour of the extensive oases there. They are large tree farms (dates and many other fruits). Not the quaint cluster of palms surrounding a water fall from old movies. Down to Matmata to visit the old Berber cave dwellers. Very tourist oriented, most moved to the cities fdecades ago. Then to Douz for a camel ride into the edge of the desert. Extremely commercialized and you get badgered to death by the denizens of this tourist trap. Crossing the large salt lake desert of Chott El Jerid is an experience and if you do not go to sleep you can see several authentic bedouin camps in the distance. Witnessed a very mild sand storm. Just enough to make you realize what a bad one must be like.The oases at Tozeur is very extensive and considered one of the best date farms in the country. An interesting ride in a Toyota 4x4 to Chebika, Tamerza, and Mides. Our day in Kairouan was an ABC tour through the Moslem religious buildings and the Hotel Amida (though the best in town) should be avoided. Our final week in the hotel Kanta in Port El Kantaoui outside of Souse was the best part of the trip. The weather during our stay was spring like with very mild temperatures and lots of sunshine. In August, we were told it can go up to 130 degrees.

Aya

Regarding finding information on Tunisia, we admit it can be difficult. We have found a nice website with people who respond and seem very knowledgeable. They very much take that non-commercial route with Tunisia (non beach travelers)concentrating on history and culture. The company is TunisUSA and their site is www.TunisUSA.com