Tunisia: Tunis, Carthage, Kairouan, the Sahara and Djerba

Arrive in Tunis

Tunis-Carthage Airport (TUN) to your hotel in Tunis

• Repas du soir
• Nuit : Tunis

Soir

In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the nine days: which days have long drives, how the travel advisory shapes the southern route, what to wear at mosques and in the heat or cold. We walk or drive to a welcome dinner of Tunisian dishes, perhaps a brik pastry, couscous or grilled fish, and mint tea. Tomorrow is a full day of the capital and Carthage. Flights, vehicles and the hotel are not booked.

Compris

• Proposed airport transfer
• Welcome briefing with your guide
• Welcome dinner

Tunis medina, Bardo, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said

Tunis: medina, Bardo Museum, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Tunis

Après-midi

After a free lunch we drive to Carthage, the Phoenician and Roman city, where the guide explains what remains, including the Antonine Baths beside the sea; the national heritage agency's undated Carthage museum page lists winter hours of 08:30 to 17:00 and a group-ticket option (the page does not say which sites it covers), and notes the museum is being restructured, so we confirm which enclosures are open. The site is spread out and surfaces can be uneven. The day ends at Sidi Bou Said, a hilltop village of white walls and blue doors above the sea, for coffee or mint tea. Closing times are earlier in winter.

Compris

• Tunis medina walk with your guide
• Bardo Museum visit, subject to opening and a Monday closure
• Carthage site visit, subject to which enclosures are open
• Sidi Bou Said walk

Activités en option

• A hammam or cooking class, cost not included

Kairouan and El Jem

Tunis to El Jem via Kairouan, then the Roman amphitheatre

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
• Nuit : El Jem

Matin

We leave Tunis after breakfast and drive south to Kairouan, an estimated two to two and a half hours, to see the Great Mosque, one of the oldest and most important in North Africa. Tourism Tunisia, citing the official heritage listing, gives winter hours of 08:00 to 14:00 with visits ending at noon on Fridays, and says non-Muslim visitors can enter the courtyard only, with shoulders and knees covered, so the visit is planned for the morning and the hours are checked on the day. Time permitting, the guide also points out the Mosque of the Three Doors in the medina and, if open, the Aghlabid basins and the Barber's mosque (the Zaouia of Sidi Sahbi), which that page places further from the mosque.

Après-midi

After a lunch in Kairouan we continue to El Jem, an estimated hour and a half, to see its Roman amphitheatre, a vast stone arena rising from a small town. Tourism Tunisia lists winter hours to 17:30 for El Jem, with other sources differing, so we plan a mid-afternoon visit and confirm.

Soir

We stay in El Jem or nearby, and the evening is free. Exact times are estimates.

Compris

• Kairouan Great Mosque visit, courtyard only for non-Muslim visitors
• El Jem amphitheatre visit
• Lunch in Kairouan

South to Tozeur

El Jem to Tozeur by road via Gafsa

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Tozeur

Après-midi

We plan a stop in Gafsa for lunch, which is free, and short breaks along the way where the landscape changes from olive groves to dry steppe and then to palm groves. We arrive in the afternoon and settle into a hotel in Tozeur, to be chosen.

Soir

The evening is free for a walk in the old brick quarter of Ouled el Hadef, if open and safe, or simply a rest. Because the day is long and the roads can be affected by weather, the guide keeps the pace flexible. We do not promise arrival times, and any change on grounds of road or safety conditions will be explained. Exact drive times are estimates.

Compris

• Road transfer with breaks
• Old-quarter walk in Tozeur, optional

Tozeur oasis and the mountain oases, conditional

Tozeur: palm-grove oasis; mountain oases only if the advisory allows

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Tozeur

Matin

The morning is spent in the Tozeur oasis, a palm grove irrigated by springs, where we walk among date palms and hear how the water is shared out. The mountain oases of Chebika and Tamerza lie near the Algerian border. The Government of Canada's advice (read 8 November 2026) puts the area within 20 km of that border under an avoid-all-travel advisory but lists Chebika, Mides and Tamerza among the places where high caution applies instead. This part of the day is therefore conditional on the advice in force for your passport and on local conditions, and we do not plan it unless both support it. If they do not, we replace it with more time in Tozeur, its museum or the old brick quarter, and we say so plainly.

Soir

The evening is free. We do not promise the mountain oases.

Compris

• Tozeur oasis walk
• Mountain-oasis excursion only if current advice allows

Activités en option

• A 4x4 or horse-carriage ride in the oasis, cost not included

Across the Chott el Jerid to Douz

Tozeur to Douz by road across the Chott el Jerid; Sahara-edge night

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Nuit : Douz

Matin

After breakfast we leave Tozeur on the paved road that crosses the Chott el Jerid, a vast salt lake that is dry for much of the year; we estimate about two hours to Douz and confirm it. A local tourism authority page (read 8 November 2026) says the lake is freely accessible from the road, mirages are common in summer when it is dry, and guides advise against driving onto the salt crust, which is not always solid. We stop at a roadside viewpoint and do not leave the road.

Soir

At Douz, the gateway to the Sahara, we have lunch free and in the late afternoon take a short camel ride or a dune walk toward sunset, subject to wind and conditions. We spend the night in a camp or a hotel on the Sahara edge, to be quoted, with a group dinner. Nights can be cold, and wind or a sandstorm can limit the outing. Tozeur and Douz are not named in the regional advisories on the Canadian page. Phone coverage can be poor in remote desert areas, so tell your guide before leaving the road.

Compris

• Chott el Jerid crossing with a viewpoint stop
• Short camel or dune outing, subject to conditions
• Group dinner at the camp or hotel

Activités en option

• A longer camel trek, cost not included

Matmata's underground houses

Douz to Matmata by road; troglodyte houses

• Petit-déjeuner
• Nuit : Matmata

Après-midi

Lunch is free. The afternoon is open for a short walk on the hills or a rest. We stay in Matmata in accommodation of a type to be quoted, such as a cave-style lodge; nothing is booked and we do not name one.

Soir

The night is quiet, and in winter it can be cold. Matmata is not named in the regional advisories on the Canadian page. Exact drive times and visit arrangements are estimates.

Compris

• Troglodyte house visit with your guide
• Matmata village walk

To Djerba and El Ghriba

Matmata to Djerba by road; El Ghriba synagogue and the island

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Nuit : Djerba

Matin

We leave Matmata after breakfast and drive to the island of Djerba, an estimated two and a half to three and a half hours including the crossing, which is by road causeway or by car ferry and is confirmed with the supplier; ferry queues can add waiting time.

Après-midi

We check in and then, in the afternoon, visit El Ghriba, a historic synagogue at Er Riadh. Tourism Tunisia (page updated August 2026) describes it as an active place of worship with heightened security and controlled access, lists no fixed opening hours, and asks for covered heads, shoulders and knees. Closures around Jewish holidays are possible, so the visit is subject to current access and we check on the day. The Canadian advice records a shooting near the synagogue in May 2023 during the annual Lag BaOmer pilgrimage period, and the 2026 pilgrimage ran from 30 April to 6 May; we check the pilgrimage dates for any departure. If the visit is not possible, the guide replaces it with a walk in Houmt Souk, the main town, with its market and harbour.

Soir

We share a farewell dinner.

Compris

• Road transfer to Djerba
• El Ghriba visit, subject to security and opening
• Farewell dinner

Activités en option

• A cycling or pottery outing on Djerba, cost not included

Djerba and departure

Djerba: free morning, then Djerba-Zarzis Airport (DJE)

• Petit-déjeuner

Matin

After breakfast the morning is free on Djerba, for a walk in Houmt Souk, last souvenirs such as pottery, or the beach if the weather is warm. We then transfer you to Djerba-Zarzis Airport (DJE) for your onward journey; we confirm the transfer time with the supplier. We do not set a default flight deadline, and an early departure may mean skipping the free morning.

Soir

If you wish to stay longer on Djerba or return to Tunis by land, tell us before booking so we can price an extra night or a transfer, neither of which is included. The trip ends at the airport. Flights from Djerba and onward connections are your responsibility, and we do not promise any particular schedule. Entry and exit rules depend on your passport, so check the official pages before you travel.

Compris

• Proposed transfer to Djerba-Zarzis Airport (DJE)