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

1. Day 1: Arrive in Tunis

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

   • Dinner
   • Stay in Tunis
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Tunis-Carthage Airport (TUN), a short drive from the centre. A driver is proposed to meet you in arrivals and take you to a hotel in or near the medina; we confirm the time and location with the supplier. If you land early, rest, or walk to a nearby café for mint tea. 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.

   Included

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

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

2. Day 2: Tunis medina, Bardo, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said

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

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Tunis
   Day 2 details

   We start in the medina of Tunis, an old town of covered souqs, mosques and courtyards, where the guide helps with orientation and shopping is optional. We then go to the Bardo Museum for its Roman mosaics. The museum's own heritage page (undated) lists winter hours of 09:30 to 16:30 and a Monday closure, and notes that some galleries are still being fitted out, so if the day falls on a Monday we reorder the day and the mosaics may be replaced or moved. Security checks at the entrance may apply. 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.

   Included

   • 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

   Optional experiences

   • A hammam or cooking class, cost not included

   Easier option: Visit fewer Carthage sites; Any vehicle or taxi help is unconfirmed, may cost extra and is not included.

   More active option: Walk the Carthage seafront paths

   Free time: Free lunch and evening

   

3. Day 3: Kairouan and El Jem

   Tunis to El Jem via Kairouan, then the Roman amphitheatre

   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in El Jem
   Day 3 details

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

   Included

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

   Easier option: Walk only the lower tiers of the amphitheatre

   More active option: Climb to the upper tiers

   Free time: Free evening in El Jem

   Activity: Mosque hours and Friday closing to be confirmed

   

4. Day 4: South to Tozeur

   El Jem to Tozeur by road via Gafsa

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Tozeur
   Day 4 details

   This is the longest road day, an estimated four and a half to five and a half hours of driving plus stops, from El Jem inland to the oasis city of Tozeur on the edge of the desert. 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. 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.

   Included

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

   Free time: Free lunch and evening

   Activity: Long road day; times are estimates

5. Day 5: Tozeur oasis and the mountain oases, conditional

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

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Tozeur
   Day 5 details

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

   Included

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

   Optional experiences

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

   Easier option: Take an optional carriage or vehicle through the oasis (cost not included, availability unconfirmed)

   More active option: Walk further in the palm grove

   Free time: Free evening in Tozeur

   Activity: Advisory-dependent; check before each departure

   

6. Day 6: Across the Chott el Jerid to Douz

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

   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Douz
   Day 6 details

   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. 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.

   Included

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

   Optional experiences

   • A longer camel trek, cost not included

   Easier option: Watch the sunset from the camp edge

   More active option: Walk to a higher dune

   Free time: Free lunch

   

7. Day 7: Matmata's underground houses

   Douz to Matmata by road; troglodyte houses

   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Matmata
   Day 7 details

   We drive from Douz toward Matmata, an estimated two to three hours with a stop, through a landscape of dry hills and plateaus. Matmata is known for its troglodyte houses, dug into pits in the soft rock with rooms opening onto a central courtyard, a design meant to moderate the heat and the cold. We plan to visit one of these homes with a guide to see how a family lived, subject to the owners agreeing and to any entry fee, and to walk through the village. 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. 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.

   Included

   • Troglodyte house visit with your guide
   • Matmata village walk

   Easier option: Visit one house only and skip the hill walk

   More active option: Walk on the hills above the village

   Free time: Free lunch and evening

8. Day 8: To Djerba and El Ghriba

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

   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Djerba
   Day 8 details

   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. 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. We share a farewell dinner.

   Included

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

   Optional experiences

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

   Easier option: Visit fewer sites; Any vehicle or taxi help is unconfirmed, may cost extra and is not included.

   More active option: Cycle on the island

   Free time: Free late afternoon

   Activity: Check access and advice for Djerba before each departure

9. Day 9: Djerba and departure

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

   • Breakfast
   Day 9 details

   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. 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.

   Included

   • Proposed transfer to Djerba-Zarzis Airport (DJE)

   Free time: Free morning on Djerba

Wildlife and weather: From October to April, Tunis can be cool and wet, the south dry and warm by day and cold at night, and Djerba mild. Rain can flood roads and wadis, wind can raise sand, and mirages on the salt lake are not guaranteed. Daylight is shorter in winter, so long road days finish near dusk.

• Tunis2 nights
• El Jem1 night
• Tozeur2 nights
• Douz1 night
• Matmata1 night
• Djerba1 night