Solar Eclipse in Tunisia

Carthage / Sidi Bou Said / Tunis Medina

After breakfast, you will visit the ancient archaeological site of Carthage, once the most significant ancient city in northern Africa. This site holds ruins from many eras of history: including the Punics, Romans, Vandals, and Byzantines. Your guide will take you to the Phoenician Cemetery, Antonin’s Bath, Punic Harbors, the Carthage Museum, and more.

Next, you will head up to the picturesque Mediterranean town of Sidi Bou Said with its blue and white theme and artistic shops and atmosphere. Take a tea overlooking the port housing Mediterranean yachts and enjoy the slower paced life of a coastal town overlooking the Gulf of Tunis.

In the afternoon, you will explore the Tunis Medina, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. The famous Zitouna Mosque, spice market, and the gold souk (market) are sites you don’t want to miss. Spend time walking around and enjoy learning about the rich history of this ancient medina. Dinner will be at the hotel.

Uthina / Zaghouan / Sousse

Your trip begins with a visit to the Roman-Berber city of Oudhna (Uthina), explore the well-preserved amphitheatre that is partly carved out of the hillside and can seat about 16,000 spectators. You can also explore the Forum and the Capitol, the Great Baths, and underground vaults dating back to the Byzantine era.

Next you head out to the mountainside Roman site of Zaghouan, where you will find a temple of the ‘water god’. You can still see the remains of the Roman aqueduct which once supplied water to the ancient city of Carthage

Travel to Sousse in the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to explore the town. Founded in 800 BC, there is plenty of history to be seen in this ancient city which was declared a world heritage site in 1988. The Great Mosque, Kasbah and the archeological museum all tell a story of Sousse’s ancient past Dinner will be at the hotel.

El Jem / Mahdia / Monastir / Sousse

After breakfast, head on to El Djem. The Roman Coliseum in this city is one of the best preserved in the world. It was constructed between 230 and 238 AD and is believed to at one time have hosted between 30,000 to 45,000 spectators. Take time exploring this enormous structure and do not forget to go down to the rooms where gladiators awaited their upcoming battle. There is a museum in the town that hosts a plethora of mosaics.

Next, you will head up the scenic Mediterranean coast and take some time to walk and explore the history of Mahdia. You may want to visit the Fatimid Mosque or the Ottoman fort (Borj El Kabir) You will travel alongside the beautiful Mediterranean coastline, passing by the coastal city of Monastir on your way to Sousse.

In Monastir, you should visit the Ribat fortress and the Bourguiba Mausoleum, a monumental grave of former president Habib Bourguiba, the father of Tunisian independence. The ancient Medina in Monastir was redesigned by Bourguiba to open it up to modern traffic and show what a modern Medina style could look like merging the ancient and modern making it useful to everyday Tunisians.

Matmata / Douz

You will continue your journey south into the desert region to Matmata where you will get to see some of the troglodyte dwellings. In fact, at one time there were over 800 homes underground in Matmata. If you are a Star Wars fan, you will especially like this town.

Next you will head to the town of Douz which is considered a ‘gateway to the Sahara’ and also has the largest date palmary in southern Tunisia. While you’re so close to the Sahara, you might also be interested in adding a 1-hour camel excursion out into the dunes for a sunset experience.

Chott el Jerid / Tozeur / Ong Jemel

After breakfast, continue exploring in the desert region. You are headed to the oasis town of Tozeur. First you will travel across the largest salt flat in Tunisia at, Chott El Jerid. On maps this is often shown as a large body of water because it is below sea level.

You should reach your destination of Tozeur around lunch time. In the afternoon, explore Ong Jemel, ‘the neck of the camel’. Travel over barren land and see the Sahara dunes and a Star Wars Mos Espa film location. Return to Tozeur for your night and dinner.

Chebika / Tamerza / Mides / Gafsa

In the morning, travel to the beautiful mountainside oasis village of Chebika. Chebika was once a Roman outpost, but later became a mountain refuge for the Berber people. You can hike through the Chebika canyon to the source of the mountain oasis.

From Chebika, travel to Tamerza which is the largest mountain oasis in Tunisia. Afterwards, travel to Mides where you will have a nice panoramic view of the canyon below. The canyon was used for the filming of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The English Patient.

You will head to Gafsa for the evening and dinner at your hotel.

ECLIPSE AT 10:00 – Gafsa

Sbeitla / Kairouan

Kairouan / Dougga / Tunis

Departure from Tunis-Carthage Airport

Carthage / Sidi Bou Said / Bardo Museum

After breakfast, you will visit the ancient archaeological site of Carthage, once the most significant ancient city in northern Africa. This site holds ruins from many eras of history: including the Punics, Romans, Vandals, and Byzantines. Your guide will take you to the Phoenician Cemetery, Antonin’s Bath, Punic Harbors, the Carthage Museum, and more.

Next, you may want to drive up to the beautiful Sidi Bou Said, which overlooks the Gulf of Tunis.

Return to Tunis and visit the famous Bardo Museum. This is a world-class museum featuring the largest collection of mosaics in the world. There are also numerous rooms in the museum featuring artifacts from the Punic to Islamic periods. Dinner will be at the hotel.

Dougga / Kairouan

After breakfast, you will travel to the roman ruins in Dougga. This enormous Roman archaeological site has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. Overlooking the vast surrounding regions, it is not uncommon to see locals herding their sheep through the Roman ruins.

Continue on to the important Islamic city of Kairouan. Here you will visit the Aghlabid Basins, which are a series of water reservoirs and hydraulic works built under Aghlabid rule in the 9th century to supply the city with water. Dinner will be at the hotel.

Kairouan / Sbeitla / Tozeur

This morning, you will visit the grand mosque Okba Ibn Nafaa which was established in 670 AD. You will also visit the mausoleum of the Berber companion of Mohammed.

After that, your next visit will be to the archaeological site of Sbeitla. As you explore this site you will see numerous ancient church sites along with intricately designed baptisteries, temples, baths, and the Arch of Diocletian. Sbeitla also has a museum containing a variety of mosaics and other objects found at the site

After exploring this historic city, you will start your journey into the Southern desert region. Travel to Tozeur for dinner and night.

ECLIPSE AT 10:00 – Mos Espa / Ong Jemel / Chebika / Tamerza / Mides / Tozeur

In the morning, you will head out early to get to your location for the Eclipse. You will be set up in the otherworldly town of Mos Espa. This town was built in the middle of the dunes for the movie Star Wars and there are many spectacular spots to capture the eclipse in the area with the dunes and the town built for the movie. On the way out or on the way there you can drive through the canyons and scenes used for various parts of the movie and enjoy the scenic area where desert dried lake meet the dunes, explore Ong Jemel, ‘the neck of the camel‘.

When you are ready, take a trip into the mountains for a short hike in Chebika and to see the impressive waterfalls of Tamerza. You will also visit the impressive gorge and canyon of Mides with a nice panoramic view of the canyon below. The canyon was used for the filming of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The English Patient. Return to Tozeur for your night and dinner.

Chott el Jerid / Douz / Matmata

After breakfast, you will drive across Chott el Jerid, Tunisia’s largest salt flats. Your first destination is Douz, the ‘gateway to the Sahara’, where you can explore the market and museum.

Continue to Matmata where you may spend the night in one of the troglodyte dwellings. In fact, at one time there were over 800 homes underground in Matmata. If you are a Star Wars fan, you will not want to miss visiting Hotel Sidi Idriss, the film location of Luke Skywalker’s home.

Matmata / El Jem / Sousse

This morning, you will depart for El Jem. The Roman Coliseum in this city is one of the best-preserved in the world. It was constructed between 230 and 238 AD and is believed to at one time have hosted between 30,000 to 45,000 spectators. Take time exploring this enormous structure and do not forget to go down to the rooms where gladiators awaited their upcoming battle. There is a museum in the town that hosts a plethora of mosaics.

Travel to Sousse and if time remains in the day, perhaps you would like to see the archeological museum, kasbah, and medina. Dinner will be at the hotel.

Departure from Tunis-Carthage International Airport