tours

Tunisia

Total Tunisia

Tour dates:

18 Feb. - 28 Feb. 2011

28 Oct. - 7 November 2011

Why Tunisia? Well, why not? Tunisia is just 80km from the furthest southern point of Italy and has had over the millennia always very close relations with Italy. Some relations better than others, but nevertheless Tunisia has been and always will be linked to Italy. Many of the historical sites in Tunisia are of Roman origin. Many of the modern agricultural settlements and civil engineering was brought to Tunisia by Italian entrepreneurs. Tunisia offers a multitude of interesting sites, incredible scenery, ancient history that goes back to prehistoric times and reaches into the future having hosted the film sets of Star Wars. We run a tour which languishes the northern rim of the Sahara desert. 95% of the tour is on good asphalt. We only occasionally leave the asphalt for compact gravel or sand to reach some of the oasis and Ksars which are better off not being blemished by tarmac. Road conditions are generally good, but using a sports bike or a ducati is out of the question. We shall be only offering bikes such as the Suzuki V-Strom 650, the BMW F650/800GS and the BMW R1200GS. The emphasis of this trip will be on exploring new roads and experiencing Tunisia through its landscape, culture and history as seen by travelling on a motorcycle.

"The programme":

Day 1: fly into Tunis airport. You will be greeted by a RaD team member at the airport and transferred by car to the tour hotel in Sidi Bou Said. The exclusive resort just outside of Tunis and close to the archaeological site of Cartage. You will have all day to rest, visit Tunis or surroundings or relax by the pool. In the evening there will be a briefing, in which the bikes will be assigned to each tour member, and the tour will be explained in detail. Following the briefing there will be the welcoming dinner.

Day 2: we ride around the "finger" to Cap Bon, visit Sousse, Monastir and reach Kairouan mid afternoon. This will give you time to visit this very important city. It hosts the Great Mosque of Uqba. Our hotel is right by the mosque and the medina (historical centre). The Medina was used in the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" to film the shots of the streets of Cairo.

Day 3: Our first stop will be El Jem to visit the 3rd largest Roman amphitheatre in the world. Our route then takes us to Sfax, the medina here was used for the English patient movie, and Gabes before reaching our overnight destination in Matmata. Matmata is famous for the troglodyte dwellings and for being used as a Star Wars set.

Day 4: we have now entered the arid zone on the brim of the Sahara desert. We will be travelling through the Jebel Dahar mountain range . We shall visit a few Ksar buildings such as Ksar Hallouf, Ksar Haddada and Ksar Ouled Soltane. The Ksars were ancient fortified granaries built by the Berber population in which they stored food and sought defence from enemy attacks. We shall also ride to Chenini and visit the tombs of the four dormants. The setting is amazing. We spend the night in Tataouine.

Day 5: we finally reach the Sahara. From Tataouine we ride to Ksar Ghilane. This is the southern furthest point we can reach on tarmac. After this it's only desert for thousands of miles. The vastness of the desert is quite overwhelming and the presence of sand without the sea makes it quite a unique experience for those who have never been to a desert before. The sand in Ksar Ghilane is red and the consistency of talcum powder. A swim beneath the stars in the hot spring of the oasis after a days ride will be an experience to remember for all of your life.

Day 6: Quad bikes will be booked for 2 hours to reach the abandoned foreign legion fort just outside of the oasis. You will be able to experience riding on sand without having the pain of getting bogged down in it. A fantastically thrilling experience. Once the quad experience is over, we return to our motorcycles and head for Douz. We stop at the Caravan gathering point of Zaafrane and then cross the massive Salt Lake of Chott El Jerid to reach our new overnight stop in Tozeur for the next two nights.

Day 7: rest day in Tozeur or a short ride to the mountain oasis of Chebika, Mides and Tamerza. The mountain oasis are absolutely stunning.

Day 8: we say "arrivederci" to the Sahara and head back north. Immediately after Gafsa we do a detour by Sakket and then head for the town of Sbeitla for our overnight stop. You will have time in the afternoon to visit the remarkable Roman archaeological site of this town.

Day 9: From Sbeitla we ride to Kalaat Es Senan. A town close by the Tableland of Jugurtha. It is a natural plateau used as a fortress over the millennia. From here our route takes us to the Mountains of the Teboursouk to reach Dougga, another very important Roman settlement and qualified UNESCO world heritage site.

Day 10: We head for the northern coast over the mountains to Tabarka and spend some time on the Kroumirie hills above the coast.

Day 11: Our last day we explore the northern coast of Tunisia and visit the town of Bizerte and finally reach our starting point in Sidi Bou Said. Day 12: you are free to depart for your next destination or take a few days to visit Tunis.

Please contact us for Prices!! Minimum participants: 10 people Maximum participants: 14 people What is included: motorcycle rental 11 nights accommodation in 4 and 5 star hotels breakfasts and dinners guide on motorcycle guide in van luggage transportation airport transfers What is NOT included: flights to and from Tunisia fuel for motorcycles lunch beverages with your meals quad bike rental coffee breaks, snacks etc. entrance to historical and cultural sites tips and gratuities. For more information please do not hesitate to contact us: info@rent-a-dream.it

Milan: SS 33 del Sempione - 20010 - Pogliano Milanese -MI- Italy - +39 0293548043 - +39 0294753824
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