"Tunisia" Tunisia by d_d

Tunisia Travel Guide: 4,889 reviews and 13,279 photos

The travel 1st: From Italy to Tunisia

We reached Tunisia from Italy by boat with a Grimaldi Ferryboat sailed from Genoa.
The boat travel took about 20 hours of navigation (the sea was not so good, and so the travel was longer than 16 hours as ads promises).
It has been a nice experience to cross the Mediterranean from standard western chaos made of lights, noises and stress to a totally different kind of confusion made of different colours, smells, sounds and not stressed people in the Tunis souq.
Then our tunisian tour started.
In the picture the map of our route(the blue line on the map).

The travel 2nd: from Tunis to Nefta

Nefta

The travel started at 9 pm with a 7 hour journey by public bus across Tunisia: from Tunis to Nefta.
During the trip the bus stopped for a break in a kind of motorway restaurant. It was made up of many little one floor buildings on the two sides of the street: a restaurant, a sweet market, a little bar on both the sides and around no highways, no cars...nothing only the stars light!
it was quite strange to me, but at once I fell in love with it: it's a motorway restaurant (see my homepage).
Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of this place. I'll do the next time!
Nefta is 10 km from Algeria's border, the (not so touristic as Touzeur) oasis with largest palm grove, the last oasis , then the Sahara. It's sometimes named the city of the desert!
And we arrived to Nefta in the heart of the night at 4 am.
No people around, no lights, no sounds, only the calling of the muezin for the first pray of the day and the taste of the desert on the skin and into the nose!
It has been one of the best sensation in my life!
Wonderful!
But so difficult to describe!

NEFTA!

Nefta

Well, I have to admit it... I love Nefta!
I will remember forever our walking in the night along these streets with sand wherever.
And all that peace.
And the desert rose's seller sleeping along the streets, in front of their stalls.
And the bread we bought in a bakery.

All the tips are presented in the stopping place order of our tunisian trip.
The breakfast at 5.30 am in a bar with the delicious mint tea (the same mint tea has double or triple price in the 'tourist souvenirs hour' i.e. when the tourist arrive to Nefta with organized jeep or bus tour to buy an original desert rose ) and so on...

Last visit to Tunisia: Aug 2002
Intro Updated Feb 15, 2003
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Reviews (17)

Mint tea Shopping (1)

Don't forget to buy the typical mint tea. Anyway, when you'll taste it in your kitchen it won't have the so wonderful... more travel advice

Old city of Tamerza from louage window - Tunisia

Tamerza: the old city Things to Do (11)

In the old city of Tamerza (now completely desert) many scenes of ‘the English patient’ were made. more travel advice

Tamerza: The mountain oasis Things to Do (11)

Not far from Tozeur, there is Tamerza one of the three Tunisian mountain oasis. In Tamerza you can walk between... more travel advice

Tozeur: the touristic oasis 2nd Things to Do (11)

The Tozeur oasis is very big and nice with thousands of dates. You can swim and refresh yourself in the pools. It's... more travel advice

Transportation (2)
See All Buses

Hotels (3)
See All Tabarka

Comments (37)

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barryg23 Jan 5, 2007 at 12:08 PM

Hello Daria, this is a lovely page you have on Tunisia. We visited some of the same places like Tozeur and Tamerza though I missed Nefta. It looks like a great place too.
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Prasnjavi Dec 7, 2003 at 2:45 AM

Very nice adventure Daria. I hoe I'll visit Tunisia next summer and have, although a prt of your great time. Thanks for shareing.
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sachara Aug 29, 2003 at 1:35 PM

I like it to read your experiences. Nefta looks interesting. Good tip for a next visit. Thanks.
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Bonobo2005 Jun 13, 2003 at 7:01 AM

Exploring the oasis and eating those fresh sweet sticky brown fruits with their long hard seeds inside, sounds fantastic to me. Very exotic Tunisia page, about more than beaches only! Great!
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waffs May 30, 2003 at 1:44 AM

seems u had a good time.. gr8 personal impressions.. Palm trees make me homesick ;-)
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janchan May 8, 2003 at 3:59 AM

A really interesting page... I still haven't been in Africa... poor me !!! :(
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Amitu Apr 12, 2003 at 11:28 AM

fantastic insights on a charming location...well done
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ARoman Apr 11, 2003 at 7:58 AM

I thought I knew enough spots in Tunisia, but here I learnt there are more... Nice trip. Thanks.
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Canadienne Apr 9, 2003 at 8:32 PM

Great page ~ your description of "the taste of the desert on the skin" is beautiful. It all looks so lovely.
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jgemini65 Apr 6, 2003 at 1:52 PM

Great page...looks like you enjoyed your trip!