Roman Coliseum at El Jem, Tunisia 

Our afternoon arrival in Tunis will give us time to explore the medina, the cultural and historical heart of the city (founded in 7th century), the Zitouna Mosque, Souk el-Trouk and Place de la Kasbah. The next morning we will venture out of Tunis to the spectacular Roman ruins of Dougga, built on the site of the ancient Thugga which predates the Carthaginians. We will explore Dougga’s winding streets, temples and structures, considered to be Tunisia’s finest. On returning to Tunis we will visit the Bardo Museum.

Next will be Tunisia's holy city, Kairouan, which ranks only behind Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem among the holy sites of Islam. Located at the center of a fruit growing area, it is also known for its carpet making and Great Mosque and is an easy town to explore on foot. We will stay in a Kasbah (a historical fortress) hotel. Then, we will drive through the fruit orchards to El Jem, site of Africa’s most impressive coliseum which once seated 30,000.

We will continue south across the plains to the lunar landscape of Matamata which was the locale for Star Wars, and where the local Berbers found underground cave homes ideal for escaping the summer heat. Next day we will begin our journey into the vast Sahara which consumes north Africa for 1000 miles. Our journey will be to the wonderful oasis of Ksar Ghilane where we will spend two nights in a luxury tented camp (with private ensuite baths) and taste desert life in style. At sunset, we will mount camels to stride across the dunes to a 2nd century Roman fort which marked the edge of the Roman empire when it was built.

Our Sahara experience will continue westward across the desert to the town of Tozeur and its groves of over 200,000 date palms. Enroute we will cross Chott el-Jerid, an immense salt lake covering an area of 3000 square miles. We will have free time to explore the labyrinthine old quarter and to wander through the palmeraie before our closing dinner at a local restaurant.

The morning of day 10, we will fly back to Tunis for our international connections back to the USA.

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