Tunis is a North African city with a long history. After the Hasfides and Osmans, the Spanish Moors came but then had to give way to French colonial rule until present day Independence. In the old town, there are more than 700 historic monuments which include 200 palaces, a colourful variety of buildings and numerous mosques.

Among shoreline lava rock is the entrance to the Ghar El-Kebir, a collection of sandstone grottos. During Roman times, thousands of slaves were forced to bring building material for Carthage and El Djem from subterranean shafts.

In Sousse, the simple fort of Ribat is probably the oldest Islamic building in North Africa, in which Muslim soldiers lived in monastery-like isolation and in the town’s Archaeological Museum there is a fantastic range of mosaics, predominantly from Punic and Roman excavations.

Gabes is an oasis town which overflows with luxuriant floral splendour. By horse and carriage visitors can travel through one of the most beautiful maritime oases in Tunisia where, under 500,000 date palms, tobacco, henna, pumpkins, apricots and bananas thrive.

The focal point of important caravan routes and trading centre for goods from Libya and Black Africa, Medenine is a very charming and lively city. Its reinforced honeycomb-shaped caves were the extraordinary-looking buildings that many will recall from the film ‘Star Wars’.

The Sahara is the largest desert on earth, with different landscapes such as rock deserts, salt deserts and serene oases. Kebili is located on the edge of a huge salt lake and is a typical desert village with a green oasis and Artesian springs which provide water for its fruit and vegetable gardens. Nefta is also a green paradise in the desert, an oasis town that boasts no less than 152 Artesian wells. Dougga contains Tunisia’s most important ruins which nestle in the hills among shimmering olive trees and poppy fields.

Endless deserts and fertile oases, busy towns and isolated mountain regions, Roman temples and Muslim mosques: Tunisia is tempting!