5 Day Tour: Rome in Africa: An Archaeological Journey into the NW & Interior (Special)

Culture and History tour in Tunis, Testour, Dougga, El Kef, Bulla Regia, Shimtu, Ad Dahmani, Makhtar, Tunis

Tour Price : $500-1500 Duration : 5 days Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Arabic

Departs from Tunis or environs (although we can customize this to depart from any city), using the spectacular setting El Kef as our base. You may wish to add or subtract days on this tour to make is shorter or longer, depending on your interest. As part of a Special series of tours, this tour is for the enthusiast of Archaeology. In addition to the famous sites of Dougga & Bulla Regia, there are so many fascinating sites and monuments, which are off-the-beaten-track and which few have visited. This tour is also an opportunity to explore the more remote hinterland, to experience local hospitality & the beautiful landscapes of this untrodden, unspoiled region. This area is particularly green and lush, and thus has been inhabited for thousands of years. On some days, we will stop en route at picturesque places for a picnic lunch (supplied) with fresh local cheeses, breads, olives, fruit, and more. We would so enjoy to bring visitors to see this area, beyond the reaches of coach tours. Please contact me for a fully detailed itinerary with prices.

Day 1: depart from TUNIS (or environs). Visit the traditional Andalusian village of TESTOUR. Next is a detailed visit of ancient DOUGGA, one of the best preserved Roman cities in Tunisia and a Unesco World Heritage Site. We continue to EL KEF, and time permitting, have a brief walking tour of the upper citadel.

DAY 2: From our base in El Kef, we visit BULLA REGIA with its subterranean mansions, also a Unesco World Heritage Site. We continue to CHEMTOU, the source of the famous Numidian Marble, much coveted in antiquity for its yellow & pink hues. Here we will spend time exploring the original marble quarries, the fascinating Numidian / Roman monuments of the site, and visit the excellent museum (a joint venture of the Tunisian Institute of National Heritage & the German Archaeological School of Rome). We stop to see other points of interest before returning to El Kef.

DAY 3: Again, using El Kef as our base, we will explore the region near the modern Algerian frontier. A 40 minute walk up an easy road takes us to JUGURTHA’S TABLE, whose dramatic profile rises 1200 m above the plains below. This limestone mesa is said to have been the stronghold of the Numidian king Jugurtha against the Romans in the 2nd c BC – and the views from the top are breathtaking. After lunch, we continue to HAIDRA, ancient AMMAEDARA – always on an important crossroads, it was established as a base for the 3rd Augustan Legion. The monuments here are only minimally excavated, but are very well preserved. We see the Vandal Chapel, the Basilica of Mellius, the massive Byzantine fortress, the triumphal arch of Septimius Severus, and many other monuments. Return to El Kef & overnight.

DAY 4: We spend the day exploring this green area of Tunisia, to see the ancient site of ALTHIBUROS – situated in a green river valley before continuing to the prehistoric megalithic tomb fields of ELLES. We will also take a most picturesque route to see some very unusual monuments: the monumental altar of KBOR KLIB and mausoleum of KSOUR TOUAL ZOAMEL. Return to El Kef & overnight.

DAY 5: We return to Tunis via one of the most picturesque routes & remote areas of the Tell region. We visit the ancient site of Maktar, with its Roman and Byzantine monuments. We continue driving through the rolling hills and valleys of the region – the landscapes are stunning - making stops at ZAMA MINOR (Jama) – thought to be the location where Hannibal was defeated in 202 BC by the Romans, and KSAR LEMSA – a massive Byzantine fortress, dramatically situated below the mountain Jebel Bargou. Return to Tunis.

Additional information