NATURE

Few countries manage to concentrate so much natural variety in as small an area as Tunisia. Go trekking through sand dunes or through forested mountains. Watch the passage of migratory birds above the Mediterranean. Share lifestyle of local villagers, closer to nature. You will experience the great outdoors in incredible settings…

Hiking and trekking	Easily accessible thanks to an excellent road network, the Tunisian sandy desert is an old staple on the programmes of hiking tour organisers. Accompanied by dromedary camels to carry your bags, you will confront the immensity of the dunes. The guides, natives of the region, will share their knowledge of the desert and of the fragile wild ecosystem that manages to survive there. Now and then you will spot a table-shaped mountain, or a flock of birds frolicking in a hot water lake. Many other Tunisian regions are perfect for exploring on foot. Are you on the lookout for mountainous landscapes, lush greenery or panoramas of the Mediterranean sea? Tunisia has much to offer. Choose the steep rocky regions of the southwest or southeast, at the edge of the Sahara. Their paths will lead you towards a canyon, a waterfall, an old mausoleum or a Berber hamlet. On the opposite side, in the northeast, the Cape Bon peninsula invites you to explore hills and orchards, or to follow the line of the coast across shrubland and rocky cliffs. The Tunisian Dorsal is a chain of mountains that crosses the country from southwest to northeast. It will offer you real challenges with peaks above 1000 metres, for example around the towns of Zaghouan or Kef. Would you ever associate thick oak forests crisscrossed by streams with Tunisia? You can find them in the extreme northwest, around Aïn Draham, a markedly elevated region where, sometimes, snow falls in winter. Suggestions Many Tunisian associations regularly organise hikes. For example: Horizons, Evasions, Breeze Country Association, Association Tunisienne des Randonneurs, Spéléo Club El Menzah 6, RandoTour, Green Way, The Compass, Club Rando Aventure, Delta Events, Haya Travel.
Observe the fauna and flora	A mandatory route for many migratory birds, largely free from urbanisation and pollution, Tunisia concentrates in its small area an exceptional variety of ecosystems: a true paradise for lovers of nature and wildlife. In the spring, watch the great gatherings of migratory birds before they cross the Strait of Sicily, one of the main points of the Mediterranean route. The country has an important network of reservoir lakes; they equally serve as wintering spots for waterbirds. The Gulf of Gabes is another place to get your binoculars ready: hundreds of thousands of birds spend the winter here. With 17 national parks, 27 nature reserves and 41 Ramsar Convention important wetlands, Tunisia is a sanctuary for many species such as the ashy puffins of the island of Zembra, the Barbary deer of the northwestern forests, or Mhorr’s gazelle, found in the savannahs of Bouhedma. Ichkeul National Park has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Stay close to nature	In the mood to escape the hustle and bustle of the modern world and to rediscover the flavour of a more traditional lifestyle? There are many ways to get closer to nature in Tunisia. Choose an ecolodge in the middle of the steppes, between olive groves and strings of mountains… Silence, serenity, vast panoramic views. Or choose a small guesthouse in the countryside of Cape Bon: on the programme, a bike ride through the fields, a visit to an archaeological site, a fishing trip in the nearby coves or snorkelling. An isolated campsite amongst the sand dunes, a guesthouse in the Saharan Atlas: take in the magical atmosphere of the desert regions. A luxurious cabin suspended between the palm trees of an oasis: experience something truly unique. Whichever spot you choose, your hosts will know how to show you the simple pleasures of biting into a still-warm loaf of bread, picking your own vegetables from the garden, learning to mill grain in the traditional way or heading out on horseback. Guesthouses, ecolodges and campsites in Tunisia.
Climbing and caving	Activities only just in their infancy in Tunisia, climbing and caving are only offered by a select few local associations. Nevertheless, the country is overflowing with caves, chasms and cliffs just waiting to be explored. Mount Zaghouan is made for climbing and hides a chasm at least 265 metres deep. The gigantic cave of Aïn Dhab close to Siliana conceals an underground river and magnificent soda straw stalactites several metres long... Suggestions Spéléo Club El Menzah 6 Association de Spéléologie et d’Escalade de Zaghouan Pendulum jump at Mount Zaghouan: Read the article Caving at the Ichkeul park: Read the article

Hiking and trekking

Easily accessible thanks to an excellent road network, the Tunisian sandy desert is an old staple on the programmes of hiking tour organisers. Accompanied by dromedary camels to carry your bags, you will confront the immensity of the dunes.

The guides, natives of the region, will share their knowledge of the desert and of the fragile wild ecosystem that manages to survive there. Now and then you will spot a table-shaped mountain, or a flock of birds frolicking in a hot water lake.

Many other Tunisian regions are perfect for exploring on foot. Are you on the lookout for mountainous landscapes, lush greenery or panoramas of the Mediterranean sea? Tunisia has much to offer.

Choose the steep rocky regions of the southwest or southeast, at the edge of the Sahara. Their paths will lead you towards a canyon, a waterfall, an old mausoleum or a Berber hamlet.

On the opposite side, in the northeast, the Cape Bon peninsula invites you to explore hills and orchards, or to follow the line of the coast across shrubland and rocky cliffs.

The Tunisian Dorsal is a chain of mountains that crosses the country from southwest to northeast. It will offer you real challenges with peaks above 1000 metres, for example around the towns of Zaghouan or Kef.

Would you ever associate thick oak forests crisscrossed by streams with Tunisia? You can find them in the extreme northwest, around Aïn Draham, a markedly elevated region where, sometimes, snow falls in winter.

Suggestions

Many Tunisian associations regularly organise hikes. For example: Horizons, Evasions, Breeze Country Association, Association Tunisienne des Randonneurs, Spéléo Club El Menzah 6, RandoTour, Green Way, The Compass, Club Rando Aventure, Delta Events, Haya Travel.

Observe the fauna and flora

A mandatory route for many migratory birds, largely free from urbanisation and pollution, Tunisia concentrates in its small area an exceptional variety of ecosystems: a true paradise for lovers of nature and wildlife.

In the spring, watch the great gatherings of migratory birds before they cross the Strait of Sicily, one of the main points of the Mediterranean route. The country has an important network of reservoir lakes; they equally serve as wintering spots for waterbirds.

The Gulf of Gabes is another place to get your binoculars ready: hundreds of thousands of birds spend the winter here.

With 17 national parks, 27 nature reserves and 41 Ramsar Convention important wetlands, Tunisia is a sanctuary for many species such as the ashy puffins of the island of Zembra, the Barbary deer of the northwestern forests, or Mhorr’s gazelle, found in the savannahs of Bouhedma.

Ichkeul National Park has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Stay close to nature

In the mood to escape the hustle and bustle of the modern world and to rediscover the flavour of a more traditional lifestyle? There are many ways to get closer to nature in Tunisia.

Choose an ecolodge in the middle of the steppes, between olive groves and strings of mountains… Silence, serenity, vast panoramic views.

Or choose a small guesthouse in the countryside of Cape Bon: on the programme, a bike ride through the fields, a visit to an archaeological site, a fishing trip in the nearby coves or snorkelling.

An isolated campsite amongst the sand dunes, a guesthouse in the Saharan Atlas: take in the magical atmosphere of the desert regions. A luxurious cabin suspended between the palm trees of an oasis: experience something truly unique.

Whichever spot you choose, your hosts will know how to show you the simple pleasures of biting into a still-warm loaf of bread, picking your own vegetables from the garden, learning to mill grain in the traditional way or heading out on horseback.

Guesthouses, ecolodges and campsites in Tunisia.

Climbing and caving

Activities only just in their infancy in Tunisia, climbing and caving are only offered by a select few local associations.

Nevertheless, the country is overflowing with caves, chasms and cliffs just waiting to be explored. Mount Zaghouan is made for climbing and hides a chasm at least 265 metres deep.

The gigantic cave of Aïn Dhab close to Siliana conceals an underground river and magnificent soda straw stalactites several metres long...