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| Day 1 |
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DEPARTURE
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Depart the U.S. on your flight to Tunis, the Tunisian capital.
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| Day 2 |
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ARRIVE TUNIS
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Arrive at Tunis Carthage Airport, meet your guide and proceed to your hotel. Have dinner at a typical Tunisian restaurant in the Medina. D
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| Day 3 |
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TUNIS MEDINA · CARTHAGE · SIDI BOU SAID
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Visit the Tunis Medina,* or Old Quarter, the largest Medina in North Africa. Tour the Ottoman Palaces and the Zitouna Mosque. After lunch, visit the archaeological sites of ancient Carthage.* Later, walk through the charming seaside town of Sidi Bou Said, taking in the superb view of the Gulf of Tunis. B/L/D
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| Day 4 |
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HAMMAMET - SOUSSE - KAIROUAN
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Stop at the coastal resort city of Hammamet. Then in Sousse, have lunch and visit the 13th-century Ribat—fortress, school and place of worship—and the Medina* before continuing inland to Kairouan. B/L/D
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| Day 5 |
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KAIROUAN · EL JEM (DJEM) · MONASTIR
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In Kairouan,* the fourth-holiest site in Islam, visit the 9th-century Mosque that served as a model for others throughout the Maghreb, the western Islamic world. Visit Kairouan’s souks and sample the local pastries. Leave for el Jem, site of a spectacular Roman Amphitheater.*. Visit the museum and the excavations behind it, where beautiful mosaics are being unearthed. This afternoon, tour the coastal city of Monastir and return to Kairouan. B/L/D |
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| Day 6 |
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SBEITLA - TOZEUR
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Sbeitla is the site of magnificent Roman ruins. After a guided visit, have lunch nearby and begin your journey into the Sahara by driving to the oasis of Tozeur. B/L/D
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| Day 7 |
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MOUNTAIN GORGES & OASES
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Board the train called the Red Lizard to explore the otherwise inaccessible Selja gorges in the Atlas Mountains. Continue by 4-wheel-drive vehicle to the verdant mountain oasis of Tamerza. After lunch visit Saharan oases featured in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and ride the dunes by Ong Jmel, the setting of Star Wars. B/L/D
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| Day 8 |
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DOUZ · OASIS OF KSAR GHILANE
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Cross a dry salt lake and arrive in Douz for a camel ride. After lunch, leave for the oasis of Ksar Ghilane, famous for its dunes and hot spring. Spend the night there in a luxurious linen tent with private bath, surrounded by myriad stars and the vast desert. B/L/D
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| Day 9 |
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TATAOUINE & BERBER VILLAGES
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Drive through the Dahar Mountains to Tataouine, a regional capital that provided the name for Luke Skywalker’s home planet. Visit the nearby Berber villages, and return to Tataouine for lunch before setting out for the Island of Jerba, (Djerba). B/L/D
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| Day 10 |
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ISLAND OF JERBA: GHRIBA SYNAGOGUE · HOUMET ESSOUK
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Visit the Ghriba Synagogue, built in the 6th century B.C. One of the holiest Jewish sites, it holds the world’s most ancient Torah scroll. Experience the local markets in Houmet Essouk, and see the pottery made in the nearby village of Guellala. B/L/D
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| Day 11 |
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TUNIS: NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE BARDO · FAREWELL DINNER
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After a short flight back to Tunis, visit the National Museum of the Bardo, an outstanding museum of Mediterranean archaeology. Have lunch in the fishing port of Goulette, explore on your own in the afternoon, and enjoy the Farewell Dinner in Carthage. B/L/D
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| Day 12 |
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RETURN TO U.S.
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Leave after breakfast for Tunis Carthage Airport and your flight home
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