2nd to 5th March
We left the ancient history of Tunisia behind, and embarked on a cultural tour, driving south to salt flats and the desert, home to the Berber people and a number of Star Wars locations.
We started our journey with a tour of the Great Mosque of Kairouan. It is considered one of the holiest and most important mosques in Tunisia.
We were also treated to a display of ethnic rugs. I loved the natural colours of the rugs, taken from white, brown and black sheep.
It was a long drive for our next stop in Tozeur, on the edge of the Sahara desert.
We were taken to the market, where our guide and chef Nabil Chokmani bought some fresh vegetables for a cooking demonstration. Then it was a quick horse and buggy ride to see a date plantation and learn just how important these palms are to Tunisia and its people.
Our lunch at the Eden Park Date Plantation with Nabil Chokmani was a spicy chicken with a salad and wonderful brick as starters. We then had more opportunity to learn about dates, their history in Tunisia and their uses.
In the afternoon we were taken by a four wheel Toyota to visit a mountain oasis, and a waterfall famous as a film set for The English Patient and Raiders of the Lost Ark. We returned to Tozeur via the desert, in a sand storm and were astounded at how the driver could “see” the road. This took us to the Star Wars set – Mos Espa (1997).
The next morning we toured the medina of Tozeur and in our free time returned to the market to indulge in a few photos of local produce and people.
Lunch was supplied each day, and today it was in a guest house. These old villas are becoming popular boutique hotels and restaurants.
A long drive, across the Chott El Jerid salt lake and deeper into the desert. Date palms were thinning out. We arrived at our desert camp in late afternoon and settled in to the sandy experience. In the evening musicians and a dancer entertained us, along with a horse and rider demonstration and an introduction to sand bread.
Next day we drove to Matmata where the locals have lived in underground troglodyte homes for centuries. This was inspiration for George Lucas films.
We climbed high into the Atlas Mountains with stunning, if not dusty views. Here we came to Ksar Hahda, another Star Wars filming location.
Our accommodation was in a Berber guest house, set high on the hill of Chenini. Masoud came to greet us and lug our cases up the hill, then showed us around the amazing terraced houses. I noted that our guest house was the highest on the hill. Quite a climb for these old legs.