So that's what you are, Africa! Journey to the Sahara
They say that Tunisia without the Sahara is like Egypt without the pyramids, and it is impossible to disagree with this statement. Tourists of all ages and nationalities book this tour with a rush, sparing no expense and exchanging a comfortable beach holiday for long rides on the bus to feel the hot breath of the desert, see the endless sandy expanses, ride the dunes on camels and jeeps, visit wild tribes that still live in caves in a primitive way, and taste dates in a real oasis.
I can't call myself a desert lover - I prefer the sea, mountain landscapes, lakes, rivers and forests, but I couldn't help but go to the Sahara while in Tunisia. Even despite the fact that I had to go alone, because this time my husband could not fly with us on vacation, and I did not dare to drag Timokha on such a long journey on the bus and left them with my grandmother at the hotel. Of course, given the local mentality, such trips are fraught without a companion: increased male attention was sometimes annoying, but in general, you will be “under protection” of the guide, so you should not worry. The main thing is not to stray far from your tour group.
You should wear light clothes, of course, comfortable shoes, be sure to wear a hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun and fine sand. Take with you water at the rate of 1-1.5 liters per person (it is sold at exorbitant prices in the desert), sunscreen, a swimsuit and a towel (they will come in handy in the hotel pool), and money for drinks, souvenirs and tips (they will be recommended leave not only the bus driver, but also at every tourist point). Children need to be taken, they will be delighted with the trip, but, perhaps, starting from the age of 6-7.
The cost of traveling to the Sahara is from 165 dinars (about 85 euros), for children from 2 to 11 years old - from 85 dinars. Additionally, you will need to pay for a cart ride in an oasis with a tasting of palm juice and a visit to the zoo (10 dinars - 5 euros), for a jeep ride on the dunes (43 dinars - 22 euros), camel riding (21 dinars - 10.5 euros ), quad bikes (35-50 dinars depending on 1 or 2 people) or trike (40 dinars - 20 euros). In general, the pleasure is not cheap, but in 2 days you will drive 1200 km and visit a lot of really unique places. And the guide will tell you a lot of interesting things about the country, about the relationship between a man and a woman, about family life, laws and customs. And incomprehensible to Europeans and mysterious Tunisia will at least slightly open its veil of secrecy. However, first things first.
About 6 am, a bus was waiting for us at the hotel. Having settled down, we set off on our way. Passing along long plantations of olive trees planted during the French invasion, impenetrable thickets of cacti and date palms, white flat houses, many of which are unfinished (after all, Tunisians build their homes "in stages", as they accumulate money), dusty streets, where with modern cars and motorcycles, carts pulled by donkeys drive, you understand that this country is a completely different world, falling upon us with its diversity, a completely different life and incredible colors...
Our first stop is the city of Kairouan. It is considered the fourth holy place after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, and the sevenfold pilgrimage to it is equal to the pilgrimage to Mecca. It is here, in the Okba Mosque, that little Tunisian boys are brought to undergo the rite of circumcision. The mosque itself, with columns brought from Carthage and a 100-meter minaret, is called a masterpiece of Islamic architecture.
In addition, the city is famous for handmade knotted carpets. You can admire the art of the masters and buy a carpet during an excursion to a local trading shop. Here, in a three-story shop, the cheapest souvenirs in Tunisia are sold: hookahs, painted tom-toms, all kinds of jugs and plates, magnets and photo frames, as well as bags, wallets and camel leather belts and cosmetics. By the way, I highly recommend the Tunisian henna-based shampoo: in Kairouan it costs only 4 dinars (2 euros), but the product is excellent, the hair is obedient and shiny after it. In general, an excursion to Kairouan is called the most "economical": the prices here are really much lower than in other cities.
Next, on the way to the Sahara, we stopped at a very beautiful restaurant. Lunch buffet is included in the price of the tour. We were offered couscous and other national dishes, all quite spicy. Having had our fill, we admired the colorful oriental interiors, painted walls and ceilings, and drove on.
The landscapes outside the window gradually became more amazing: instead of olive plantations and impoverished settlements, Martian pictures appeared: sparsely forested savannahs, sandy expanses, eternal wanderers - nomadic tribes in the distance... Here and there lone camels grazing among cacti crossed the road, and along On the road every now and then a special sign was visible: "Beware of camels. " The great Sahara began.
Sahara can rightfully be proud of a number of the world's greatest indicators. The highest temperature was recorded here (59 degrees in the shade), as well as daily air temperature drops of 30 degrees and the lowest amount of precipitation: in some areas they do not fall at all during the year. But sometimes it even snows here! So, in February 1979 there was a snowfall. Here it is - the incredible Sahara!
The acquaintance with her began for us from the city of Tozeur. Perhaps I liked this place in the desert the most, because here is the famous oasis: 140 thousand date palms! The delight of a ride in a shaking horse-drawn cart through dense thickets of huge trees, where nearby, at arm's length, bananas hang from palm trees and ripe pomegranates immediately turn red between the leaves, and nearby a stream murmurs, irrigating this pristine green jungle, cannot be expressed in words. .
Here, in the oasis, we were given a taste of real palm sap (transparent white, tastes like birch, but sweeter), we were shown a farm that produces various delicacies from dates, where you could buy jam, honey or jam, and also introduced with grandfather Mohammed, who demonstrated the wonders of climbing: in just a minute he climbed a tall palm tree and climbed back. So he has to climb trees several times a year to sprinkle them, otherwise they will not bear fruit.
The oasis also houses a mini zoo where African animals live. Touched by a camel, drinking "cola" with pleasure. I think that after all it's just tea, and a bottle of cola is used to make it more interesting for tourists.
The exotic show with scorpions, snakes and monitor lizards was also impressive. Turns out they know how to love too!
It was time to leave the oasis and go to the hotel where we were to spend the night: it turned out to be a luxurious presidential hotel. I’ll tell you more about it a little later, but for now we transferred from the bus to jeeps and moved towards a segment of the famous Paris-Dakar route. Although this trip is optional, for a fee, no one refused. They promised a sea of adrenaline and unforgettable emotions, and, indeed, a very exotic driver in keffiyeh on his head soared up the steep dunes at high speed, putting the car in an almost vertical position, and, as it should, tickled our nerves.
I was also lucky to see mirages! The guide, riding with us in the same jeep, pointed to the sea and palm trees on the shore, visible in the distance, but in fact there was no sea there. Only sand for thousands of kilometers. This is just a play of light, "fata morgana", a phenomenon typical of the desert.
Then we were taken to another interesting place - to the scenery of "Star Wars". It was the unearthly landscapes of the Sahara that once inspired George Lucas to shoot his legendary trilogy about alien civilizations here. Until now, a whole “movie town” has remained in the desert, where fans of the film can take pictures at the house of Luke Skywalker, climb inside and examine in detail the dwellings of the heroes.
After another photo stop at a large sandy hill resembling a camel in shape, we went to rest at the hotel.
A plentiful and tasty dinner was included in the price (except drinks). The rooms are excellent: spacious and beautiful. And "for a snack" we were waiting for a large outdoor pool under the stars, in which we could swim at least all night after such a day full of impressions in the hot Sahara. How I regretted then that I was traveling this time alone, without a husband! Swimming with your loved one under the night sky in the middle of the desert - isn't that a dream? !
However, the guide did not recommend us to enjoy the rest in the pool for a long time, because the next day we had to get up very early - at 3 a. m. to go to meet the dawn on the red saline lake Chott el-Jerid. Translated into Russian, its name sounds something like "salt flats", this is the largest salt lake in North Africa. It once ruined entire caravans, tricking humans and animals into thinking the thick salt crust formed by evaporation was strong enough to cross the lake.
This place is unique in that it is a lake - in the classical sense of the word - it happens only in winter, during the rainy season. During the rest of the year, Chott el-Jerid dries up and from salt and sand in its place, amazing and most popular souvenirs from Tunisia are formed - “desert roses”. They really are very similar to flowers and come in a variety of colors. Locals consider them symbols of unfading love and exchange them with their lovers.
Sunrise in the Sahara on a salt marsh lake is one of the experiences that everyone should experience at least once in their life. The “White Sun of the Desert” rises from behind the black horizon suddenly, in an instant, illuminating the endless sandy expanses with a soft pink light. It creates the absolute impression that you are somewhere in other worlds and spaces: an alien landscape, illuminated by a purple glow, is not like anything seen before on earth. And incredibly clean and fresh air with a salty taste spreads around...
I want to stay here for a very long time, but the guide is already hastily calling everyone on the bus. Alas, it's time to leave the stunning Chott el Jerid. Further, our path lies in Duz: it is here that we will get acquainted with the “ships of the desert” - camels.
The "Camel Station" is quite large, on the territory there are cafes, places for recreation, souvenir shops. Those who wish for a couple of dinars are given striped clothes of drivers and turbans: they look very entourage and protect well from the sun and sand. But even in ordinary clothes, I did not experience any discomfort, so it is not necessary to rent them. Then we were seated on camels, each driver led 3-4 animals, and in such small groups we set off to conquer the dunes. The calm silence of the desert, long shadows gliding on the sand, a halt among the yellow dunes and the wise eyes of the majestic "dromedaries", as the camels are called here - I certainly liked this walk!
Well, then we went further - to the amazing city of Matmata. Here, in the "houses" carved into the rocks, the Berbers live or, as the Tunisians call them, troglodytes ("living in a cave"). This is the oldest tribe that came to these lands much earlier than the Phoenicians. And they chose the caves not at all for social, but for climatic reasons. The fact is that in Matmata it is unbearably hot in summer and cold in winter, and in such a dwelling the temperature throughout the year is a comfortable 24 degrees.
The caves are several underground dugouts united by a common "courtyard". Each dugout is a room. In the yard there is a well with water. By tradition, the Berbers also carve a special recess for birds - so that they can also drink water.
We went to one of these "houses" to "visit". Its owners, lovely smiling old women and a talkative grandfather, showed us their home, demonstrated how they spin and knead the dough, treated them to the national Berber tea with pine nuts, and even showed the wedding ceremony, choosing a “groom” and “bride” from our group and dressing them up. in authentic clothes. In such a simple way, the Berbers earn their living, because the coins that tourists leave for their hospitality are practically the only income of these people.
However, not all Berbers still live in such conditions. In 1969, as a result of heavy rains that lasted almost a month, their homes were flooded. The troglodytes asked for help and sent a delegation to the authorities of the Gabes region, and they did not refuse - they built a land city nearby - New Matmata. This is an ordinary Tunisian town with typical houses, all the necessary infrastructure, including a school, post office, police, restaurants, a museum and even a theater! The children of those Berbers who did not want to give up their typical way of life and remained in the caves are picked up daily by a bus, taken to school and then, after school, again home.
After driving through the streets of New Matmata, we ended up in a very unusual "Berber" restaurant, built specifically for tourists and representing a cave with many rooms with laid tables. We were treated to rice with vegetables, couscous, pasties with cheese filling, chicken and fruit for dessert.
After eating enough, we said goodbye to the Berbers and went to see the last sight of the desert on our route - the "lunar craters".
Well, that's all. This ended our journey into the great Desert. There are many special places on earth, but probably nowhere you feel the infinity of the universe so keenly as among these yellow dunes, camel caravans and the blue sky spilled over the peaceful sands...
On the way to Sousse, where our hotel was located, we stopped at another city marked on the tourist map of Tunisia as a "must have" to visit. This is El Jem with its huge amphitheater, where they filmed "Gladiator". After all, it is this amphitheater that has survived to this day better than all other similar structures in the world.
It is believed to have been built in the 200s AD and was used for gladiator fights and chariot races. This is the third largest amphitheater after the Roman Colosseum and the amphitheater of Capua.
The Colosseum in El Jem is still used by the population: here, on a modern stage, Saturday concerts and even the International Symphony Music Festival are held. Imagine: dark skies, bright stars, torches on the walls! The acoustics are said to be amazing. Famous European symphony orchestras from Vienna, Rome, Budapest take part in the festival. . .
