"The Gateway to the Desert"

This was my first trip outside Europe. I was 14 and, thanks to a company prize, I found myself together with my father at the gateway to the Tunisian Sahara. Given his scant fondness for "everything organised from morning to night", perhaps for him it wasn't much of a prize. As far as I'm concerned, though, on this occasion I truly discovered a passion that I believe will stay with me for life: travelling! By now the memories are a bit blurred, but the sensation of being in a place out of this world will remain forever. The days passed between the localities of Tozeur, Nefta, Chebka, ending with 3 days of relaxation on the island of Jerba. The excursions and the longer transfers were made in 4x4 Jeeps, and we visited some places that for me were truly unique and so different from one another within just a few hundred km.

We found ourselves on the dunes of the Sahara desert that from the western border of Tunisia stretch away into Libyan territory; immersed in lush oases that spring up on the horizon like a mirage; through the streets of some "ghost" towns, remains of ancient Berber tribes; inside small canyons formed by the erosion of underground rivers; in a Jeep along the hairpin bends of a lunar landscape with our hearts in our throats; the infinite horizon of the flat desert and the salt lake. Many other surprises came from this brief stay in the desert. The last days were spent relaxing on the island of Jerba, where everything is for the use and consumption of tourism and the services offered are truly exceptional. I recommend this holiday to anyone looking for an exotic place not far from home; the nature, the peace and the silence of the desert are a unique experience.

The services offered in the seaside resorts are excellent.