What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

Take a swimming costume as 2 hotels had swimming pools

Do you have anything else to add?

A special thank you to Noubi the tour leader for all his efforts in successfully tracking down and getting back my camera which I had left behind on a table at a restaurant. The camera could have been replaced but not my photos!

My wife and I went at a strange time for the Tunisian tourist industry.  Our holiday was taken in  September 2011 after the ‘Arab Spring’ and just before Tunisia’s general elections.  Consequently it made tourists nervous and so we found ourselves in a country, practically devoid of tourists – that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it felt strange to go to sites and stay at hotels with no other tourists around.  So, this review is written in the context that there was no hustle and bustle at the tourist spots we went to, although on the flipside, various tourist attractions were closed to lack of numbers eg The Red Lizard Train. Anyway, accommodation wise, it was all very good.  Nothing salubrious, nothing too basic, but always mostly with a bit of character.  Having said that the ‘cave hotel’ was on every bodies memory list as being something that was totally different from other hotels.  Shared bedrooms (male and female separate) and shared bathroom facilities.  The hotel is situated in Matmata, which felt a very isolated place to stay at.There was also a thermal swimming pool at one of the more posher hotels we stayed at (can't remember where). It was lovely and warm with an equally lovely thin coating of slime around the pool edges - that's as a result of the minerals in the water and not due to it not being cleaned. Thoroughly recommended. Food wise, the cheapest meals we were able to get were in Tunis 7 TD for a 3 course meal which is roughly £3.50.  Elsewhere, expect to pay about 12 – 15 TD for 2 courses.  Strangely (well, it was to me) you could have chips in every restaurant.  Restaurants were easy to find except in Matmata, where a meal is provided as part of the tour.  Having said that, there’s not much choice in the number of restaurants available (except in Tunis), but what there is available is perfectly satisfactory, although watch out for ants falling from the ceiling in the restaurant directly opposite the hotel in Tozeur.  It was an isolated incident, but just added a bit of extra entertainment at the meal table! Excursion wise I think everybody agreed that the 4WD trip to Star Wars was a great one to go on, particularly the dune busting bit!   We’ve been to many Roman ruin sites in other countries, but hadn’t expected to see underground Roman houses – definitely a first for me and well worth visiting – it’s on the agenda anyway and I believe that's in Bulla Regia. Tunisians were very friendly to us – stopping their cars to let us cross the road, when they didn’t have to, were nice gestures throughout Tunisia, although don’t expect that to happen in Tunis. All in all, the holiday was one of the best we’d been on – made all the better because it was one of the cheapest 12 days holidays we’d been on, but most of all because of the group we travelled with got on so well. There were some good people in our group, that allowed each other to have their own time when they needed to but coalesced as a group again when the occasion warranted it. (TN - 20th Spetember 2011)

An excellent trip with a variety of experiences. Although the people of Tunis seemed to be somewhat reseved, elsewhere the Tunisians were very friendly and helpful. We "lucked into" being invited to an engagement party in Sfax...wonderful experience. We had no idea of the extent of the ancient ruins in Tunisia until we took this trip. If you want a history/cultural experience with some great scenery along the way, you should consider this tour. Highlights for us: The wonderful El Djem and Sbeitla ruins; the view across the fertile valley at the Dogga site; the very nice towns of El Kef and Kairouan, the incredible mosaics (in a number of locations), the beauty of the Barber's Mosque. The camel ride was good. Of the "optional" trips the Mountain Oasis was good (and nice scenery) and the "Star Wars" tour was reasonable. Optional tours can be a bit expensive depending upon how many people want to go (to share a vehicle). Our Explore guide was excellent and the Tunisian guide was a powerhouse of knowledge and had a keen sense of humour. Together they were a great "guiding" team.   A great tour; we really enjoyed it! (TN - 12th April 2011)

This was a fantastic trip and it's a shame that more than half of the people originally booked to travel decided to cancel - their loss. There were very few tourists (except for a handful of French) so we generally had the sites to ourselves and the locals were glad to see us. Wherever we went people were greeting us and thanking us for visiting their country.     4 months on since the Revolution in Tunisia people were optimistic about the future.    The Roman sites were exceptional and all had something different to offer. The local guide was absolutely fantastic and very knowledgeable and the local tour company used by Explore couldn't have been more helpful.     One of the previous reviewers mentioned pickpockets on the tram - the itinerary has now been changed so that the group minibus takes you to the Bardo museum, instead of public transport. The only public transport we used was to get to Sidi Bou Said and although you do need to be alert on the packed train, it was really no different from being on a packed underground train in London.     This was a fascinating and well balanced tour and I really recommend it. Don't be put off by the fact that they recently had a Revolution - tourism is a big part of the Tunisian economy and they need to get back up and running. (TN - 12th April 2011)

The best thing about the holiday were the Roman ruins, both the colosseum of El Djem and Dougga.  The latter stunningly situated on a hill overlooking the surrounding plains. 

The overnight stay in the troglodyte hotel was also certainly not an experience to be missed.  As for advice for future travellers, wear a money belt for the trip in Tunis to/from the Bardo Museum because they will almost certainly be attempts at pick-pocketting on the trams to/from the museum.  Almost everyone had an attempt made upon them and although I had nothing stolen, all my security pockets on shirts / trousers had been unzipped and/or unbuttoned.  It was not a very good start to the trip, but the rest of the trip was superb and more than made up for that first morning.  All round, an excellent holiday. (TN -15th October 2010)

Seeing the almost complete "ruins" of the 3rd biggest Roman amphitheatre ever built was awe inspiring. To think of the "games" that used to be held there was daunting. (TN- 1st April 2010)