Dougga and Testour
A day in the Medjerda valley: the best-preserved Roman town in North Africa in the morning, a small town founded by Andalusian exiles in the afternoon, and a vehicle nobody shares with you in between.
Private excursion
Zaghouan and Thuburbo Majus
A Roman temple built against the mountain, the aqueduct that carried its water to Carthage, and a forum you often have to yourself.
On request
At a glance
Duration
A full day out of Tunis without long distances; the departure time is agreed with you in the quote.
Who it suits
Anyone interested in Roman archaeology, gentle walkers, photographers, and families after sites without the crowds.
Price
On request
An hour from Tunis the air changes: Djebel Zaghouan stands over the plain, and the Roman water temple is built against the spring itself, a half-circle of niches around its basin. From there the aqueduct crosses the fields on arches still standing. Further south, Thuburbo Majus lays out its forum, capitol and baths in near silence.
Pick-up
Pick-up at your hotel or address in Tunis, La Marsa, Gammarth, Carthage or the northern suburbs. We can also start from Hammamet, Nabeul or Sousse: the order of the stops adapts, and the timing is settled with you in the quote.
How the day unfolds
The order of the stops shifts with your start time, the traffic and how long you want to spend at each place.
Zaghouan and the water temple
The road climbs towards Djebel Zaghouan and the air cools noticeably. Above the town, the water temple encloses the spring in a half-circle of niches facing a basin, with the mountain behind it: this is where Rome sent its water off towards the coast. Below, the old town keeps its stepped lanes, arcaded houses and fountains that still run.
The Roman aqueduct, towards Mohammedia
Between Zaghouan and Tunis the aqueduct resurfaces in stretches across the fields, and near Mohammedia the arches reach their full height and march off towards the horizon. Standing underneath is the only way to grasp the scale of it: tens of kilometres of calculated fall, laid out to keep Carthage supplied. Depending on which way round we run the day, we follow it on the way out or on the way back.
Thuburbo Majus
On a hill above the El Fahs plain, Thuburbo Majus spreads out a colonnaded forum, a capitol whose columns still stand, baths, a palaestra and mosaics left where they were laid. The site is big and rarely busy: you can walk it for a long while without meeting anyone, among olive trees and blocks of honey-coloured limestone. This is the stop that deserves the most time.
What travelling privately changes
- The vehicle is your group's alone: you can stop in open country in front of the aqueduct arches, where no coach ever pulls in.
- Thuburbo Majus gets the time it deserves rather than a timed twenty minutes squeezed between two other stops.
- Door-to-door pick-up and drop-off, with no round of other hotels beforehand.
- If the plain turns too hot, we flip the order and save the mountain for the worst of it — a decision taken on the road, with you.
- Naceur Neffeti knows these inland roads well: in transport and travel since 1987, a tourist driver since 2007, speaking Arabic, French, English, German, Italian and Spanish.
What is included, what is not
Included
- An air-conditioned private vehicle kept for your group for the day.
- Professional driver, fuel, tolls and parking.
- A route agreed with you beforehand and adjustable on the day for the heat and how much walking you fancy.
- Pick-up and drop-off at the address of your choice.
- Someone reachable by phone in French, English or Arabic while you are out.
Not included
- Lunch, drinks and personal shopping.
- Entry to the water temple and to the site of Thuburbo Majus.
- A licensed guide: a separate, optional service arranged on request, and a real help in reading the forum and capitol.
- Any guided walking on Djebel Zaghouan, if you want more time on foot.
- Travel insurance and personal spending.
Practical advice
- Opening hours at the archaeological sites shift with the season and a closing day is possible, so we check before the date is fixed.
- Thuburbo Majus is large, unevenly paved and almost shadeless: closed shoes, a hat and a bottle of water, without argument.
- Up on the mountain the air is cooler than in Tunis and the wind gets up quickly; an extra layer is worth carrying, especially out of season.
- Zaghouan has places of worship still in use: cover shoulders and knees if you go in, and wear shoes you can slip off easily.
- Spring fills the plain with flowers and autumn gives the best light on the columns; in high summer we go early and eat late.
Your questions
Is this worth doing if we have already seen Carthage?
It rounds Carthage out rather than repeating it: Zaghouan and the aqueduct explain where the water in the Antonine baths came from, while Thuburbo Majus shows a provincial Roman town whose plan is still legible. Plenty of travellers pair the two across two days, in whichever order suits.
How much walking does the day involve?
Nothing strenuous, but plenty of uneven ground. The water temple takes a few steps, the aqueduct stop is brief, and Thuburbo Majus is a slow wander over ancient paving that has shifted over the centuries. Closed shoes are enough, and we fit the length of each stop to your pace.
Do we need a guide at Thuburbo Majus?
The site has little signage and gains a great deal from being explained: without commentary the capitol and the baths are handsome but hard to read. Your driver drops you at the entrance and waits, and a licensed guide can be booked separately for that visit, on request.
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