Bizerte and Ichkeul
Bizerte's old harbour and its painted boats, the windswept northernmost tip of the African continent, and the birds of Lake Ichkeul: a day of water and green country, at your own pace.
Private tour
Tunisia's Green North — 4 days
Four days in a Tunisia of water and woodland: bird-filled lakes, cork oaks, coral coves and mountain villages, nowhere near the desert everyone expects.
On request
At a glance
Duration
4 days / 3 nights
Who it suits
Nature and birdwatching enthusiasts, casual walkers, families, and repeat visitors to Tunisia who want something other than the south.
Price
On request
Four days in the Tunisia nobody puts on the poster: Bizerte's old port and its painted boats, the birds of Lake Ichkeul, the cork oaks of the Kroumirie, cool air at Ain Draham, Tabarka's coral coast and the Roman quarries at Chemtou. Woodland, water, and a vehicle for your group alone.
Departures
Greater Tunis: Tunis-Carthage airport, your hotel, or the La Goulette cruise terminal. Hammamet, Nabeul or the northern suburbs, with the route adapted to your starting point.
The route, day by day
A working plan rather than a fixed track: the order of the days is reworked with you before departure, and on the road wherever that is practical.
Day 1 — Tunis, Utica and the old port of Bizerte
We leave Greater Tunis northwards across farming plains. A stop at Utica, a Punic and then Roman harbour now stranded miles inland by centuries of silt. Bizerte early in the afternoon: the old port with its painted fishing boats, the thick-walled kasbah, the fish market, then the corniche out to the cliffs of Cap Blanc.
Day 2 — Lake Ichkeul and the road into the Kroumirie
The morning goes to Ichkeul National Park, a brackish lake unlike anything else in the Mediterranean, where greylag geese, coots, flamingos and raptors gather in their thousands depending on the season. We climb to the ecology museum on the hillside for the view over lake and marsh. In the afternoon the road runs west through Sejnane and Nefza: the country closes in, cork oaks appear, and the land rises towards Ain Draham.
Day 3 — Ain Draham, Chemtou and the Tabarka coast
Ain Draham first thing: red roofs, mist in the valleys, cork oaks with the bark visibly stripped in panels. Then out to Chemtou, where the Romans quarried yellow marble veined with pink, with open workings, the bridge over the Medjerda and a well laid out museum. Afterwards the road drops to Tabarka: the Needles rising from the sea, the Genoese fort on its islet and the coral harbour.
Day 4 — Tabarka, Bulla Regia and the return
A last morning on the coast: the Tabarka market, a walk below the fort, or a boat trip if the weather cooperates. On the way back, Bulla Regia and its underground Roman villas, sunk below ground against the heat, with mosaics still in place beneath your feet. We return to Tunis down the Medjerda valley, dropping you at your hotel, the airport or the port at the time agreed with you.
What travelling privately changes
- The vehicle is yours alone, so you can pull over at the lakeshore, for a passing flock or a sea view, without negotiating with forty other people.
- The best hours for the Ichkeul birds and for light on the Kroumirie ridges are early morning and late afternoon. Travelling privately, you can actually be there.
- The mountain roads between Ain Draham and Tabarka are narrow and full of bends. A driver who knows them changes the whole feel of the journey.
- Door-to-door pick-up and drop-off, including forest hamlets and guesthouses that coach tours never reach.
- Each day's timings are settled with you in the quote, then adjusted on the spot for rain, mist, or simply wanting to stay a little longer.
- Naceur Neffeti has worked in transport and travel since 1987, driving coaches before becoming a tourist driver in 2007. He speaks Arabic, French, English, German, Italian and Spanish.
What is included, what is not
Included
- Air-conditioned private vehicle for your group only, for the full four days.
- Professional driver, fluent in French and English, with you throughout the tour.
- Fuel, tolls, parking and all running costs of the vehicle.
- Every drive in the itinerary, including the mountain legs and the runs up to the viewpoints.
- Meet-on-arrival and a final drop-off at the address of your choice.
- Practical advice on the road: opening times, photo stops, and where to eat fish in Bizerte and Tabarka.
Not included
- Accommodation and meals, which we can book for you or which you arrange yourself.
- Entry to Ichkeul National Park, museums and archaeological sites.
- A licensed guide or a naturalist guide, optional and on request, separate from the driving service.
- Optional activities: a boat trip at Tabarka, diving, or a led walk in the Kroumirie.
- International flights, travel insurance, personal spending and tips.
Practical advice
- The north is green because it rains. From November to March, bring a waterproof jacket and shoes that cope with mud, especially on the paths at Ichkeul and in the Kroumirie.
- Spring is the finest season here: waterbirds still in numbers at Ichkeul, wildflowers under the oaks, and clear air along the Tabarka coast.
- Bring binoculars. At Ichkeul you watch from a distance, from the tracks on the hillside, and the ecology museum helps you put names to what you see.
- In the hills the temperature swing catches people out. Ain Draham can be cool by late afternoon when Bizerte was mild that morning. One extra layer weighs nothing.
- Museums and archaeological sites often close on Mondays and change hours with the season. We order the visits around what is genuinely open.
- On the coast and in the inland villages alike, simple covered clothing is more comfortable than beachwear once you leave the sand. Courtesy opens doors.
Your questions
When is the best time to do this route?
March to June shows the north at its best: wintering birds are still around Ichkeul in early spring, the forest is green and the coast feels alive. Autumn is mild and clear. Winter is perfectly workable and often beautiful, provided you accept rain and mist, which are exactly what gives this region its colour.
Will we actually see birds at Ichkeul?
The lake is one of the major migration stops in the western Mediterranean, but numbers shift with the season and the water level, so we never promise a particular species. Come early, bring binoculars and allow time on the hillside tracks. A naturalist guide can be arranged on request as a separate service.
Are the mountain roads hard going?
Between Ain Draham and Tabarka they are narrow and full of bends, sometimes damp under the trees, but surfaced and open all year. If anyone in the group suffers from travel sickness, tell us: we drive more gently, keep the air moving and build in regular stops at the viewpoints.
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