Discover Tunisia — Self-Launched
12 days · Tunisia
Exodus charges £2,700
No-markup version: ~£860 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 12-day loop through Tunisia covering everything the guided version does — Tunis medina and a market-to-table cooking class, Carthage, Dougga, Kairouan's Great Mosque, Tozeur's oasis architecture, a night camping in the Sahara at Tembaine, Matmata's underground homes, Amazigh villages and El Jem's amphitheatre — but booked independently. You'll use louages (shared taxis), the SNCFT train and a locally arranged 4x4 desert transfer, staying in medina guesthouses and budget hotels. Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Tunis — medina orientation
Tunis
Fly into Tunis-Carthage (direct flights from London from around £90-150 return if booked early). Take the cheap airport train to Tunis Marine (about 0.50 TND) and walk or grab a taxi into the UNESCO-listed medina. Book a night or two in a restored medina guesthouse — dar-style places start around £25-35/double in the low season, or look at the hostels around Avenue Habib Bourguiba. Spend the late afternoon getting lost in the souqs: Zitouna Mosque exterior, the souk des chechias (traditional hats), and mint tea at a café in the medina.
🚌Airport train to Tunis Marine ~£0.15; walk into medina
🛏Medina guesthouse/dar in Tunis (~£20 pp)
- →Walk the Tunis medina souqs
- →Zitouna Mosque (exterior)
- →Mint tea at Café Chaabane
Bardo Museum, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said
Tunis
Get to the Bardo National Museum early (opening time varies by season — check locally; entry around £10). Its Roman mosaic collection is the best in the world. Then take the TGM light rail from Tunis Marine to Carthage (about 1 TND, 30 mins) and walk between the Carthage sites — the Antonine Baths and Byrsa Hill are the highlights (combined ticket ~£10). Finish with sunset in Sidi Bou Said, blue-and-white lanes and a café with a view. TGM back to Tunis in the evening; dinner at a cheap medina eatery (lablabi or brik, ~£5).
🚌TGM light rail Tunis–Carthage–Sidi Bou Said ~£1
🛏Medina guesthouse/dar in Tunis (~£20 pp)
- →Bardo National Museum
- →Carthage archaeological sites
- →Sidi Bou Said village
Market shopping and Tunisian cooking class
Tunis
Book a small-group Tunis medina cooking experience in advance via GetYourGuide or with a local cooking school — expect £35-55 pp including market visit, ingredients and lunch. You'll shop in the central Marché Central, learn brik, couscous or ojja from a local cook, and eat together in a traditional house. The rest of the afternoon is free for the medina's madrasas and souqs — or a hammam if you fancy it (~£8-12 for a local bathhouse).
🚌Walking
🛏Medina guesthouse/dar in Tunis (~£20 pp)
- →Marché Central food shopping
- →Hands-on Tunisian cooking class
- →Independent medina exploration
Family farm tasting and Roman Dougga, then Kairouan
Kairouan
Hire a shared taxi (louage) from Tunis's Bab Saadoun louage station to Majaz al Bab or Testour (about £3-4, 1.5 hrs). Arrange a farm lunch tasting directly ahead of time with Domaine Ben Ismail or an equivalent agritourism farm — cheese and olive-oil tastings plus lunch run roughly £20-25 pp direct. Then a local taxi or another louage to Dougga (the site is off the main road; budget ~£10-15 for a return taxi from the junction). Dougga entry ~£7 and worth every dinar — the theatre and Capitol are astonishing. Continue by louage via Testour to Kairouan (~£5, 2 hrs).
🚌Louages Tunis–Majaz al Bab–Dougga–Kairouan, ~£18 total
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Kairouan medina (~£20 pp)
- →Family farm cheese & olive oil tasting
- →Dougga Roman ruins
Kairouan's medina and Great Mosque
Kairouan
Explore Kairouan on foot: the Great Mosque (Uqba Mosque) is UNESCO-listed and free/cheap to enter, plus the Mausoleum of Sidi Sahbi with its tilework and the Aghlabid Basins. The medina has some of Tunisia's best makroudh (date pastries) — buy a bag for the road. Afternoon option: book an Arabic calligraphy workshop directly with a local artisan (many medina workshops charge £15-25 pp). Otherwise, wander the carpet souqs without pressure — this is a much calmer shopping experience than Tunis.
🚌Walking
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Kairouan medina (~£20 pp)
- →Great Mosque of Kairouan
- →Mausoleum of Sidi Sahbi
- →Optional Arabic calligraphy workshop
South to Tozeur via Rakada
Tozeur
Check out the Rakada (Raqqada) Museum's Islamic art collection outside Kairouan if it's open — a taxi there and back runs about £10. Then take a louage from Kairouan to Gafsa and change for Tozeur (roughly £8-10 total, 4-5 hrs). In Tozeur, check into a cheap hotel in the old quarter and walk the brickwork-patterned lanes. Visit the EdenPalm oasis (entry + guided walk ~£6) and do the date tasting. Dinner: a cheap plate of couscous or a Tozeur speciality, ~£5.
🚌Louages Kairouan–Gafsa–Tozeur ~£9
🛏Budget hotel in Tozeur old quarter (~£18 pp)
- →Rakada Museum (optional)
- →Tozeur old quarter brickwork lanes
- →EdenPalm oasis walk and date tasting
Mountain oases by shared 4x4
Tozeur
Book the Chebika–Tamerza–Mides 4x4 day trip directly with a Tozeur agency or a local driver — shared with other travellers this is typically £25-40 pp and includes the three mountain oases, plus Ong Jmal and the Mos Espa Star Wars set. Bring water and snacks; the waterfalls at Chebika and the Mides canyon are the day's highlights. Back in Tozeur in the late afternoon for the old quarter and a simple dinner.
🚌Shared 4x4 excursion from Tozeur
🛏Budget hotel in Tozeur old quarter (~£18 pp)
- →Chebika oasis waterfall
- →Tamerza oasis
- →Mides canyon
- →Ong Jmal & Mos Espa film set
Chott el Jerid and a night in the Sahara dunes
Tembaine camp, Sahara
Louage or shared taxi from Tozeur to Douz (~£3, 1.5 hrs), crossing the mirror-like Chott el Jerid salt flat — ask the driver to stop for photos. In Douz, sort out a desert camp transfer to Tembaine: the cheapest realistic option is to join a shared 4x4 convoy organised through a Douz desert agency (~£60-80 pp including dinner, breakfast and the return transfer; book ahead as departures depend on numbers). If you want independence, hire a 4x4 with driver directly — expect £130-160 for the vehicle, split between travellers you meet in Douz. In camp: sandboarding, khobz el mella bread baked in the sand, and a sky full of stars.
🚌Louage Tozeur–Douz ~£3; shared 4x4 to Tembaine
🛏Desert camp at Tembaine (tent/bivouac, included in 4x4 package)
- →Chott el Jerid salt flat
- →Douz medina and shoemaker visit
- →Sandboarding
- →Khobz el mella bread baking
Amazigh villages and underground homes
Matmata / Toujane area
Return by 4x4 towards Douz, then continue with a louage or shared taxi into the Dahar region towards Matmata (~£4-6). Visit Tamezret's small Amazigh museum and step inside the underground pit homes of Matmata (entry a few dinars each), plus Hotel Sidi Driss for the Star Wars connection. If you want the Amazigh-hosted dinner experience, contact GDA El Ferech or a Toujane family guesthouse directly to arrange homestay dinner and weaving demonstrations — roughly £25-35 pp with accommodation included. Otherwise stay in Matmata or Toujane budget guesthouses.
🚌Louage/shared taxi Douz–Matmata–Toujane ~£12
🛏Amazigh homestay/ksar guesthouse near Toujane or Matmata (~£20 pp)
- →Tamezret Amazigh museum
- →Matmata underground homes
- →Hotel Sidi Driss (Star Wars)
- →Weaving demonstration in Toujane
Douiret, Chenini and on to Sfax
Sfax
Start early with the hillside ksar at Douiret — go with a local guide from the village for a small fee (~£8-10) and learn about the granaries and cliffside dwellings. Then a short shared taxi to Chenini for a gentle walk among the cliffside houses and ancient granaries (a local guide is ~£10). In the afternoon, take a louage from Tataouine or Gabès towards Sfax (3.5-4 hrs, ~£7-9). Arrive in Sfax in the evening and eat at one of the cheap seafood restaurants near the port.
🚌Shared taxi to Chenini, then louage via Gabès to Sfax ~£15
🛏Budget hotel in Sfax city centre (~£20 pp)
- →Douiret ksar
- →Chenini cliffside village walk
El Jem amphitheatre and Sousse medina
Sousse
Take the morning louage or train from Sfax to El Jem (~£2, 1.5 hrs). The Roman amphitheatre is the best-preserved outside Italy — entry ~£7 and you can go down into the underground chambers. Then a louage to Sousse (~£2, 1 hr). Walk the UNESCO medina: the ribat, the Great Mosque, the kasbah and ramparts (a combined medina ticket is around £8). Stay near the medina or, if you want a beach finish, a budget hotel in Port El Kantaoui (~£25-35 pp). Farewell dinner of grilled fish by the port, ~£10.
🚌Louage Sfax–El Jem–Sousse ~£4
🛏Budget hotel in Sousse medina or Port El Kantaoui (~£22 pp)
- →El Jem Roman amphitheatre
- →Sousse medina, ribat and kasbah
Beach morning and departure
Sousse
A relaxed final morning: swim at Boujaafar beach, stroll Port El Kantaoui's harbour, or pick up last souvenirs in the souq. Take the train or a louage from Sousse to Tunis (2 hrs, ~£4) then the airport train, or fly out of Enfidha/Monastir if your ticket allows. If you're flying home from Tunis-Carthage, leave at least 4 hours before your flight.
🚌Train or louage Sousse–Tunis ~£4, plus airport train ~£0.15
🛏None (departure day)
- →Boujaafar beach
- →Port El Kantaoui harbour walk
Self-launched vs. Exodus
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Exodus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£860 | £2,700 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,840 per person (68%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Exodus-style trips? Check them out here.~£860
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Discover Tunisia — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £860 per person for 12 days in Tunisia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Exodus?+
Yes — Exodus charges around £2,700 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £860 — a saving of roughly £1,840 (68%) per person.
How long is the Tunisia trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 day-by-day stops through Tunisia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, foodie trip through Tunisia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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