Tunisia

Tunisia is one of Africa’s easiest destinations, a place where tourists almost outnumber the locals in high summer, and flock here for the golden sandy beaches, non-stop sunshine, and exoticism on tap. It’s a country where sand dunes peak like brushstrokes near Douz in the Sahara desert; the beautiful sun-bleached round houses of Jerba & Houmt Souq hide a multitude of ethnic groups, and the parched southern landscapes near Tozeur are contrasted with the sparkling water of the Mediterranean sea that frames Tunisia’s northern and eastern shores. The quiet beaches of the northern coast are a secret from package tourists sizzling on the heaving sandy stretches of Hammamet and Monastir. Star Wars film sets are crammed with tourist groups. The country’s capital, Tunis, is a gritty yet lively urban centre, where the walls of the medina get clogged by day visitors and shopkeepers keen to make a buck.

Tunisia also has some fascinating places to stay: a luxury, air-conditioned camp site in the middle of the desert, a revamped, stylish rural dwelling on Jerba island, or old merchants’ inns with kaleidoscopic tiles and sunny courtyards. Though package tourism has brought jobs and relative prosperity to parts of the country, much of traditional local culture still grates uncomfortably against modern influences, so tread lightly and enjoy this diverse, fascinating country.