Is it worth going on vacation to Tunisia on the island of Jebra, a review from a package tourist.
What are the beaches in Djerba?
The beaches of Djerba greatly depend on the location of the hotel. For example, the beach of the Raddisson hotel is very wide, but it is impossible to swim there, because the sea is shallow and you have to walk about 10 minutes to get to the depths. Before the trip, I read a lot of reviews about the beaches of the island of Djerba, but they all gave nothing at all, because someone talks about the azure color of the water and wide beaches, and someone spat in horror from the mud and ankle-deep depths. We were an excellent 4+ hotel (Palm Azure), but the beach was beyond criticism - there were always tons of algae in the sea, which was rarely removed, and at the bottom there were often huge stones and going there without shoes was simply dangerous. And next to it there was a hotel below the level, but with a magnificent beach, there was not a single stone there, and the algae was removed every morning.
This is what the entry into our sea looked like, it looks absolutely creepy, right? Such photographs can scare tourists, but we will be objective
Here is the same place, but from a different angle. You can swim safely, if not for the rocks at the bottom. The depth was normal - at the end of the breakwater I was about up to my neck, I could safely swim behind them.
This is the beach of a neighboring hotel, where algae was removed every morning.
On the other side there was an abandoned hotel and its beach was also abandoned. He looked like this. A friend was surprised that it was somehow strange - neither pebbles nor sand. Do you know what this is? Camel poop. It sounds nastier than it actually is - in fact, they are dry and Tunisians use them in many places (sealing cracks, etc.)
Djerba Island review and is it worth going to Tunisia after the Revolution?
Until 2011, Tunisia was ruled by President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, and he himself was not a bad person, but he had an influential wife, and his wife had many relatives and friends. While her husband ruled the state, she quietly pushed her relatives into government positions. Of course, she tried to ensure that the person had experience in the position that he would occupy in the state. For example, her brother sold pies on the beach, she appointed him Minister of Trade. I'm not kidding, that's exactly how it happened. This policy led to widespread corruption and bureaucracy. People could not find work, taxes were rising and there was no prospect of a breakthrough. At some point, the Tunisians lost their nerve, or rather one of them: Mohamed Bouazizi. He was a man with a higher education, but he was forced to sell fruit at the market because there was no other job at all. At some point he lost his nerve and committed self-immolation. This act led to a wave of protests, as a result of which the president was forced to flee the country, taking with him Tunisia's gold and foreign exchange reserves. Today, the fugitive president continues to live well and is not going home, because in Tunisia he was sentenced to 4 life sentences.
But after this, the terrible news for tourists did not end, and in 2015, 3 terrorist attacks were committed in Tunisia against tourists. In addition to this, in June 2016, Rostourism warned of possible terrorist attacks in the country's tourist resorts.
Let's start with how safe it is to vacation in Tunisia
On the island of Djerba, there are armed guards at absolutely every major intersection and inspecting cars. When we went on an excursion, our tourist bus was stopped twice and we looked at the tourists. Those. It is absolutely impossible to drive around the island unnoticed. There are also several police cars and hummers with machine guns constantly cruising around the island (sorry I didn’t have time to take pictures, all the photos are blurry). At the entrance to our hotel, every car was checked, even with a mirror and a flashlight, the entire bottom was scanned. There are always security guards on the beach of each hotel, sometimes local police officers with machine guns on horseback ride by, security increases at night and there were 3 security guards constantly on duty on our beach.
To be honest, I was a little shocked by how seriously Tunisia took the protection of tourists and this pleasantly pleased me.
Coast of abandoned hotels and mansions
After the revolution, almost all of the president’s relatives and many officials and businessmen fled. They most likely ran according to the “just in case” principle and grabbed only the most valuable things. This led to the formation of a whole coastline of abandoned hotels and mansions on Djerba. I’m not exaggerating; on our entire coast, out of 20 hotels, only 4 were open; everything else was abandoned. These are luxurious buildings and mansions, the owners of which are lost somewhere. The Tunisians have so far placed their guards at the entrance of the most expensive “abandoned” buildings and are trying to figure out why the owners ran away and what to do about it all now.
The actual beach with the poop above is the beach of one of these hotels. And lest you think that the whole of Djerba is like this, this is a section of the coast of only 5 kilometers. In other areas everything is fine.
What to see on the island of Djerba Tunisia
In fact, everything is developing very quickly on the island. At the moment, a Crocodile farm, an amusement park for children, and Pirate ship rides are already open. Now a water park is coming. Therefore, it is better to look at current entertainment and attractions. I’ll tell you about our trips around the island and impressions.
The entire island of Djerba can be traveled by taxi in 40 minutes and it will cost you only $6. On the basis there are only 2 more or less large cities: the tourist town of Midun and the capital of the island, Chomut Sok. Both of these cities have a population of only 70,000 people. Now I’ll tell you my general impressions of the island, and then we’ll move on to the cities.
In fact, Tunisia surprised me very pleasantly:
We were in August - the hottest month of the year, but there is not such sizzling heat as in other African countries. From 17.00 to 19.30 (when the sun sets) it is very comfortable to walk there. Moderately cool and moderately warm (although you still burn very quickly, so cover your head and shoulders).
Tunisians are wonderful people. In the markets, no one pounces on you, no one drags you anywhere. Everyone is very smiling, polite, everything is within the bounds of decency. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised.
Tidy cities. The cities themselves are very pleasant and beautiful. They are just like eastern cities should be: with small streets, clay houses and grazing camels.
The biggest negative is the trash. It seems to me that in Tunisia there are simply no services that clean public spaces, so all cities and deserts are littered with plastic
Midun
A small town in the very center of Djerba. It's easy to walk around the entire center in an hour. The city is completely designed for tourists. The entire center is a large eastern market. But not an ordinary flea market, more like an oriental bazaar. Those. there are wide streets with tiles, and on the sides there are shops and trays with goods. You can easily walk, go everywhere, drink tea in local cafes. It is very pleasant to walk around this city. The large streets are connected by the famous eastern alleys. Midoun has several large shopping centers. They sell mostly Chinese crap, so in terms of shopping there is nothing to do there, but in terms of atmosphere it is very nice.
These are narrow alleys that connect wide streets
There are a lot of houses where there are shops on the ground floor, and the second is just under construction
The capital of Djerba is Chomut Sok
I spent a long time searching on the Internet for what to see in Khomut Sok and went prepared.
First of all, I found that on Mondays and Thursdays there should be a camel market. And I really wanted to see it. But no. We live in the 21st century and now they sell yet another Chinese consumer goods there. The market here is much worse than in Medun, because there is a flea market here. Narrow passages littered with all sorts of rags, along which sellers trample. The asphalt is unbearably hot. In general, the market here is not a pleasure, but a challenge.
But right opposite the market there is an old Spanish fort that they built to protect against pirates. And I really liked it. In general, any limestone fortress in the desert looks very cool. And here you can also climb. The Spaniards withstood not a single siege in it and famously chased local pirates. The fort is made in a very interesting way - the first floor is full of labyrinths and towers. If the pirates broke in, they were forced to break through these labyrinths while they were fired upon from the towers. Also, the entire fort is divided into sectors, and if the Pirates took one sector, the defenders simply moved to the next ones and held the narrow passage between them. All this can be seen when you walk along the walls. Despite such protection, there is a famous story about how one pirate completely massacred the Spanish garrison, and made a pyramid from their heads at the entrance. The Tunisians liked the pyramid and it lay there for several hundred years. Only the French removed it when they colonized Tunisia.
Is it worth going to Djerba on holiday?
To summarize, did I enjoy my holiday in Djerba? Yes very. He greatly changed my understanding of Africa for the better. Will I go there again? No, because once there is more than enough. On this island you can travel around everything in a day, and the rest of the time you have to lie like a little seal on the beach.
This is an aggregator of tours from 120 Tour Operators and you can always find suitable ones at a competitive price.
I hope this post was useful to you and have a nice holiday!
Tunisia has taken Russian tourists seriously. The advertising budget for promoting the Tunisian tourist destination in Russia required 1.5 million euros from the country's leadership. The country began to cooperate with several tour operators at once, who switched to a new direction. " ", " ", " " and " " are organizing new tours for Russians. Before the need to quickly replace Turkey and Egypt, only Express Tour worked with Tunisia. Now, along with the popular resorts of Sousse and Hammamet, the southern island of Djerba and the city of Zarzis have been opened to Russians. Russians now coexist there with former regulars - the French and Germans. Like the more southern resorts of Djerba and Zarzis, they are ready to receive tourists much longer, from mid-April to the end of October.
Refocusing in numbers looks like this: the flow of Russian tourists to Tunisia increased by 650% in January-May this year, said the head of the Tunisian National Tourism Office in Moscow, Mezhid Kahlaoui. In the first 5 months of 2016, more than 74 thousand Russian tourists visited Tunisia; specifically, 20 flights fly to Djerba daily from 20 Russian cities. Thus, the Russian market took second place after France, and if we talk about Djerba, then first. In 2016, the number of seats on planes flying from St. Petersburg is almost 16% of the total number of seats on planes flying to Tunisia, according to the Tunisian National Tourism Office in Moscow.
Making a serious bet on the Russians, Tunisia has undertaken to further subsidize travel companies and pays Russian operators 4 thousand euros for each charter flight. The goal of all events is worthy: according to the Director General of the Tunis Tourism Office, Abdelatif Hmam, in 2016 the country expects to receive 400-500 thousand Russian guests.
Large-scale plans for Tunisia could disrupt, on June 2, the Russian department recommended that tourists be careful when visiting Tunisia and warned about the growing terrorist threat in the country, specifically in new directions - Djerba and Zarzis. For Tunisia, the terrorist threat is not just words, but a proven reason for the record decline in tourist flow. After last year's terrorist attack (two Tunisian hotels were attacked), in 2015 the demand for the Tunisian Republic among Russian tourists decreased by 83%. And if we compare 2016 with 2014, the growth in tourist flow is quite significant, about 80%. In some hotels in Zarzis, the share of Russian tourists reaches 80%, a year ago this figure was 18%. As the Minister of Tourism and Crafts of Tunisia, Salma Elloumi, described the priorities, the safety of tourists is now a matter of life and death for Tunisia.
Refuting the fears of Rostourism, this year, the Tunisian authorities are taking unprecedented measures to ensure the safety of holidaymakers. Russian journalists and bloggers who were in Djerba for several days were able to evaluate these measures with their own eyes. For security, each hotel has hired new personnel, employees patrol water areas and beaches, and on some of them you can see dogs trained to find explosives. Metal detectors are installed at hotel entrances, hotel halls and corridors are equipped with cameras. Each hotel provides security on its own, otherwise the hotel may lose its license. Outside the hotels, security is provided by the Tunisian police and national guard. Buses are equipped with a GPS system, pleasure boats are accompanied by armed patrols and tourist police.
"This year, allocated for these purposes huge budget. We have signed a memorandum of cooperation with the governments of Great Britain, Germany and other countries and provide security at a European level: in hotels, airports, museums, in all tourist areas,” says Selma Elloumi.
Russian tourists themselves feel calmly, some admit that they were nervous before the trip, but they still didn’t give up their permits. Some hotels claim that Russians did not refuse tours, despite information about possible terrorist attacks. Many understand the motives of Rostourism, some were reassured by the refutation and assurances that terrorist attacks are being prepared almost throughout Europe, and here you can no longer guess where to go. The hotel staff sitting on chairs on the beach really calms you down, and the requirement to show your room key upon entering the hotel grounds is met with only understanding.
In addition to beach holidays, Russians, Unlike their European counterparts, sun loungers prefer to actively spend money outside hotels, say Tunisian hotel managers. Russians buy excursions to the Sahara, visit thalassotherapy centers, go to a crocodile company and swim to uninhabited islands, go to explore museums, pottery workshops, ancient mosques and synagogues, and actively shop at local markets. In general, the Russians are satisfied with the replacement of players on the beach holiday field, the price and quality are satisfactory, but people miss the familiar Turkey and are waiting for its opening. In search of new beach destinations, tourists considered Greece, Cyprus and Tunisia - many rejected Russian resorts due to the high cost and lack of an all-inclusive system.
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The resort island of Djerba is located just 120 km from the city of Ben Garden, which, in turn, borders Libya. As recently as March of this year, terrorists attacked barracks there, after which the authorities extended the state of emergency throughout the country. The trip was supposed to demonstrate that the situation in Tunisia is calm and nothing threatens the tourists’ vacation.
To the airport Zarzis we were brought by airline "Icarus". In addition to the Russian airliner, there was only a Tunisian carrier plane on the territory - not a single one else.
Passport control, metal detector, baggage claim - ordinary procedures took no more than 30 minutes (as if compensation for how long the flight was delayed at Moscow Sheremetyevo). And now we are already on the bus - going to our hotel.
Journalists were checked into a hotel Sensimar Palm Beach. It is worth noting that there are practically no Russians in this hotel. Mostly Germans and French vacationers. This can probably explain that the staff practically does not speak Russian. First, the bus was greeted by Rocky the Rottweiler.
His responsibilities include inspecting incoming cars and buses with tourists. The rest of the time, Rocky melts into the shadows. The dog is not alone here, there are two more booths around the perimeter of the hotel, the animals do not react to guests, only on command. As we were told at the press conference, the presence of specially trained dogs is one of the security requirements that the Tunisian authorities set for hoteliers.
Upon entry, our suitcases are carried through metal detectors. We ourselves walk through the front entrance. There are no inspections or additional procedures - only CCTV cameras indicate that the state of emergency has been extended in the country. “Before the terrorist attacks of 2015, there weren’t even these in hotels,” admits the head of the Tunisian national tourism office in Russia and the CIS Mezhid Kahlaoui. “The terrorist attack took everyone by surprise and hit the tourism industry hard.” Let me remind you that after the shooting of civilians in Sousse, the flow of tourists from Russia alone decreased by more than 5 times.
So: metal detectors, CCTV cameras, dogs. Refurbishment of a hotel according to this list costs the hotel owner 30–50 thousand dollars. Hotels that do not pass licensing according to the new requirements are subject to sanctions.
On the beach, by the way, you get the feeling that you are always under supervision - people in white shirts are sitting around the perimeter - private hotel security officers. They are prohibited from carrying weapons, unlike the Tunisian National Guard. The feeling that you are being watched does not leave you even at 5 am - during a morning run I was able to test this for myself. “There are many more people with weapons in resort areas than you see,” say the organizers of the press tour. “Most of them wear civilian clothes and carefully hide their weapons so as not to scare away tourists.”
But no one hides during excursions. During the boat trip, a machine gunner was with us, and the ship was accompanied by a coast guard boat.
There are problems with walking into the city on your own. At the entrance to the hotel I try to break away from the group to see the real Djerba, without accompanying people. The organizers are reluctant to let you in, citing the fact that it is hot and it is a long walk to the hotel. In reality it turns out to be only 1.5 km or 10 minutes. Life outside the hotel seems to have stopped, perhaps because it’s Ramadan. Rarely encountered passers-by perceive a lone white man as nonsense.
Despite this, Russian tourists are welcome in Tunisia. In Djerba alone, their number, according to the same Federal Tourism Agency, in the first five months of the year was 80% higher than in 2014. Those Russians with whom I was able to communicate turn a blind eye to the Federal Agency’s warning. “We had doubts, but the travel agency explained everything to us, and now we have seen with our own eyes that everything is in order,” says a tourist from Yekaterinburg. In her opinion, there is no visa-free alternative to Tunisia until Turkey and Egypt are opened.
Journalists were invited to ensure that Tunisia is safe. Did I feel it myself? I will say this as a person who is far from safety standards, but as a tourist who is used to walking alone. On the territory of the hotel and accompanied by a guide on excursions, you feel protected. And the presence of the military gives you a special status. But, as in any Muslim country, there are rules of conduct here. For example, if you want to get out into the city on your own, it is better to do it by taxi. Moreover, a trip to any point on the island will cost no more than $5.
Whether the state of emergency, proximity to troubled Libya and regular warnings from tourism departments will affect the popularity of the destination - the answer to this question is ambiguous. Many Russian tourists are now interested, first of all, in price. While Tunisia is not closed, and if it is affordable for those who previously vacationed in Turkey and Egypt, there will probably be demand.