The list of the most dangerous countries for tourists has become known. What not to do in Tunisia What can you get infected in Tunisia
Travel is designed to bring emotional and physical pleasure to a person. And it is very unpleasant if the trip is complicated by any illness. And if you go to exotic countries, such as, for example, Tunisia, then you can catch diseases that the body has not encountered before. While you can still protect yourself from contact with the population, it is unlikely that you will protect yourself from the bites of various insects.
The consequences of the first contact of an unprotected organism can be serious and dangerous. Therefore, it is very important to know what diseases you can encounter in Tunisia, and, most importantly, how to protect yourself and spend your holiday with pleasure, and not lying sick in bed.
Diseases you can get in Tunisia
Tunisia is a North African country that is quite popular among tourists. Hot climate, picturesque coastline Mediterranean Sea, exotics attract travelers from all over the world. But since Tunisia is an African country, the diseases common in it differ from Eurasian ones. Europeans have no immunity to these diseases, so they are doubly dangerous.
What diseases are found in Tunisia?
Infections in Tunisia can be contracted in the following ways:
- through insect bites;
- through bites of infected animals;
- upon contact with local population;
- by food route.
Do you need vaccinations when traveling to Tunisia? They are not required to visit this country, but vaccination before travel can provide protection against these diseases for the entire duration of your vacation, so you should not neglect it.
Vaccinations before traveling to Tunisia
Anyone can provide a list of vaccinations for a trip to Tunisia Travel Company. It will be covered in detail below.
You need to get vaccinated before traveling to Tunisia at least 2 weeks in advance, and preferably 1 month in advance. If you are not sure about vaccination in childhood, then it is better to get vaccinated again.
Does my child need to be vaccinated before traveling to Tunisia? If he has not been vaccinated before, then all vaccinations must be completed before traveling to Tunisia. And if the child has been vaccinated according to the preventive vaccination calendar, then vaccines against hepatitis B, measles-rubella-mumps and diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough are not necessary.
There are no vaccinations against malaria, but there is a special prophylactic drug that it is advisable to take before traveling to Tunisia. You should definitely consult your doctor about taking this medicine.
What medications to take with you
What medications would you prefer to take with you to Tunisia? Any tourist should have a first aid kit with essential medications. No special pills are required. You need to collect a standard traveler's kit. The first aid kit of a tourist traveling to Tunisia should consist of the following medications:
In addition to medicines, the first aid kit should contain bandages, cotton wool, adhesive tape, scissors, and antiseptic.
What medicines can be brought to Tunisia? All of the above groups of essential drugs are allowed for transportation through air border. But as for transporting medications to Tunisia necessary for the treatment of any chronic disease, you need to find out individually.
Even if vaccination before traveling to Tunisia is not mandatory, it is still recommended to do it in order to protect yourself and your loved ones from dangerous and dangerous infections. If suddenly during your holiday in Tunisia any symptoms appear, you need to use a first aid kit and seek medical help on the spot.
Türkiye, Tunisia, Egypt, India, China, Thailand and others popular destinations Russian tourists, according to the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision, are not high-risk countries, but focal outbreaks of some diseases still occur.
In almost all Asian countries, in addition to the diseases presented in the table, brugiosis (fever and allergic skin manifestations, enlarged lymph nodes after the bite of an infected mosquito) and clonorchiasis (fever, eosin infiltrates in the lungs, enlarged liver, nonspecific inflammation of the bile ducts after eating bad food) are common. processed fish of the carp family). In Africa, the well-known tsetse fly is found, which causes sleeping sickness (damage to the central nervous system), and onchocerciasis is also quite common, which can be contracted from the bite of an infected “black midge”. This disease causes damage to the skin and subcutaneous tissue of the eyes and can lead to blindness.
According to Lyudmila Tsvil, a specialist in the department for organizing surveillance of especially dangerous infections at the Moscow Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance Center, the greatest concern is caused by diseases transmitted through insect bites. The fact is that if you follow certain safety measures, you can avoid exposure to many exotic diseases. But it is very difficult to trace the presence of all kinds of arthropods. Therefore, before going on a trip, it is necessary to take medications and, if necessary, preventive vaccinations. Before and after staying in a country where there is a risk of contracting tropical malaria, you must take the only effective drug mefloquine (Lariam), and when traveling to African countries (sub-Saharan Africa) and Latin America Vaccination against yellow fever is required. 17 countries will not allow entry into airports without an international certificate of vaccination against this disease. Antimeningococcal vaccination is recommended for pilgrims to Mecca.
MOSCOW, July 3 – RIA Novosti. Russian tourists often return after vacations at popular foreign resorts with exotic infections; In order not to spoil your holiday experience, doctors interviewed by RIA Novosti recommend getting the necessary vaccinations in advance, drinking only bottled water abroad, not swimming in strange bodies of water and not trying unwashed vegetables and fruits at markets.
Enterovirus and syphilis are not uncommon
Tips for tourists going abroadPragmatic and inquisitive Russians, who have tasted the taste of all-inclusive hotels or want to see the beauty of different countries with their own eyes, are increasingly going on vacation abroad. What a tourist going abroad needs to know in the RIA Novosti infographic. What you need to know when going abroad“When we are going to go somewhere abroad, we first need to know what the morbidity situation is there, what diseases are more common, from here we need to think about how to protect ourselves from them,” Deputy Director of the Research Institute of Childhood Diseases Natalya told RIA Novosti Skripchenko.
The travel company must provide all explanations about the epidemiological situation in the country where the tourist is traveling. “This is their responsibility, and the company must provide a list of infections against which tourists are required to be vaccinated. This is in the law on the fundamentals of tourism activities,” the doctor added.
She said that Russian tourists They often bring back all sorts of infectious diseases from their holidays abroad. “People come to us from Bulgaria and Turkey with enteroviral paralysis and enteroviral polyneuropathy (multiple damage to peripheral nerves). Now we have three such children in our department,” Skripchenko said.
Recently, the medical facility received children who returned from Tunisia and Greece with en(damage to all parts of the nervous system of an infectious or toxic nature), the doctor noted. Last year, there were children from Bulgaria and Turkey with serous meningitis, Skripchenko said.
“In principle, you can bring syphilis and HIV infection from behind the cordon,” says Vladimir Nikiforov, chief infectious disease specialist at the FMBA of Russia.
In Tunisia - rabies, in Thailand - malaria
It is advisable for those traveling to Tunisia to be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever, and rabies, Skripchenko said. “If you are going to visit rural areas, there is dengue fever. In Tunisia, for example, there are bats, there is a very high risk of contracting rabies through their bites,” the doctor explained.
Those who are going on vacation to Egypt or Turkey must be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B and typhoid fever, the doctor warned. “Neither in Egypt nor in Turkey are there any specific infections, and they bring ordinary intestinal infections and typhoid fever,” Nikiforov noted in turn.
"If we go to Saudi Arabia and the United United Arab Emirates, then there is malaria, so you need to take antimalarial drugs with you,” Skripchenko explained. In addition, Saudi Arabia have meningitis and before traveling to this country it is advisable to get vaccinated against meningococcal infection, she advises.
In India, you can become infected with hepatitis A, typhoid fever, Japanese encephalitis (an acute infectious disease from the group of mosquito-borne viral encephalitis), malaria and Dengue fever, Skripchenko said. Thailand also has malaria, Dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and leptospirosis (this infection can be contracted through contact with animals or by swimming in water bodies), the doctor warned.
Dengue fever can also be brought from Cuba, beloved by Russians, Nikiforov noted. “We don’t have it, because for the development of this disease you need high temperatures and mosquito vectors,” he noted.
Going to African countries and South America, you should definitely get vaccinated against yellow fever, Skripchenko added.
Shawarma in eateries and fruits in markets
While on vacation, you should swim only in designated areas and should not swallow water. “Where there are official beaches, the water is monitored,” explained the infectious disease specialist.
The chief infectious disease specialist of the FMBA of Russia strongly does not recommend drinking unknown water. “Carry bottled water with you, preferably without gas,” he said and added that if you don’t mind spending money on bottled water, you can boil tap water and drink it.
Skripchenko recalled that enterovirus infection enters the human body through the mouth, so vegetables and fruits must be washed well, and water or food must be thoroughly heat-treated.
"Don't eat shawarma at any eatery<…>, do not try vegetables and fruits at markets,” Nikiforov said.
After returning from a vacation abroad, you need to monitor your well-being in the first two weeks, the doctor noted. “Male, fever, pain in joints and muscles, vomiting, if a person turns yellow, then, of course, you need to call a doctor home and inform him that you were on vacation in a particular region of the world,” Skripchenko said .
A first aid kit is good, but a doctor is better
In case of cuts, tourists should put iodine, a bandage, and a bactericidal plaster in their first aid kit, Skipchenko advises. She also recommends taking probiotics with you on vacation to help with stomach upset.
You can also take antibacterial drugs for intestinal infections and antiviral drugs, says Skripchenko. “This is nonspecific, but antiviral protection in the case of influenza or respiratory infection or for the purpose of prevention,” noted the pediatric infectious disease specialist. Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord. Most patients suddenly experience severe headache and vomiting after two to five days. Babies develop a monotonous, strong, so-called “brain” cry. Impaired consciousness and insomnia develop quickly.
Nikiforov noted that he is categorically against tourists numbing their headaches with pills. “Because it’s one thing when a person has a headache because a person is just tired. But it’s quite another thing when he starts having serous meningitis. In the latter case, painkillers will relieve the pain for a while, but the process will remain, and time will be lost,” the doctor explained .
He believes that there is no need to skimp on health insurance, and if an emergency occurs, consult a doctor.
Probably the title of the story and the word “Tunisia” itself suggests a terrorist attack in Tunisia that occurred in June 2015, when tourists were shot near resort town Sousse.
We were in Sousse from September 27 to October 10, 2016. And I’ll say right away what has been done there now necessary measures security.
On the streets and at hotels there are policemen with machine guns. They are also on duty at the beaches.
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Military equipment- on the central street of the capital of Tunisia. If you look closely, you can see, in addition to a military vehicle, some guns, they are covered.
The main street of Tunis is called Avenue Habib Bourguiba.
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Maybe someone doesn’t know the name of the capital of Tunisia? The capital of Tunisia bears the "original" name - Tunisia.
Armored personnel carriers were seen near the Sahara.
Along the way, two more photos from the central street of the capital of Tunisia - Tunis.
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We took an excursion called "Three Cities" from Sousse. These are Tunisia, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said. And so we ended up in the capital.
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So, in order.
Interesting to visit Different countries. And then there’s this tempting offer to fly to Africa! I read on the Internet about the velvet season on the African coast. The Internet said that the best period to visit Tunisia is the end of September, beginning of October. There is no scorching heat, the sea is warm. And so it was, only with nuances.
Getting wet to the skin in Africa is real.
"The Velvet season"during this period there were almost daily torrential rains, mainly at night. And when I was getting ready for the trip, I decided that an umbrella was the first thing that would not be needed in Africa. Swimming during the day was possible mainly in cloudy weather. Sometimes there was sunshine appeared.
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Sea is warm. And the sea in Tunisia is Mediterranean (140 km away by sea - Sicily, counting from Cape At-Tib). In my photo, as you understand, this is not Sicily. In the distance is a resort area near the port of El Kantaoui.
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There were five days without showers and relatively sunny days, and in October (in the beginning and closer to October 10).
I have never seen such rain. Rain like a wall. At the same time, there is a roar, as if they are firing from military guns, and the sky is “torn” into pieces by lightning discharges. Who will believe me that there are such downpours in Africa? They say this is still an anomaly, atypical for this time of year.
In the photo below you can see palm trees on the hotel grounds, they were tossed from side to side during the downpour. The same tall palm trees are in the photo above (photo from the capital of Tunisia - Tunisia). Only in Africa did I see very tall palm trees. These palm trees are date. Their fruits constantly fell to the ground and the cleaners scooped them up with scoops and carried them to the dump.
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It was impossible to go out onto the terrace of the room during a rainstorm, the water was several centimeters above the floor.
Houses were flooded in Sousse, there was a flood. Local residents prayed for rain and it happened. And it hasn't rained here for a very long time.
By the way, there are mosquitoes in Tunisia. They attack in the evening, especially when it is damp. Take closed clothes with you, otherwise these Cropopians will bite you.
From my own observations, I conclude that you shouldn’t count on good beach weather on the northern coast of Africa after September 20th.
Some tourists were especially “lucky” with the weather. I'll tell you why.
We went on an excursion to the Sahara, and along the way we were taken to the Colosseum. Here I’ll digress a little from the topic and give a photo of the Colosseum.
Below in the photo is the Tunisian Colosseum - the “brother” of the Colosseum in Rome.
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This is a Roman amphitheater in the city of El Jem. Currently on the List World Heritage UNESCO. Here, from antiquity, an arena for gladiator fights and chambers for wild animals have been preserved. All this and more can be seen and climbed up.
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On the territory there are interesting, tall cacti with fruits.
We visited the Colosseum. It was very cloudy, we hurried to the bus. Even the photo shows how stormy the sky is. As soon as we entered, it began to rain. People appeared on the bus, soaking wet. And a “striptease” began, which was not in the trip program, for women and men. Jokes aside, people changed their clothes on the bus down to their underwear. However, there were men who did not pay attention to temporary difficulties and continued to travel in wet clothes. They just poured the water out of the shoes and that’s it. My son was lucky, he was wearing a wide-brimmed hat. Streams of water flowing into the bus from the roof in some places did not prevent it from traveling. And the hat dried out in the Sahara.
The weather was the first disappointment on this trip and, as it turned out, not the last.
I mentioned Carthage at the beginning of the story, so I’ll tell you a little about it.
Yes this is the same one famous city, the capital of the state of the same name, was the main rival of Rome in ancient centuries. And the same Hannibal, born in Carthage and who became a famous commander. During the third Punic War in 146 BC, Carthage was captured and destroyed to the ground. Even the remains of the ashes were wiped off the face of the earth and 400 carts of salt were scattered on the ruins so that the land would be barren for many more years. Here we saw a museum and ruins left over from ancient city. In some places it is very reminiscent of Pompeii.
These two trips: Tunisia - Carthage - Sidi Bou Said and a trip to the Sahara (with a visit to the Colosseum) were supposed to be the most exciting, but an incident also happened to us in the Sahara (more on that later).
Now about the hotel.
We stayed at the Thalassa Sousse 4* hotel. If you don't find fault with little things, you can say that the hotel is good. These are buildings and bungalows scattered throughout the park. The main advantage of the hotel is the access from the park to the sea (its own beach), as well as the availability of water park. For hotel residents - the water park is free, for tourists from other hotels - for a fee. Actually, I chose the hotel because of the water park. When checking in, a bracelet is put on your hand, which gives you the right to free visits restaurants, bars, water park, etc. for the period of stay.
In the photo - bungalows (separate rooms) located directly on the beach.
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It feels like the sea is on the hotel grounds.
Below is the main exit to the beach from the hotel grounds. Arabian jug - as a decoration.
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We lived in the building and I was glad about it, because... from “our” third floor there were views of the Mediterranean Sea.
View of the Mediterranean Sea from the terrace of the Thalassa Hotel.
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I once lived in a bungalow on Phi Phi Don island in Thailand, I didn’t particularly like it. I prefer a multi-story building. But that's just my opinion.
On the territory, in addition to the water park itself, there are beautifully designed swimming pools.
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The photo shows the slides of the water park. In fact, there are many of them, some are very tall and steep.
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The trip was all-inclusive, i.e. meals in hotel restaurants throughout the day, including snacks on the beach and on site; bars, some - vodka, others - wines, beers, waters, juices, etc. You can visit other restaurants that serve food national cuisines having signed up in advance (we visited two, it turned out not to be particularly interesting), on the beach - sun loungers, mattresses, umbrellas, in the evening - entertainment for adults, children. I got the impression that we were in a sanatorium.
Many people like this kind of vacation. I don't need it. But I didn’t find any other accommodation options in Tunisia.
It would be nice, but there is one BUT, which ultimately ruined the trip.
Unsanitary conditions in Tunisia.
The hotel area is closed and guarded, a sort of “state within a state.” You can spend your entire vacation without leaving the hotel and not even spending money (if you don’t go on excursions). The hotel and grounds are cleaned. And there are garbage cans - jugs like those in the photo.
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But you leave the territory and you are amazed. There is garbage scattered along the roads (I’m talking about Sousse, we vacationed there). There is garbage behind the cactus fences: bags, pieces of paper, etc. Somehow it didn’t occur to me to photograph the garbage heaps. Take my word for it. You go on excursions and see these garbage heaps almost everywhere along the roads. Garbage, m rubbish, rubbish!!! Very dirty.
It seems that local residents They dump waste directly on the street. Perhaps there are some places for dumping, I don’t know. If there is, then they obviously don’t clean it, and the wind is doing its job. There are no wipers, we were told. Sometimes some areas are cleaned, but this is a one-time event. We cleaned a separate area and applied it again. Still, it’s strange and unpleasant. Cities in the Sahara are somewhat cleaner.
The photo shows blooming cacti. When planting cacti, they hardly make fences, at least in Sousse. The cacti are very tall, compared to ours, which are in pots on the windows, African cacti are simply giants. Maybe in Tunisia they are as tall as a ten-year-old child. And, interestingly, there are fruits on them. The fruits of the cactus are edible, they look like a small green cone, inside there is burgundy-colored pulp with seeds. The fruits are sold at the market. I tried it - not very tasty.
I took a cactus fruit from the street, I wasn’t going to eat it, I decided to look at it (I didn’t think there were even spines on the fruit) and I splintered my entire palm. The fruits must first be rolled on some surface so that the spines come out. The spines themselves are small, you can’t see them. The impression is that they scatter like dandelions across the hand, although I only picked them up with two fingers.
I don’t know why in the photo below there are burgundy-colored fruits, there are probably some like that. They sell green ones at the market.
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I was carried away by the story about giant cacti, and the conversation was about unsanitary conditions in Tunisia.
I continue on topic.
It would be possible to close our eyes to this state of affairs, but it doesn’t work.
Viruses and bacteria are clearly breeding in these garbage heaps. They float in the air and end up in the sea. And also - difficulties with drinking water. Water is provided at the hotel using coupons. The son went to the bar and took a bottle of drinking water with a coupon every day. As a result of unsanitary conditions, many tourists get sick. And we have become so healthy. Adults and children have a sore throat, cough, runny nose... Some people think that this is so-called acclimatization. Believe me, this is not the case. Probably due to non-compliance with sanitary conditions, different things happen viral epidemics.
We got sick in Tunisia. I ran around to pharmacies there in search of medicines; the things I brought with me were not enough for the first case. And they came to my room in the middle of the night to ask for antipyretics for the child. My son also had a fever in Tunisia and all the symptoms described above appeared. Upon arrival home, both spent a month on sick leave.
This circumstance was the main trouble of the trip.
Let me remind you that the hotel areas are being cleaned. I didn’t see any garbage in the resort area near the port of El Kantaoui (maybe I didn’t pay attention).
This is, in fact, a port. There is an amusement park, souvenir shops, restaurants... A tourist place.
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Resort area near the port of El Kantaoui.
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Tourists living in other places come here to take a walk and buy souvenirs. Maybe someone finds other entertainment here.
In the photo you can see how the palm tree is tilted to the left, such is the wind.
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Yachts in the port. The port is small. I didn’t like that they don’t offer tourist routes from Tunisia to Sicily. Maybe have? I haven't found one for myself.
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There is another equally popular “tourist” route in Sousse - a trip to the local market. Apart from the fact that a pickpocket was trying to rob me there, I didn’t notice anything particularly interesting. Souvenirs can be bought in any store near the hotel. The pickpocket came up with a version that he was a security guard at the Thalassa Hotel and was resting that day. Don't I remember him? But he remembered me and was very glad to meet me. My affiliation with the hotel was revealed by a lilac bracelet, which was put on at the hotel upon check-in. However, his attempt was unsuccessful.
A tourist train runs around the city, just like in Mallorca.
Adventures of Russians in the Sahara.
The trip to the Sahara lasts two days. The first day passed without any special incidents, except for a wild downpour on the way and my smartphone turned off due to water getting into it. That's why we didn't get any photos on this trip. The most interesting thing on the first day is the Colosseum and inspection of the dwellings of the Berbers - troglodytes on the way to the Sahara.
Troglodyte means "cave dweller". Unusual dwellings are located in the town of Matmata in chalk grottoes carved into the hillsides. In ancient times, the Berbers who lived in this area climbed into inaccessible grottoes, because the latter served them as a refuge from the conquerors. Some still live in these caves. But now they have running water and at least a refrigerator. We saw cars and satellite dishes near the caves. In individual grottoes there are small restaurants and hotels for tourists.
The people living here have opened small “businesses” - they let tourists see their life. They stand near the road and point towards their “apartments”.
The courtyard and entrances to the “rooms” of the troglodytes’ dwellings. Photo from the Internet.
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What we saw was a courtyard, adults and children sitting in it, several entrances to “rooms”. The "rooms" have different purposes. The inside of the “rooms” is, frankly speaking, pathetic. It’s a natural cave, only the walls and ceiling are somewhat ennobled. The ceiling is of different sizes and rounded. In one of the “rooms” there are narrow beds and some simple rugs. If you didn’t know what awaited you, you would have fallen dead from shock, just like people live. For the inspection, you need to thank the owners and give them some small money.
At the end of the journey of the first day, they are brought to an oasis in the Sahara, there is a hotel in it, where they spend the night (half the night). Naturally, dinner at the hotel restaurant. Lunch was Berber style in a cave: wooden communal tables, benches, National dish They are served on common plates (the tables are still set in a simple manner).
This oasis is the city of Douz, which is called the gateway to the Tunisian part of the Sahara Desert. In ancient times, caravans of traders stopped at the oasis. As they say, water here is valued more than gold. In this connection, there is a peculiarity when tourists travel to the Sahara. You need to take drinking water with you. If anyone has read above, you may have remembered: “Water is issued at the hotel using coupons.” Logically, in the Sahara there are difficulties with water. Bring your own bottle to the restaurant (I mean a bottle of drinking water, what did you think?). There is no tea or coffee. It seems to me there was something like beer for a fee. There was water in the shower in the bathroom.
It is interesting that the hotel, in addition to the pool on site, also has a rooftop pool with very warm water from a healing mud spring.
There is another feature - evening camel riding. I was surprised by the number of camels, there was a whole herd of them. Those who wished were dressed in national clothes. I later regretted that I didn’t dress up like a Berber, because... They took me on camels to the desert, and there was wind and I “ate” of sand. I had a stole with me, I slightly covered my face with it, but this was not enough.
Then - half a night at the hotel, getting up at 2:45, checking out of the hotel, and here the “interesting” part began.
Across the Sahara with fireworks.
It was an unforgettable night, just not in the context in which this expression is usually used.
According to the plan, we were supposed to meet the sunrise on the salt marsh - dead lake, watch the scenery for the film " Star Wars", ride in jeeps and further according to the program.
However, everything changed in one minute, when someone sitting in the back of the bus worriedly shouted: “We’re BURNING!”
It was 4 am (we had just left the hotel), some were sleeping. Suddenly a flame burst out from somewhere and smoke poured into the interior of the bus. Sleeping people had difficulty understanding what was happening. They shouted, the driver did not understand Russian, the English words flew out of my head.
Finally they stopped and everyone got out. Behind the bus, a council of tourists - motorists, led by a guide and driver - gathered. They decided: “You can’t go any further on this bus.” Oooooooo!!! You need to contact a travel agency and decide how to get out of the Sahara. Those camels would be useful, especially since they always know where to go.
More than 2 hours passed in ignorance before they sent for us a bus from the same travel agency (I won’t do anti-advertising for it, I will say that it is a very well-known travel agency in Russia) with other people’s things on the seats. Subsequently, they took this bus to point A, and then took their tourists further.
And what’s interesting is that by morning the roosters started crowing in the vicinity of Douz. This is true. It’s as if we were not in the Sahara, but transported, say, to the Tver province.
What to do in the Sahara in the middle of the night near tourist bus, when the evil takes over, that in vain they woke you up before 3 o’clock?
However, there will be something to do.
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In some places in the Sahara there are date plantations, they are private. Why am I saying this? Besides, you can’t go into the plantation and pick dates. That's why many went to the date plantation to eat dates "from the bush." Dates, like dates, are sweet. Eat a maximum of 5 pieces. By the way, in the photo the date palms are not in the Sahara, but in the port of El Kantaoui. On plantations it’s about the same.
We must give credit to the Tunisians. Almost immediately, police arrived in a jeep and set up a post near the broken down bus with Russians. There were about six policemen with machine guns.
We still hadn’t left the outskirts of Douz yet, so there were some shops with provisions near the road. Promptly, through word of mouth, local merchants learned about our trouble and at 4 am they opened all their shops. Tourists went to the shops, picked up nuts and dates (those who did not see the date plantation in the distance). In general, the locals seem to have made an annual plan for dates and nuts.
What if the bus broke down further? There was such a landscape and only a road through the desert.
Second photo from the Internet. All subsequent ones are mine again.
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In fact, the desert in Tunisia is of different types, some areas are sandy, others are rocky, clayey, and saline.
There are sand dunes, but we hardly saw them. The whole trip was crumpled, we practically didn’t ride on the dunes in jeeps, so we were taken from two or three slides near the scenery for the film “Star Wars”. I know how they ride in jeeps through the dunes; five months before we were in the Emirates in the Rub al-Khali desert. I remember this cool event very well.
Instead of riding on the dunes, for which, by the way, we paid extra, we were transported by jeeps from point A to point B, from point B to point C, etc. Jeeps were constantly changed. Probably the company decided to meet the total amount of the trip paid by us and replace the dunes with transfers.
This is inconvenient. I still had some property with me. And good. Many had to change clothes after a rainstorm at the Colosseum. Again - drinking water (we didn’t drink all of it on the first day). Always transfer these belongings to a new vehicle. Everyone was seated six people in a jeep, so we didn’t hear the guide’s story on the second day.
We did see some things in “fast motion”: a dead lake, the scenery for the movie “Star Wars”... In the desert, local children have mastered the “business” - they run up to tourists, offering them, for small money, to take pictures with a caught fennec finch - a cute big-eared fish desert fox. By the way, the fennec is a predator, in fact it is not so cute.
They also sell souvenirs there. The "desert rose" is very popular.
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"R Desert ose" is an intergrowth of gypsum crystals, formed in a layer of sand under certain conditions. There are individual "roses" and there are "roses collected by nature" in a bouquet. Such souvenirs are sold everywhere.
Regarding souvenirs, I will also say that mosaics are very popular here. 10
We drove in jeeps through the desert for quite a long time, I looked out the window and thought: “Probably the desert is the seabed that was millions of years ago.” There are salt marshes, dry lake. Or maybe I'm wrong.
We also saw the Sahara Mountains, swam in a waterfall, and saw donkeys and sheep. At the end of the journey they sent a bus for us.
I don’t know what associations those who visited Tunisia have. I have three in one: flood, unsanitary conditions, fire. Although it is interesting to see the Colosseum, the ruins of Carthage, and visit the Sahara.
The travel agency agreed to compensate for the spoiled trip to the Sahara with a free trip to the zoo.
In the zoo there are not only animals, but also plants, most often prickly ones.
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The zoo surprised me. There is no particular variety of animals, mostly African. And the zoo itself is small. But what's interesting is that predatory animals don't sit in cages. They are, as it were, in their natural habitat. There are some grids, but you don’t notice them. Predators are below, and for people there is something like a bridge. Visitors walk on top and watch the predatory animals.
The lions were lighter in color than we are used to seeing in our zoos. And the tiger is completely white, i.e. the stripes are black, and the rest of the skin is white. I don’t know if they are found in Africa or if they are albinos.
Carnivores, of course, live separately. In the other direction are ungulates. This one asks for a bun. You cannot feed, there is a fine, but many feed.
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So we flew to Africa.
I hope that on our next trips our tourist happiness will not change.
I am finishing my “confession” and wishing everyone successful travels over the upcoming New Year’s weekend.
In Tunisia, tap water is not considered drinkable. In many cases, this is not full-fledged fresh water, but desalinated sea water. For example, for a deficit fresh water– this is a big problem; even hotel pools here prefer to be filled with sea water.
In Tunisia, the safe chemical composition of water and the absence of harmful microorganisms are not guaranteed. Don't drink tap water, don't take unnecessary risks.
You can't be careless with the sun
Tunisia is a southern and hot country, and the sun is active and treacherous. In the first days, it is better to limit your exposure to direct sunlight. And you should always use sunscreen– for adults SPF 20 or higher, for children SPF 30 or higher.
Please remember that sunburns are not covered and will be treated at your own expense.
Be careful if you take food to your room
Take food from the restaurant in all hotels All Inclusive strictly prohibited, but prohibitions rarely stop our tourists, which often backfires. In hot climates, food spoils quickly and you can become seriously poisoned.
Remember the “6 hour rule”. If the food was prepared more than 6 hours ago, then throw it away without a second thought! Don't take any chances, there's more on the buffet.
Allergies should not be underestimated
In Tunisia, tourists will find not only the sea and sights, but also a variety of flowers and food ingredients that they have never encountered before. Conclusion: a cure for allergies.
And you need to be especially careful with temporary tattoos made with henna. There were cases when tourists were allergic to this particular mixture; it’s better not to even imagine the consequences.
You shouldn't do anything active while drunk.
Any injuries or exacerbations of illnesses are not considered an insured event if they occurred while intoxicated.
In addition, Tunisia is an Islamic country, although it produces, for example, Celtia beer, which can be seen in the photo on the left, click on the photo to enlarge.
And although there is no punishment for drinking alcohol, the responsibility for being drunk in public places is much higher. If in Russia it is easy to get away with a fine of 500 rubles (COAP Art. 20.21), then in Tunisia for insulting public morals you can go to prison for a term of 6 months to 5 years or a fine from 120 to 1200.
Of course, imprisonment is applied to tourists only as a last resort, but there is a theoretical chance of this happening, and it’s unpleasant to pay fines.
Do not buy souvenirs in the first days of your vacation
Tunisian traders are skilled at identifying newly arrived tourists, and this is a priority target for them. Our advice is to beware of traders in the first days and do not buy anything until you understand the prices.
Also read our articles: “”, “” and “”.
