TUNISIA
March 2008
In February 2008 two Austrians got kidnapped
in southern Tunisia by AQ-M and taken to Mali.
Currency
Dinar.
1.6TD = 1 eu or 2.4TD = £1
Price
of fuel
Unleaded
petrol about 1.1 TD/litre; diesel 0.74 TD.
Costs
Moderate.
Useful
languages
Arabic, French, English
Visas
Required by all except citizens of EU countries, Canada and USA.
Border
formalities
If you're ferrying a car from
southern Europe you do your formalities aboard
the ships from Marseille or Genoa if they are
CTN. It's frustrating
when it's busy (holidays) but does mean you get
out of the port quickly. SNCM boats you do it
in the port. At the port of La Goulette watch
out to ID-badged husters in grey overalls working
with the Customs to fleece you if you don't unpack.
Stick to your guns; ou should not have to pay
anything. Leaving La Goulette there was no hassle
or hustling.
No carnet required. A Green Card extension to your EU motor insurance is valid in Tunisia (or you can buy local motor insurance at the port), but no one checks except when you come back from Algeria and maybe Libya where you may need to pay 1TD for a new driving permit (so keep 1TD handy).
Desert
pistes
For
Brits it's a long way and an expensive ferry compared
to Morocco and, desert-wise, there's much less
going on here. With Algeria's Grand Erg Oriental
spilling over the border, there's more sand than
Morocco. The far south is a military area and lately
(May 2006) it is said that
guides are now needed in the south (see
this).
The
only border open into Libya is on the coast at
Ras Ajdir, although there is sometimes talk of
an entry into Tunisia from Nefta.