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.