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Tunisia - Winter Sun Birding
Tour Code: TUN02A 5-day wildlife holiday to the deserts and wetlands of southern Tunisia, in search of the wintering birds and special mammals of the region.
£2,095 (Inc flights)
£1,895
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
From the great sand dunes of the Sahara, to wetlands, woodlands and savannah areas, Tunisia's diverse habitats are carefully protected by a well-managed system of national parks. On this 5-day break, escaping the bleakest of British months, we'll search spectacular scenery for their special desert, mountain and coastal wildlife.
After arriving in Tunisia on a direct evening flight from Luton (direct Manchester option also available for some departures) we will overnight on Djerba, an island off the coast of Tunisia, known for its Mediterranean beaches and picturesque whitewashed houses. The following morning, we set off for two nights birding the deserts and mountain bases for such special species as Desert Warbler, Desert Lark, Bar-tailed Lark, Tristram’s Warbler, Marmora’s Warbler, Houbara Bastard, House Bunting and numerous other bird species, plus Scimitar-horned Oryx, Dorcas Gazelle and other mammals. A visit to Ksar Ghilane Oasis during this part of the trip will be a highlight. We conclude the holiday back in Djerba for one night, with the best part of the final day also available to us for exploring the coastal areas of the Gulf of Gabes for its wintering flocks.
- Cream-coloured Courser, Bar-tailed Lark, Thick-billed Lark, Desert Warbler and a plethora more
- Scimitar-horned Oryx, Dorcas Gazelle and Barbary Sheep, plus a chance for African Golden Wolf, Rüppell’s Fox and other mammals
- Tidal coasts and wetlands host big flocks of wintering waterbirds: waders, flamingoes, egrets and herons, grebes, cranes, gulls and terns
- Led by an expert Naturetrek tour leader alongside a local guide
- Direct flight from London Luton (plus Manchester for some departures) to Tunisia's south-east
Grading
The tour is enjoyed at a gentle pace, and over relatively short distances, as we search for the birds of Tunisia’s deserts, wetlands and estuaries. Please be aware that the terrain will often be sand or uneven, rocky substrates and therefore unfortunately the holiday is not suitable for those with reduced mobility.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
An interesting mix of characterful and comfortable hotels, all with private facilities.
- Food:
All meals included, starting with dinner on Day 1 and ending with lunch on Day 5.
Dates & Prices
2025
Tour Leader: Martin Pitt
Martin has had an interest in wildlife since an early age and, although he worked in development and consultancy across the globe, he has always kept this interest going. He has been leading tours for Naturetrek, both in the UK and overseas, since 2017.
Primarily interested in birds and mammals, his time living in the Middle East (a year in the UAE and 2 years in Israel) gave him a deep love of desert ecosystems. More recently, he has spent an increasing amount of time focused on butterflies and dragonflies. He is the author of the ‘Crossbill Nature Guide to Southern Morocco’ and as of 2023 he is also the Bird Recorder for Hampshire.
Martin has led a number of tours, including day trips and weekends in Hampshire and the adjacent areas, as well as tours overseas including Austria, Ethiopia, France, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Romania, Spain and Uzbekistan.
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Among our programme is a significant range of short breaks, designed specially for those wishing to enjoy some of Europe’s top natural history highlights at the best time of year. All of these holidays have the bonus of being short-haul and supported by like-minded wildlife enthusiasts.
Naturetrek Short Break Wildlife Tours
Short breaks are becoming increasingly popular and in response to the high demand for this type of holiday we are continuing to increase our programme both within the UK and abroad. Most of our short breaks are within Europe, for convenience of travel.
For some of our mini-breaks there is an option to travel by plane or train, and we offer a choice of duration and type of break, from a weekend’s birdwatching in the Somerset Levels to a 6-day whale watching tour in the Azores.
A selection of our UK short breaks:
- A winter bird watching break in Norfolk
- An autumn holiday to enjoy the Red Deer rut in Ardnamurchan, Scotland
- A wildlife weekend in the New Forest
A selection of our overseas short breaks:
- In Spain we look for the world’s rarest cat, the Iberian Lynx
- Wolves on the plains in rural northern Spain
- An exploration of La Brenne’s exceptionally rich butterfly-life in northern France
Our specialist recommends...
"We offer two superb short breaks to the lovely island of Madeira in search of whales, dolphins and seabirds. It’s hard to beat our Just Brown Bears trip for families, while if you fancy something off the beaten track, try Estonia in Early Spring for some excellent spring birdwatching."
Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager
Birding Tours Led by Expert Naturalists
The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.
Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours
We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.
The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.
Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:
- Southern Morocco – an exploration of the birdlife in Morocco’s southern deserts, oases and mountains
- The Camargue in Spring – a short break to enjoy the spring birds of the Rhône Delta and Camargue wetland
- Wallcreepers & Cranes in Northern Spain – a 2-centre holiday focusing on Lammergeier, Wallcreepers, raptors, Cranes, bustards, sandgrouse and more!
- Madeira & Desertas Islands – A Seabird Extravaganza! – a short break focusing on special breeding seabirds, including a night on the remote Destertas Islands
- Peru – Macaws & Machu Picchu – searches for boobies, macaws and Inca Terns
- Spain & Morocco: Birding on Two Continents! – watch the spectacular spring bird migration from both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar
Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection
Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.
Our specialist recommends...
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
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Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
Enquire
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
