Tunisia - Camping, Freestanding & Vanlife

Seen through our absolutely subjective van-without-4x4 glasses. Because: we are on the road without an expedition vehicle

First of all: Tunisia is a dream country for self-sufficient and semi-self-sufficient campers and vanlifers. However, there is (still) little information about it on the internet. Meanwhile, there are some travellers who share their experiences on YouTube or in blogs, which was very valuable for our preparation. Even though there is very little. There is much more information about other countries.

Arrival and departure

We took the GNV ferry from Genoa, 26 hours. It was OK, but not great. Other travellers report similarly unspectacular things about Grimaldi. Some had to completely empty the van at customs, we were lucky and were almost waved through. It pays to be patient in Tunisia anyway, so why not start at the ferry?

We didn't have to show a hotel voucher, but others did. Others were sent back on the ferry in Tunis and then the ferry left straight away for Palermo. So there is everything. Check the forums and the ferry company beforehand!

The departure in Tunis (then to Palermo) was much more lengthy, chaotic and with significantly more customs checks. We were lucky once again and were waved through Tunisia and Italy without being checked.

Remember that you'll be re-entering the EU on your return journey, so check what's allowed in terms of food, money and technology!

People

It is a Muslim country and accordingly incredibly hospitable. As a woman, I felt very respectfully and kindly received here. Gerd, who mostly spoke to everyone due to his good knowledge of French, was always treated very politely. Often there were invitations, help or you were let ahead in the queue. Guests are seen as gifts from God to be respected.
Smiling and the language of the heart always go, eye contact, especially from woman to man, seems to alienate. But the women laugh back immediately when I smile and wave as a woman! All in all: a wonderful country to live in with Getting in touch with people and encounters as heartfelt memories to save. (On the subject of eye contact woman to man, there was then this explanation in a Facebook group: If you as a woman look a strange man in the eye in an Islamic country, this can be misunderstood as a relatively clear request, since in many Islamic countries it is good manners for a woman not to look a strange man in the eye).

Tip: European chocolate can open hearts and make children's eyes light up. (You just have to manage not to eat them yourself).

Navigation

Our sat nav in the Fiat doesn't have a Tunisian map, not even one that can be bought later. So we used google-maps and maps.me and saved the map of Tunisia offline on both. Works wonderfully. After 3 months: maps.me has the Clearly more beautiful routes proposed.

Money

Tunisian dinars may neither be imported nor exported. On the other hand, you can withdraw money from an ATM in any small town. With credit card and Maestro. Costs: around 10 dinars per withdrawal. The ATMs sometimes spit out only 300, but usually 800 dinars. And you can really get by for a while with that.

We found out (later) that you can also exchange money in hotels, which is supposed to be cheaper. We didn't try it, but it would be worth a try.

Campsites

The country is not really familiar with the needs of campers; only very few campsites deserve their name when measured against Central European standards.

So if you only want or have to stay on campsites, you can't expect all the usual amenities. Electricity? Drinking water? Waste disposal? Often not available. But Tunisians are creative and always find a solution!

We have been in the country for 12 weeks now and have experienced Central European infrastructure in exactly three places: once in Djerba and twice in Douz. The prices are very pleasant, from the equivalent of 5 euros to about 15 euros per night for 2 people and a camper van. At some places there are goodies: free dates, free entry to heated pools (a boon in winter), fresh bread in the morning etc.

Free standing

So freestanding is often the order of the day. And that works very well. The people are friendly and even provide us with food or other gifts when needed.

You can actually stand anywhere. Even at the side of the road. There are beautiful spots, dream spots and transit spots. In tourist places you pay small fees for parking behind or next to the restaurant, in harbours often nothing at all. And when you drive inland, you just park somewhere. The view is usually magnificent, the nights are cold in winter, the peace is indescribable and the starry sky gives you that "million-star hotel feeling".

The Park4Night app offers good orientation for parking spaces. It is poor for gas and water stations. Most of the time, however, we found pitches without the app, we just drove to where it was nice. Water from wells: We always look where the locals go with their canisters or donkeys, then we also get drinking water there.

Power

The sun supplies our battery with sufficient electricity via our solar cells. You could certainly also "fill up" with electricity at some so-called parking spaces (mostly car parks at restaurants or hotels). We have never done this because we are self-sufficient in electricity. However, apart from the 3 campsites mentioned, we have hardly seen anything like camper power sockets.

Food

We are in North Africa, so please do not expect Central European health food standards. Organic products are hard to find. You can buy pretty much everything at the markets, it's an experience, very cheap and often delicious. However, here too, crops are sprayed for better growth, but that is probably the case everywhere. In larger cities, there are supermarkets with a wider selection. Basically, there is a lot, also for vegetarians. However, not in the restaurants, where meat and fish dishes dominate.

Waste disposal

We have much less waste than in Central European countries. Most of the time we shop directly in the markets with the bags, sacks and pouches we bring with us. The little rubbish we "produce" we dispose of in the large, sometimes overflowing rubbish bins that we always find on the roadsides. Waste separation is unknown here.

Water

The tap water does not taste good. We tolerate it well, but it just doesn't taste good. Chlorine? Hm, we don't know. Drinking water is available in 6-litre gallons everywhere in small shops.
Water for Felix's water tank is more like hard work: we usually don't get enough pressure via the hose, so we fill up the 6-litre canisters at wells and pour them into the tank by hand. With 100 litres of fresh water, that can take quite a while. But we meet women who also fill their canisters at the well.

Exception: the campsites mentioned above, where it worked exceptionally well even with the hose. At some point we carried the hose water in the tank for showering and washing dishes and the drinking water from the well in the gallon.

Sewage disposal

Up to now, there was only a "drive over" option at the campsite on Djerba. Otherwise, the bucket method: Put a bucket underneath, let it fill up and dispose of it in the toilet. Next bucket.

Or what the locals always recommend: the kerb method. It's definitely quicker, but for us it's always a big overcoming. Since we use completely biodegradable washing-up liquid and very little of it, and actually only use water when showering, our guilty conscience is present with this very method, but somewhat smaller.
We would like to report otherwise.

Washing

We have only found a washing machine once so far, on Djerba at the campsite. Otherwise we wash by hand (unfortunately it takes a lot of water and the disposal of the water is always an issue!) or take our laundry to so-called dry cleaners. And then we even get ironed bed linen and towels back. However, we found this service more in the harbours, in the hinterland we have to wash ourselves or, which is also okay, just wear the clothes longer. Dust and sand are on the clothes faster than you can look.

Tip: Pack underwear for several weeks, because the number of pants determines the washing intervals!

Road quality

Main roads and motorways (tolls are dirt cheap) are in good condition. The village through-roads are slowed down to 30 km/h by bumps on the road. Those who don't keep up with this will soon need new shock absorbers. The off-road tracks are also well-paved gravel roads and can be managed without a 4×4. (But we are also here in a very dry winter, it can be different when it rains).

The side roads are very potholed, narrow and sometimes overgrown with overhanging power cables. You have to decide for yourself whether it fits. Turning around is usually not an option. We with our slim Felix usually get through, sometimes we scrape the top of palm bushes.

There are a few well-paved roads that lead far into the desert. So it's also doable without a 4×4.

If you do encounter sand, you can rent jeeps with or without drivers or even quads everywhere.
And: You will always be helped, even if you get stuck.

Fun to drive

We keep seeing driving schools, but we don't know exactly what you learn there. There are stop signs that you can or must ignore. Overtaking rules and driving direction don't seem to be taught there either. Technical details such as fitness to drive are seen more as a recommendation than a rule. Maximum load for cars or maximum number of people on scooters? As much as possible, seems to be the rule. We see signs showing the roof of a truck exploding. What that means exactly remains hidden from us.

But the best thing is that it flows. The traffic, the pedestrians, the scooters (which often come towards us in our lane), the market traders, the donkey carts, all look for their way. You look ahead, never back. If you come from behind, you have to watch out. The traffic is slow, unhurried, not stressful at all, and somehow everyone quickly finds a gap.
And: The taller one seems to be the one who has the most right of way. And yes, that is often us with our moving wall unit.

Parking

Just stop anywhere. Parking is in roundabouts, at intersections, in oncoming traffic, in front of market stalls. Wherever there is room. The rest of the traffic does like water: it finds its own way.

Diesel & AdBlue & Gas

Diesel are available everywhere, you should make sure you take the purple one, which is "sans soufre", without sulphur. This is probably the best for our pampered high-tech cars. A litre of "violet" costs (winter 2022/23) around 65 centimes or € cents. Often people want cash. If we want to pay by card, it gets more expensive, then they smile and say something about taxes and so on. But even then it's only 3-6% more expensive.

AdBlue is not available at petrol stations from the pump, but in canisters. But not everywhere. So it's not a bad idea to have a small canister as a reserve. And when buying, make sure that the canister is still sealed in its original packaging, otherwise it can happen, see here.

Gas for heating & cooking are not so frequent, but we have only had a few experiences so far. After 10 weeks (end of November/December/January/beginning of February) we filled up with gas once in Sousse. There is supposed to be a gas station on Djerba. Adapter required! We had used about 60% of our first 11-kilo gas tank after 10 weeks there. Mainly for cooking, a few times for short heating in the morning and a few times to heat up water boilers for rinsing or showering.
The second 11-kilo gas tank was still full. (So we have 2×11 kilos or 2x 22 litres).

Internet

We bought a sim card from Orange and a sim card from Ooredoo at Tunis airport (not far from the ferry and also open at night). Both cost 55 dinars for 55 GB and 30 days. Network coverage is supposed to be the same for both. In the course of time, we topped up our sim cards in the original Ooredoo shops, which can also be done by credit card and very quickly. We didn't even visit the Orange shops any more, Ooredoo is really still available in the smallest towns. We can say that we did very well with Ooredoo, they worked very well, video calls, etc., and we were very satisfied.
Bandwidth: 4G and best upload and download. Except in the canyons, really everywhere in Tunisia brilliant internet.

Police

Especially in the west and north, it can happen that you are approached by the police during evening or night-time checks. Sometimes we had to show our passports, but otherwise it was always: "Welcome to Tunisia!" Always remain friendly and always mention the next town that could be the destination tomorrow. Aimless travellers do not exist in the imagination of the Tunisian Guard National.

Our route

We have planned our route with Trackiwi We are allowed to use the tracker extensively and free of charge as beta testers. Trackiwi is a very simple tracker for the cigarette lighter, it tracks the route, the sleeping places and you can also use it to record markets, workshops and whatever else you want to track. But in Tunisia there are markets like this on every corner and for the workshops we only had to enter a pin in Douz.
If you would like to let us know, we will be happy to send you our Tunisia route as GPS data for import into my-Maps by email.

Questions? Suggestions? Information?

Feel free to post them here in the comments, we are happy to give a small overview.

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Merci for "travelling with us

We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.

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