www.naturetrek.co.uk Natural history specialist Naturetrek offerings a 9-day birdwatching holiday to the wetlands, savannahs and deserts of Tunisia, a microcosm of North Africa, departing London 25th March 2007.
Nearest all African countries to Europe, along with popular beach resorts Tunisia maintains a quiet and untouched wilderness of Saharan dune fields, wetlands (yes, really!), woodlands and savannahs.
Diverse habitats are protected by a well managed system of national parks hosting a wonderful array of birds. Commencing with a two-night stay in Bizerte, Naturetrek visit the important trans-Saharan staging post of Lake Ichkeul National Park. In the forests of Mount Ichkeul Barabary Partridge and Moussier’s Redstart are sought, whilst the marshes and pastures surrounding the lake are the haunt of egrets, herons and White Storks. With luck, the endangered White-headed Duck may be sighted – a Tunisian speciality.
Heading south, via the migration hot spot of Cap Bon, the group spends three nights in the coastal town of Mahres. Explorations of the estuarine mudflats of the Gulf of Gabes reveal huge numbers of waders, together with Black-necked Grebes, Caspian and Gull-billed Terns and Slender-billed and Audouin’s.
Inland, the steppes and savannahs of Bouhedma National Park are reminiscent of East Africa. Here, Tunisia’s larger mammals find refuge, including several re-introduced species saved from the brink of extinction such as the solitary Addaz, herds of Scimitar-horned Oryx and smaller numbers of Dama and Dorcas Gazelles.
For many the highlight of the tour is the desert, and a two night stay in a simple but comfortable Bedouin-style tented camp. The landscape of the golden desert dunes is exquisite… and the silence is deafening. Elusive Houbara Bustard, Desert Hoopoe and Temminck’s Horned Larks are all possible sightings. | 
