EASYJET holidays is launching breaks to a little-known island with whitewashed desert towns and Star Wars filming locations.
British holidaymakers will now be able to book package holidays to Djerba, Tunisia, with easyJet holidays.
EasyJet holidays is launching package holidays to Djerba, Tunisia[/caption]
Djerba isn’t well-known among Brit holidaymakers[/caption]
Located in the Mediterranean Sea, Djerba is part of Tunisia, a country in North Africa.
The tour operator has confirmed it will be launching package holidays after its sister airline launched flights to the island earlier this year.
EasyJet already operates flights from London Luton Airport and Manchester Airport to Djerba-Zarzis International Airport on the northwestern side of the island.
Package holidays are available to book from early November, with beach holidays starting from £295 according to the tour operator.
Sun Online Travel have found cheaper deals, with three-night breaks from £189 per person in December.
All of the holiday packages come with not only return flights and hotel, but also 23kg of luggage and transfers.
While most Brit holidaymakers probably haven’t heard of Djerba, there are plenty of things to do on the island.
Visitors can explore El Ghriba Synagogue, one of the oldest synagogues in the world.
The synagogue features columns painted in blue, multicoloured tiles, stained glass and wooden furniture – and it’s free to enter.
Meanwhile, the Houmt Souk Market is home to traditional crafts and local produce.
The island destination has pristine beaches that are perfect for sunbathing and swimming.
One of those is Sidi Mahres Beach, which is famous for its stretches of white sand.
There’s also Djerba Explore Park, which has a crocodile farm and a museum of local heritage.
Guellala village is located on the island’s southern tip and is considered a must-visit thanks to its pottery and stunning sunsets.
Star Wars fans will know Tunisia was used as a filming location, with a glimpse of Djerba also featuring in the franchise.
Along the western coastline lies a lonely, squat, whitewashed house beside Roman ruins and olive groves.
This house was the home of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the sci-fi saga’s first movie, A New Hope.
It was built explicitly for that film, in 1977, and left behind afterwards.
Today, it’s a refuge for passing cyclists when the heat gets too much.
Djerba was also the location for Star Wars’ Cantina spaceport.
Alcohol is plentiful — and local Tunisian beer Celtia is all but essential when the temperature tops 23C in November.
EasyJet holidays has also launched packages to Tromso in Norway.
Djerba – like other parts of Tunisia – was used as a filming location for the Star Wars films[/caption]
The Souk is a must-visit for holidaymakers[/caption]
Paul Bixby, easyJet holidays chief commercial officer, said: “Whether they’re wrapping up warm to see the northern lights in Tromso, or enjoying the sunshine and white beaches of Djerba, we’re confident our customers will love our brilliant holidays at unbeatable value to these fantastic new holiday destinations.”
Along with the likes of Egypt and Morocco, Tunisia was once one of the most popular winter sun destinations.
However, this changed in 2015 after 38 people, 30 of which were Brits, were killed following a terror attack at the beach resort of Sousse.
Travel to Tunisia was advised against by the UK government.
The ban was subsequently lifted in 2018, with flights and holiday packages resuming.
And while the Foreign Office deems the majority of beach resorts safe to visit, the return to Tunisia holidays has been slow.
However, it still advises against travelling to locations near the Chaambi Mountains National Park, Dhehiba, and the Libyan and Algerian border.
What else do I need to know about Tunisia?
The local currency is the Tunisian dinar (TND), with £10 equaling about 38 TND, while certain holiday resorts also accept dollars and euros.
Make sure to swap every dinar back before you leave because taking them outside of the country is forbidden.
Although Arabic is Tunisia’s official language, the majority of the staff in the holiday resorts will also speak English.
What is it like to visit Djerba?
TRAVEL writer Rob Crossan recently visited the Tunisian island, here’s what he thought.
“You can have any fish as long as it’s dourada,” says my guide Haitham as we browse the fish market of Houmt-Souk.
I’m in the capital — more like a big village — of Tunisian island Djerba, which I’m fast realising must be one of the least known of the Mediterranean’s islands.
Houmt-Souk’s fish market, where the vendors bellow at their friends from behind racks of silver and golden catch, leads into the town’s market proper — a warren of caves and stalls selling everything from carpets and candy to terracotta vases.
But my nostrils lead me to the spice stalls where traders plunge huge metal trowels into heaped piles of cayenne pepper, turmeric, saffron, cumin and ginger. They, too, seem to know all their customers by name. In fact, I’m the only tourist in the market, or souk.
As I sit down for a strong coffee under the shade of a palm tree, I ask Haitham where all the visitors have gone. “We get some from France but there are very few British people here,” he says while nibbling on a brik — a local speciality of filo pastry stuffed with egg, harissa, parsley and chopped onion.
In the village of Hara Seghira, a vast, blue synagogue sits cheek-by-jowl alongside the towering minarets of the local mosques.
Both the Muslim Friday prayer and the Saturday Jewish Shabbat are observed here with zero friction.
I see men in Jewish caps walking alongside men donning traditional Muslim headwear.
But many of the visitors who do make it to Djerba are fanatics of a more recent religion — Jedi.
On the Western coastline lies a lonely, squat, whitewashed house beside Roman ruins and olive groves. This house was, as every Star Wars fan knows, the home of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the sci-fi saga’s first movie.
It was built explicitly for that film, in 1977, and left behind afterwards.
Today, it’s a refuge for passing cyclists when the heat gets too much. For me, to sit here as the sun begins to dip is entrancing — even without the prospect of Luke Skywalker popping by.
The newest easyJet flights were launched earlier this year, from Glasgow to Enfidha in Tunisia.
If you want a package holiday, you can find cheap deals for that too with all-inclusives under £300.
EasyJet launched direct flights to Djerba earlier this year[/caption]
Djerba is home to pristine white beaches[/caption]
