In 2025 I cycled for 3 weeks in Tunisia and this was my most beautiful bike trip I’ve ever made. That is why I think every bikepacker should go to Tunisia once in their life! In this blog I will explain everything about cycling in Tunisia. I will give you some tips about safety, tips for women traveling alone, how to deal with the national garde and finally some people and places you should definitely visit! After reading this you will immediately take the boat to Tunis, I promise you 😉
How to plan a cycling trip in Tunisia
When I arrived in Tunis by boat, I immediately contacted Selim from Nomadic Bike Tunis. During Covid, Selim was stuck at home after a long bike trip in Asia and he decided to organize cycling trips for his friends in Tunisia. This grew and nowadays the Nomadic Bike community is a big group of bike lovers. Every Friday they organize an evening with food to meet each other in the Nomadic Bike Hub in the Bardo district and on the weekends they organize trips together. The first Friday evening I joined I was welcomed by all the members and I immediately felt at home.
So many beautiful stories about biking in Tunisia! They helped me with organizing my trip. I had doubts about whether I would follow the coastline or a trip that went more inland. I was a bit afraid that as a woman alone it would not be safe to bike in the desert, but Iheb, a very good biker from Tunis convinced me to do the inland trip. Together with Selim he made a list of all contacts they had of other bikers in Tunisia that I could visit. With all these contacts my doubts were over and I can definitely recommend doing the desert tour!
So if you have plans to visit Tunisia by bike, it is very wise to visit Nomadic Bike first, they will help you with planning, contacts and equipment. I’m so grateful for their help, and in case you were wondering: they do it completely for free, just because they want to show how beautiful Tunisia is to everyone!
Coming by boat to Tunisia
My trip started in The Netherlands and via Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily I arrived in Tunisia. The ferries are a cheap and easy way to go to the country. On the website of Directferries.com you can choose for two companies, La Meriodinale and CNT. I took both and both were good. As a woman alone I would recommend you booking a cabin.
In the first two ferries I took to Corsica and Sardinia I did not do this and I felt quite unsafe. Men were following me and kept asking if I wanted to sleep in their cabin. Yes, it is a bit more expensive, but give your mind some rest 🙂 Ofcourse if there are other travelers with whom you can ‘camp’ together on the boat, everything is ok 🙂
Be aware that the border control in Tunis is quite strict. You’ll need to show a reservation of a hotel (via booking, not Airbnb!) and preferably a return ticket or a ticket to another country. Also everything needs to be scanned, bike included. So it will take a while! Selim of Nomadic Bike told me several stories of bikers who were sent home because they did not have a reservation and return ticket. So prepare yourself!
Can you camp in while cycling in Tunisia?
Yes, yes, yes. Camping is really a nice way to travel in Tunisia. I unfortunately did not bring my tent, but next time I definitely will. Many people I met along the way were camping and they found beautiful spots on the salt lake, in the mountains and in the forest. There are many campsites in Tunisia for very cheap prices. Many bikers do wild camping, although most of them were men.
Some people will say that for women it is not completely safe, but I think this is the case for every country in the world. In my experience, traveling alone as a woman opens a lot of doors in Tunisia, and if you ask people where you can place your tent, they probably will invite you to sleep in their homes.
Cycling solo as a woman in Tunisia
Just to dive a little deeper in this, I can assure you that I felt a 100% safe during my trip in Tunisia. It is a combination of culture and religion I presume, Tunisian people make sure that you feel safe and have a good time in their country. In Islam it is very important to welcome travelers with open arms and it is like they feel it is a communal responsibility. Especially solo female travelers are taken care off: I got so often invited in peoples homes and Hama, one of my amazing hosts in Metlaoui even took a holiday to bike with me.
Ofcourse, like in every country you have to use common sense: I did not cycle in the dark and did not go out alone during the night. Sexual harassment did not happen to me in Tunisia, it was on the boat back to France that I felt men looking at me again. Especially in the south of Tunisia men are often putting their gaze down when you pass by as a sign of respect. So female bikers: go to Tunisia!
Safety while cycling in Tunisia
Many cyclist who have biked in Tunisia have encountered the National Garde (police). In theory, every Tunisian citizen that hosts a foreigner must let the police know in 48 hours. Also in theory, travelers should present themselves at the desk of the police to let them know they’re there. You may see it coming: not many people do this. If you let the police know you’re traveling, they will escort you by car from hotel to hotel and they will make it difficult for you to wild camp. So my advice: do not go to the police the minute you arrive. You’ll meet them on the way, they will ask for your passport and where you’re going. A friend that I met in Tunisia was escorted for 3 days and eventually ‘shook them off’ by doing a big detour.
However; the Garde National is not there just for fun. In some areas of Tunisia there are some safety risks. A Tunisian friend told me that if he would for example bike in the area of Kasserine he would like to have an escort. In the past this area was not safe, so just in case. So do your homework and use your common sense on where to bike!
Cycling in Tunisia recommendations
If you have the time, I would recommend you to combine your bike trip with a workaway/wwoof/worldpackers experience. There are so many beautiful places in Tunisia and it is a good way to learn about the culture from the inside. I stayed at El Berima, a permaculture farm near Tunis for two weeks for example. I learned how to cook Tunisian dishes, speak some Arabic and had a lot of time to visit a Hammam, the city center and local markets. During these two weeks, I visited the Nomadic Bike Community as often as possible to plan my trip and to meet people.
Nomadic Bike is also a workaway spot by the way, I would definitely recommend it. As I already said, go and join the Friday evening meetings there, join them on a camping trip during the weekends and stay with Selim’s mother; she is a great cook 😉
Also in Tunis, great bikers like Iheb, Idriss and Nedra host travelers all the time. They are so nice and friendly, you won’t regret staying with them. Nedra for example is a great cook and loves to share her delicious couscous recipe. You wont regret staying with these amazing people!
After Tunis my tour went as follows:
Sousse:
I stayed in Dar Hkaiem, a guesthouse where many cyclists stay. Toutou, the owner will surprise you with all his stories and his tour around the town.
Gafsa:
I stayed with Mehdi, a sportive cyclist that works in a camping (Camping Elhassan Gafsa) just outside of town. He showed me the city and joined me on my trip to Metlaoui.
Metlaoui:
in this town near the Thelja mountains I was hosted by Hama and his family. My plan was to stay one night, I ended up staying for 3 days and joining Hama on a 7 days trip to the Bike Carnaval of Douz (every year around February). Please, go and stay with Hama and his family. You will have a new brother forever and the most amazing tour-guide you will ever meet.
Douz:
In Douz I stayed at the Cyclist House. In this house almost all bikers that travel in Tunisia stay for a few nights. Fraj, the owner of the place makes sure you will feel at home. They organize a Bike festival every year around February where you can meet cyclist from all around the world.
Cafe Jelili:
Near Matmata you will find Cafe Jelili in the middle of nowhere. The most kind woman will serve you warm tea, fresh Matabka and sweets. Oh, you can even stay here for the night if you want!
Gabes:
In Gabes I stayed with Soumaya and her family. You can stay at her house for 30 dinar per night and the amazing dinner and breakfast that her mother prepares included. Soumaya will tell you about her association ‘she is the goal’, an organization that helps local women to improve and develop their self esteem and to create their own business.
