PLACES TO GO

NAME: Thabraca (Phoenician).
LOCATION AND ACCESS: In north-western Tunisia, 170 km from Tunis via Mateur.
DIALING CODE: 08.
ACCOMMODATION: see Hotels Listing.
AMENITIES: Post office, service stations, shops, car hire (Hertz, résidence Corallo, tel. 644-570).
SOUVENIRS: Carpets, cork and olive wood goods, coral jewellery, Sejnane terracotta pottery and statuettes.
TOURIST INFO.: Comissariat regional au tourisme, 32 avenue Bourguiba, tel. 644-491.
FESTIVALS: Coral Festival (July-August).

A Pine and mimosa covered mountain gentle slopes to the sea where bays of fine sand are interspersed with rock "needles", sculpted by the sea. Since antiquity Tabarka has been famous for its coral fishing and the Coral Festival of underwater photography held each summer attracts international visitors and specialists .

The recently built resort Montazah-Tabarka offers a class c yachting harbor with all modern facilities . For the sportsminded, an 18 hole golf course stands in a superb 270 acre forest,overhanging the sea and Tabarka has become "the place" for diving, fishing, sailing as well as the ever enjoyable sunbathing. The summer festival of folklore and music has become justly famous for the quality of its performances by local and international artists and musicians.

The rich natural environment of Tabarka has been carefully preserved and visitors will delight in crystal clear waters and a bay of fine sand with the lovely mountains of Kroumirie as a backdrop. Just a few miles from the beachfront these mountains abound in wildlife from red deer to the solitary eagle. The excursions offered by the Tabarka Club invite both amateur and professional divers to discover the opulence of the sea life .

As with most of Tunisian cities Tabarka's history is a colorful mosaic of Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and Turkish civilizations. Nearby Bulla Regia and Chemtou provide visitors with a glimpse of superbly preserved roman sites and overlooking Tabarka itself, the lonely sentinel of a 16th century Genoese fort still stands guard.