Kerkennah Islands Attractions
Boat services
From Sfax there are, depending on the season, between two and five car ferries daily to Sidi Youssef, at the southwestern tip of the island of Gharbi; the crossing takes 75 minutes. From Sidi Youssef there are several buses daily to places in the interior of the island.
The attractive Kerkennah Islands lie off the Tunisian coast between 20 and 40km (12.5 and 25mi) east of Sfax. The archipelago consists of seven islands with a total area of some 180sq.km/70sq.mi. Only the two principal islands, Gharbi and Chergui, are inhabited. They are linked by a 1km/0.75mi long causeway built in 1961 on Roman foundations.
Landscape
The islands are predominantly flat (highest point 13m/43ft) and sandy. There is little farming, for rainfall is low (200mm/8in. a year) and the ground-water is of poor quality. As a result of the high humidity of the air the extensive palm-groves seen on the road from Sidi Youssef at the southern tip of Gharbi and El Attaia in the northeast of Chergui bear practically no fruit. The most useful part of the palms is the leaves, which are used in the construction of the V-shaped fish-traps to be seen in shallow water all round the islands.
Economy
The inhabitants of the islands' thirteen villages live mainly by fishing, sponge-diving and the sale of their craft products. Recently the tourist trade has established a foothold on Chergui, with a new holiday complex at Sidi Fredj, west of the village of Ouled Kacem on the southwest coast of the island. The sandy beaches, most of them still almost unfrequented, offer excellent conditions for diving.
From Sfax there are, depending on the season, between two and five car ferries daily to Sidi Youssef, at the southwestern tip of the island of Gharbi; the crossing takes 75 minutes. From Sidi Youssef there are several buses daily to places in the interior of the island.
The attractive Kerkennah Islands lie off the Tunisian coast between 20 and 40km (12.5 and 25mi) east of Sfax. The archipelago consists of seven islands with a total area of some 180sq.km/70sq.mi. Only the two principal islands, Gharbi and Chergui, are inhabited. They are linked by a 1km/0.75mi long causeway built in 1961 on Roman foundations.
Landscape
The islands are predominantly flat (highest point 13m/43ft) and sandy. There is little farming, for rainfall is low (200mm/8in. a year) and the ground-water is of poor quality. As a result of the high humidity of the air the extensive palm-groves seen on the road from Sidi Youssef at the southern tip of Gharbi and El Attaia in the northeast of Chergui bear practically no fruit. The most useful part of the palms is the leaves, which are used in the construction of the V-shaped fish-traps to be seen in shallow water all round the islands.
Economy
The inhabitants of the islands' thirteen villages live mainly by fishing, sponge-diving and the sale of their craft products. Recently the tourist trade has established a foothold on Chergui, with a new holiday complex at Sidi Fredj, west of the village of Ouled Kacem on the southwest coast of the island. The sandy beaches, most of them still almost unfrequented, offer excellent conditions for diving.
Chergui
Chergui, also known as Grand Kerkennah, is 22km/14mi long and up to 10km/6mi wide at its northern end.
El Attaia, Tunisia
At the northeast corner of Chergui is El Attaia, the chief place on the Kerkennah Islands.
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Mellita, Tunisia
From Sidi Youssef a good road runs the length of Gharbi and Chergui. At Mellita are the ruins of a Turkish defensive tower. The road then continues to Remla (petrol station, bank, shops), El Kellabine, El Abassia and the village of Ech Chergui, from which Bourguiba escaped to Libya. Visitors can see the hut in which he spent the night and the boat which he used. The road is signposted "Résidence du Salut du Président Bourguiba".
Tour of the Kerkennah Islands
The Kerkennah Islands have no features of great historical or artistic interest, but they are worth a visit for the sake of the peace and relaxation they offer.
