The northernmost country in Africa may be small, but it certainly packs a lot in from its sparkling coastline across mountains to the burning sands of the Sahara Desert. Like most of the fringes of the Mediterranean, Tunisia was colonised by the Romans but for centuries prior to that, it was the seat of the powerful Carthaginian Empire. The Arabs arrived in the 7th century AD, followed by the Ottomans in the 16th, and the French in the 19th. Modern Tunisia gained its independence in 1956 under the leadership of Habib Bourguiba, for whom the main street in most Tunisian towns and cities is named.

I spent eight nights in Tunisia in summer 2008 on what turned out to be my most adventurous solo trip to date – it was a tremendous experience and I’d go back in a second. I was on field break from working offshore and limited for time, but other than my first night in Tunis, I had no accommodation booked in advance and just took each day as it came. I travelled by train and shared long-distance taxi, staying away from the tourist resorts on the coast, but heading deep into the Sahara and through various towns the length of the country.