Visitors' Impressions

Kerkennah


Palm trees gently swaying in the breeze,
Here upon the island of dreams,
Smiling local people whose 
Warmth is stronger than the rays 
of the Tunisian sun,
Under which lifelong friendships 
Have begun,
Glowing red sunsets that lights up the sky,
I always yearn to return and 
Now I remember why,
To sit and gaze at the azure blue sea,
To feel once more the tranquil peace,
That I find in Kerkennah,
My island of dreams.

Written by Panorama client

Summer 1997

The Mediterranean's answer to the Seychelles? The question mark says it all. The Seychelles are idyllic palm tree islands set in clear blue ocean and a long expensive flight away. Off the coast of Tunisia just 3 hours charter flight away is a palm tree island in clear blue sea. It is called Kerkennah, it is just 13ft above the sea. Before you get too excited, the island had a brief spell of tourism development, when in French style a 'zone touristique' was created. There was a 'Club Med' style complex, and three hotels. Now there is just one hotel - the Grand. This hotel is valiantly keeping its title, with a good pool, large rooms with seaviews, a palm fringed beach. Sadly, the facilities are run down, especially the tennis court and the hire bicycles. So, why should you want to go there. If you really want to get away from it all, this is the place. The hotel has devotees that journey there to meet together and make their own entertainment. The days are given over to windsurfing in the amazingly shallow sea or cultivating a tan on the beach.You have to walk out half a mile to get your shoulders under. The evenings are spent under the palm trees on the terrace, drinking, playing cards and holding conversations. There is a restaurant along the beach if you want to ring the changes, but beyond that the island has nothing else to offer. The main town can be explored in less than five minutes and expeditions beyond can reach more beaches which are totally deserted. You can use the island as a beach interlude combined with a trip into the Sahara. You get to Kerkennah by a hour long ferry trip from Sfax which has charter flights from the UK. There is a train with an wonderfully inexpensive luxurious first class compartment from Sousse, which is near the other charter airport - Monastir. The train travels through a sea of olive trees that stretch into infinity and the vista is only broken by the emergence of a Roman coliseum which is larger and better preserved than Rome's at Eche. Kerkennah may be the Mediterranean's answer to the Seychelles but only in its physical attributes. Its other charms have a lot to be desired except its tranquillity and the absence of bucket and spade brigade.