Just about four years ago we went on our first trip to Tunisia. Back then we stuck mostly to the northern coast and wrapped a loop just past Ksar Ghilane. It was actually our first real adventure on the African continent, a proper reconnaissance. This year we came back with a big crew, pulled off Dirt Roads II, and made it hard. So… how was it?
Let's start with the format. For a while now we've been inviting anyone who loves bivouacs and long-distance off-road travelling to join our rallies. The whole thing is totally amateur, in the spirit of those early rallies that later became legendary, but at the beginning were just a bunch of crazy people who cared only about the road and having fun.
The response was wild, at the end of a day, the number of people willing to spend two weeks living like a tramp, zig-zagging around the whole country, naturally settled at sixteen.
Of course that doesn't mean we blast across Tunisia like a 16-bike cavalry charge. We all follow the same track, but at different speeds, leaving bivouac at different times. We run into each other on the track or in random villages. But everyone meets in the bivouac every evening, all bivouacs were planned into the track ahead. This rule turned out to be a total gamechanger. It gives the whole thing a rally vibe, you have to push to reach bivouac every day, even after dark. And it brings everyone together every evening to share stories, fix bikes, sort out gear, and plan the next day. This isn't a race. It's all about endurance and making it through the whole track.
Speaking of… this year I drew the track to show every face of Tunisia. Northern mountains, agricultural heartland, soggy chotts (this year), empty southern hamadas, sandstone canyon country, and the creme de la creme, the Sahara itself. As usual, the track was drawn mostly from satellite imagery, because OSM coverage in Tunisia is a heroic 30% at best. Also as usual, it was meant for light bikes.
What was new this year were the short daily stages, some only 170–180 km. We did that knowing the days would be short and the group pretty big. I was worried someone full of heroic energy would blast through the whole thing in three hours… but nope! In the end only 3 or 4 riders completed every single stage. The rest skipped a few, meaning the distances were spot on.
A few words about Tunisia as a riding destination. People often say it's the easiest African country to start exploring. And yeah, it's tourist-friendly, somewhat European, cheap, and fairly safe. But honestly? I think Morocco is the better option overall. Especially now that so many transport companies will have your bikes waiting for you in Malaga. Suddenly it's a much easier trip, and Morocco just offers more freedom and space.
And here's the thing that hit me the most this time: Tunisia feels tight. Anyone who's ridden Western Sahara or even the hamadas along the Algerian border in Morocco will find Tunisia packed with villages, plantations, irrigation lines, roads… Only when you go way south does it start getting interesting. But only briefly, because unofficially everything south of Remada is a military zone (Sud), and tourists aren't allowed in.
We followed our own custom tracks, sneaking in from the back side into places regular tourists never go, so we didn't hit many patrols or checkpoints. But on main roads they'll definitely turn you around.
Fun fact #1: Twin-cylinder beasts once again proved they're not the right choice for this kind of travel. Despite all the warnings, no twin has ever made it past half the route on our trips.
Fun fact #2: With 16 machines involved and a 3000 km track, we basically circled the Earth! And if we were speedway riders, we would've done 137142 laps around a stadium together, good thing we actually know how to navigate gps…
And for the photos, here are a few shots from Dirt Roads II. Hope they will inspire you to ride!
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