A Weekend at Haidra and Jugurtha's Table

This weekend, I went off with a group of friends from Amideast - Dan, Jeremy, and Kristian - to the area just south of Le Kef for a more of an adventurous experience. Loaded up with our bags full of camping supplies, we took a 6:00 AM train on Saturday all the way down to the end of the line - a small town called Kalaat Khasbah. After the five-hour journey, we stumbled out of the train with our bags and paid a local guy to take us over to the old Roman ruins of Haidra (sorry for the awful link - there's not many internet resources on these places), which is about 18km from Kalaat Khasbah.

The ruins of Haidra are right next to the modern-day town of Haidra, which has a small main street which feels like some sort of dusty border town - which it actually is, since you're mere kilometers away from Tunisia's more rowdy neighbor, Algeria. There is a decent restaurant in town (you can't miss it, it's right by the small louage station), and we enjoyed some soup, chicken, fresh local vegetables and of course, the ubiquitous side of french fries. After the recharge, we went out to check out the ruins, which are absolutely spectacular and remarkably tourist-free, due to their rather remote nature.

The ruins include a large and well-preserved Byzantine fort, a Vandal Chapel, plus a Triumphal Arch, a large and solitary mausoleum, a Roman temple converted into a Christian Church, and substantial remains of the capitol. We spent about three hours exploring the landscape, talked to the local guardien, and made friends with one of the national guardsmen - there are a lot of National Guard and Army soldiers around the region since you're literally a stone's throw from Algeria. The site itself is wonderfully evocative - it feels very un-touristy and real. There is still some native Tunisian marble on some of the buildings, and you have free reign to explore as you see fit. I'll be posting photos a bit later.

After Haidra, we hopped on a louage a few kilometers down the road, then hitched a ride to Terjouine, which is on the way to Kalaat Es Senam - the village at the base of our ultimate destination - Jugurtha's Table. Terjouine is a good hub for getting around the area - you can even pick up louages straight back to Tunis. We personally ended up hiring a louage to take us right to Kalaat Es Senam to pick up some supplies - especially water, since it's not available on the mountain - and then he took us a bit of the way up. The trick with louage pricing is pretty much the same as everything when I'm getting around places - I talk to people. In smaller towns, there's still a good possibility of getting ripped off, but if you take the time to talk to a few people (and especially if you speak some Classical or Tunisian Arabic), you're assured to find some hospitable people to help you out. For example, the ride we hitched to Terjouine was just from a guy passing through - he helped us find a decent price on a louage once we got into town. The key is also warmth - social interaction is highly prized, and when you take the time to not come off as an arrogant tourist, you'll have a much more authentic experience.


The louage took us right up to the base of Jugurtha's Table, which is a gigantic flat-topped mountain that you can see from all over the countryside. The top is ringed by exceptionally high cliffs with one entrance around the back, which you're obligated to engage in quite the hike to get to. I'd also reccomend bringing along some good walking shoes and long pants - there are a lot of prickly plants around, and it can be pretty painful to brush by a few.

We continued up the hill until we were stopped by two National Guardsmen, who had gotten wind that tourists were going up the mountain. They were nice and took up our backpacks in their SUV for about 100m, before giving us a rather thorough interrogation on what we were up to. We cleared it all up with a phone call to Tunis to clarify what we did there, and they helped us get settled. Foremost, they were concerned with our security - it's an isolated spot and also quite close to the Algerian border, as I've mentioned before. I'm sure they were also making sure we weren't engaged in anything besides just tourism - luckily they didn't search my bags and find my zoom lens!

We then climbed up the main entrance, which is an ancient stairway guarded by an old Byzantine gate. However, the history of the Table dates back at least as far as for who it was named for - the Numidian King Jugurtha, who used this impregnable natural fortress as a base from which to attack the Romans. While any traces of Jugurtha are gone, there's still a lot of history up on top. There's some Byzantine and Roman ruins spread out among the vast top part - which can take over 45 minutes to walk from side to side. There's also a small mosque, very orderly Roman cisterns for catching rainwater, and coolest of all, Troglodyte caves. There's a network that you can explore right by the main entrance. Even today, these serve as an important defense against the elements - the occasionally strong winds, sun-exposed days and cold nights.

We ultimately ended up staying in one of the grottos right by the entrance. There's a guide there who's employed by the tourism ministry, and he's amazingly hospitable. The National Guard insisted on a policeman guarding the entrance to the Table, and the guide helped us put out carpets and cushions in the cave, which turned into a little quasi-harem. We cooked up some soup with the food, pot, and firewood we brought from Tunis, and relaxed and had an amazing night. I'd recommend a sleeping bag even for the summer - I had just brought my lightweight shell that I used in Sierra Leone, and it wasn't quite enough, it was a cold night.

In the morning, we went down to the guide's house and had a great breakfast of fresh milk, eggs, coffee, thick crepes or galettes, and local honey... then the long odyssey home commenced. We decided to take louages all the way back to Tunis. First off, we paid a local guy (who the guide can call), to drive us and our stuff all the way down to the town. Then we took a louage up to the biggest local city, Le Kef (known simply as "Kef"), and then took a three-hour louage straight to Tunis, arriving before 4:00 PM.

I'd say this was the most rewarding trip I've taken so far. The history was amazing, and it helps to get away from the traditionlly tourist places and Tunis itself to see real Tunisia. It is roughing it. If you want to be less adventurous, you can rent a car (I had to explain to several Tunisians why we didn't), but it separates you quite a bit from the people. Kef is also a good staging point for a trip like this, and it allows you to get out and see some absolutely spectacular scenery around the area. If anyone has any specific questions about getting to Jugurtha's Table/Haidra, feel free to shoot me an email at ibolger@gmail.com