After 2 nights in Kairouan, I headed to El Jem to backpack the UNESCO Roman Amphitheatre.
Louage from Kairouan to Sousse (4,900 Dinar, 45 minutes):
And then an onward louage from Sousse to El Jem (5,600 Dinar, 1 hour).
The Amphitheatre of El Jem was built around 238 AD in Thysdrus. It is located in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis in what is known today as El Jem or El Djem, Tunisia.
It is one of the best preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world.
As with other amphitheatres in the Roman Empire, it was built for spectator events, and it is one of the largest amphitheatres in the world, with an estimated capacity is 35,000.
Accommodation in El Jem is a bit thin on the ground, so I took a louage to Sfax. 6 Dinar, 1 hour.
Then a 20-minute walk to the Auberge de Jeunesse (YHA), where a single bed in a 3-bed dorm costs just 20 Dinar.
It’s another ultra-basic setup up but much cleaner than the hotel in Kairouan. And the wonder of all, hot water showers. Heaven. Breakfast is 2 Dinar extra. There is a mini Carrefour supermarket just up the road and a few cafes.