• Follow the stars to the sands. Tunisia's desert has featured in The English Patient and the Star Wars films. Tour operators in Douz and Tozeur offer desert safaris visiting the locations where these famous blockbuster movies were shot.

• Go desert trekking from Douz, either by camel or in 4-wheel drive vehicles; trips can last from an hour to three weeks. You can also go dune skiing, desert go-karting or take a flight in a light aircraft over the dunes.

• Experience the eerie otherworldliness of 5000 sq m (53,819 sq ft) Chott El Jerid, part of a series of lakes that stretch into Algeria. In summer, the surface is dry and blisters in the heat, while in winter the lakes flood with water.

• Take a hammam (Turkish bath). There are baths all over Tunisia, where you can steam with the locals; many of the natural hot springs have been used for this purpose since Roman and Punic times.

• Stroll through the bustling Tunis medina, honing your haggling skills. Try the 13th-century Souk el Attarine (the perfume-makers' market), which still sells scents and oils, or the Grand Souk des Chechias, the place to buy traditional handmade red felt caps.

• Play a round of golf (website: www.tunisiagolf.com) - there are excellent courses for all abilities at Port el Kantaoui near Sousse, Monastir, Tabarka, Carthage at Tunis, Tozeur, Djerba and Hammamet.

• See kaleidoscopic coral beds and sea life by scuba diving in Tunisia's clear waters, Tabarka Yachting Club, the International Diving Centre at Port el Kantaoui and SAAM Diving in Monastir are recommended centres.

• Cross the causeway or take a ferry to the island of Djerba, with its soft beaches lapped by Mediterranean waters, whitewashed, palm-shaded small towns and craft, carpet and souvenir-shopping.

• Explore the ksour in the Tunisian south: these hilltop granaries moulded from mud look as if they were built by aliens - it's no surprise that Star Wars was filmed around here.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.