Petite Kuriat beach
Clear, shallow water for a swim and snorkel.
Hamdi Ben Boubaker — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Habib M'henni — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Habib M'henni — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Habib M'henni — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Habib M'henni — CC BY 4.0
The Kuriat Islands are two flat islands some 16 to 18 km off Monastir as the crow flies. Grande Kuriat covers about 270 hectares and carries a lighthouse; Petite Kuriat, also called Conigliera, is much smaller and lies about 2.5 km south-west across the water. Neither rises above about 5 metres. Tunisia's main loggerhead turtle nesting site, the archipelago is a marine and coastal protected area. Flint tools and ostrich eggshell fragments, probably Neolithic, have been found near the lighthouse. The Greek geographer Strabo is thought to have called the islands Taricheiae, and the 11th-century Andalusian geographer al-Bakri mentioned a castle and harbour here. Walls survive at the western tip of Petite Kuriat; the site may later have held salt works and a tuna fishery. The 26-metre lighthouse was first lit in June 1888. Trips land only on Petite Kuriat, by a sandy beach about a kilometre long. The clear, shallow water suits swimming and snorkelling over Posidonia seagrass, and lunch is served on the beach, often grilled fish. From May to August turtles come ashore at night to lay; volunteers mark and guard the nests and help hatchlings reach the sea from late July to October. Trips run mainly in summer from Monastir marina, near the Ribat of Monastir, and are also sold in Sousse and Port El Kantaoui. The crossing takes one to two hours depending on the boat, and outings last a half or full day. There are no shops; food and drink come with the boat. The Ribat and the Bourguiba Mausoleum fill another half day.
Clear, shallow water for a swim and snorkel.
Marked nests; hatchlings from late July.
Often grilled fish, served on the sand.
Offshore east of Cap Monastir, reached by boat from Monastir marina
Females nest at night, so adults are rarely seen by day, but hatchlings emerge from late July to October and volunteers sometimes release them while visitors watch. Never touch a nest or shine lights on the beach.
No. Visits are by day only and overnight stays are not allowed, so the boats bring everyone back the same day; after dark the beach is left to the nesting turtles and the volunteers who guard them.