Ramadan? But you’re not Muslim! You might be thinking. Well, you’re right, but as it turns out, that doesn’t change the fact it exists. Ramadan is a holy month that is considered one of the five pillars of Islam, with the exact dates set by the cycles of the moon. It is a time of fasting, prayer, reflection and socializing. And because we were travelling in Tunisia during Ramadan, it was mainly that fasting part that was key for us, as non-Muslims travelling in a Muslim country, considering how we are so accustomed to eating, well, basically anytime we feel like it.
During Ramadan, however, most Muslims choose to fast from sunrise to sunset, even avoiding drinking liquids. Of course, as non-Muslims, we were not bound by these rules, but that didn’t stop them having a pretty significant impact on our trip. For starters, almost all restaurants were closed, even at night when most people choose to break their fast at home with family and friends.
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Plus, out of respect for their culture, we were careful not to eat or drink in public during the day. A very minor hardship, perhaps, compared to complete abstinence from 5 am to 6:30 pm, but still tricky at times, particularly on travel days.
Now, choosing to travel in a Muslim country during Ramadan was, in itself, a questionable choice, obviously. There were certainly pros and cons. I mean, even most Muslims tend to avoid travelling during Ramadan, waiting instead for a time when they can actually enjoy restaurants and aren’t starving and dehydrated all day.
So, why travel to Tunisia during Ramadan? Well, the short answer is – we didn’t mean to. Or, more accurately, it never occurred to us until long after we had already booked our flights and most of our hotels. You’d think by now we’d be past these amateur mistakes, but alas… In fairness, a helpful AirBnB host did alert us to the issue early enough that we could have shifted everything.
But, in the end, we decided that considering we were already planning to stay in apartments (and therefore could feed ourselves) the downsides wouldn’t be problematic enough to make a complete switch worthwhile. And, in hindsight, we think that was the right call.
To read about all the things we did, learned and guess at, check out:
51 Things to Know Before Visiting Tunisia
Being in Tunisia for Ramadan was tricky at times, sure, but it was also a fascinating cultural experience, plus there were far fewer other tourists around, which always simplifies things. So, bottom line, travelling in Tunisia in Ramadan was occasionally challenging, but also very unique and memorable. So, here are some things to be aware of if you’re considering doing the same next year.
What is Ramadan?
A holy month of reflection, fasting and additional prayer. No food, water, sex or smoking from sunrise to sunset. It is a time for self-improvement, communal spirit and religious devotion. Other rules/guidelines include maintaining positive thoughts and avoiding both disagreements and sexual reading material. So, basically, wholesome TV shows are fine, but lay off the porn, please and thank you.
I can’t tell you for sure if people laid off the sexual reading material, although I’m not sure we saw anybody reading anything in public at any point, so they were probably in the clear on that one. As for the disagreements, we personally witnessed two different fistfights in two different louage (shared taxi) stations, so the “no disputes” principle may have slipped through the cracks occasionally. And been no match for disgruntled “hangry” men. At least some bystanders stepped in when one of the combatants returned with a nasty looking stick to finish the job. Shukran, amigos.
Kids are exempt from fasting until they hit puberty, and exceptions are also made for the elderly, the ill and women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating. Although, apparently, those bowing out during their period are expected to make up the days later. Like taking holidays from your job but just having your work pile up so you have twice as much to do when you get back. Rather unsatisfying, I’d expect.
From a health perspective, most professionals agree that for the average healthy person fasting is not dangerous, especially the food part. The dehydration is more troublesome but shouldn’t cause any lasting damage unless it is combined with other issues. Meanwhile, cutting down on the smoking is clearly beneficial.
Of course, the obvious tendency to binge eat/drink/smoke both before (suhur) and after (iftar) fasting isn’t physically ideal but, once again, not necessarily dangerous.
Apparently there is a sharp increase in generosity and charitable donations during Ramadan since all good deeds are deemed to generate greater spiritual rewards during this holy time. Sacrifice and empathy are also core values of Ramadan. Thankfully, tourists are also exempt from that craziness.
Ramadan in Tunisia
We incorrectly assumed that restaurants would be packed at sundown because, you know, everyone would be starving and ready to gorge themselves. Well, yes, it’s true, they were starving and ready to gorge themselves, they just wanted to do it at home with their families. Of which we had neither, so pasta in our AirBnB it was, except for the rare occasions when we managed to find a restaurant open in our vicinity.
We nodded knowingly at several other tourists at the only restaurant open in downtown Tunis, nodded in complete understanding at the beachfront restaurant in Monastir when he explained they weren’t serving pizza because the smell was too taunting for those fasting, and nodded in pretend understanding when a café owner in Sousse explained we could share a single fish and salad if we wanted, only later figuring out that they don’t normally serve meals and were just nice enough to offer us the leftovers from their family meal.
Sidi Bou Said, featuring the famous ruins of Carthage and a nearby cruise ship port, was the most touristy place we visited in Tunisia. By which I mean literally the only place where we saw more than 10 other tourists at one time. Not surprisingly, Sidi Bou Said was also the only place where multiple restaurants were open.
Including (or not surprisingly) one cute little place right across the street from our apartment which we almost tried… until we saw it had a 1.9 rating on Google Maps. Out of 5! From nearly a hundred reviews! In fairness, most people said the food was actually “okay”, if often burnt. No, what really left a bad taste was the constant overcharging and scams. Got it. For us, the biggest mystery is why they are still allowing themselves to show up on Google Maps.
In the Sousse medina, the beginning and end of the fast was announced by an extremely loud firecracker/bomba/explosion of some sort that never failed to scare the shit out of me. Even though I technically always knew when it was about to happen. Personally, I found the 4:30 am ones most problematic.
Even though nobody was eating during the fast, Tunisians certainly had no qualms about shopping for food. With gusto, I might add. The sweet shops were bursting with temptation, the meat shops crowded with starving folks closely assessing the merits of the many tantalizing sheepheads and the fruit and veg markets, my goodness, were complete chaos.
Now, is that just how Tunisian markets always seem, or was this large-scale proof of the old adage, “never grocery shop hungry”? Not sure, but either way, I found it very intimidating. I just want to pick out some good bananas, stop rushing me!
Cleverly making note of the many, many cigarette butts accumulated in every nook, cranny and on every vaguely concave surface, we determined that, had it not been Ramadan, we would normally be treated to one (excuse the technical term) shit-tonne of second-hand smoke. We also knew this because the night I spent in a local café watching an Arsenal game, I wasn’t so much “surrounded” by smoke as, “engulfed”. Or maybe “immersed”? “Submerged”? You get the idea. The point is, I had to wash everything I was wearing.
And, in case you were also wondering how the lack of food, water and cigarettes compared in the minds of Ramadan participants, our Tozeur tour guide cleared that up when I asked him “What is the hardest part about fast-“ “NICOTINE!!”, leaving no need to even finish the question.
Of course, it is impossible to know just how devout and dedicated people are to fasting in the privacy of their own homes. I suspect most followed the rules pretty closely but there were certainly hints that others weren’t necessarily as committed, such as the lingering smell of smoke Laynni noticed in a public bathroom one day or the disdain in that same Tozeur guide’s voice when he talked about students in Sousse he visited once who “didn’t even seem to care”. Everybody definitely toes the line in public, though.
Benefits
As for how travelling in Tunisia in Ramadan affected us, personally, and might, theoretically affect you as future travellers, I’ll start with the benefits. Because, yes, there actually are some upsides.
- Fewer tourists. Thanks to all the downsides we’ll get to in a bit, you’ll be sharing the place with just a fraction of the normal number of tourists. Which then, contradictorily, makes the downsides kind of an upside. Confused yet?
2. More calls to prayer and various other religious songs. If, like us, you find the haunting sounds of the call to prayer very evocative and atmospheric, you’ll love Ramadan. It’s like open-mic night all day long. I’d say the 4 am ones were our least favourite, though, if we were to rank them.
3. No smoking in public. The benefits of this feel obvious even if you are a smoker yourself. The same way smelling your own fart is never as irritating as your Uber driver’s.
4. The few restaurants that bother to open during Ramadan are VERY excited to see you. The ones that actually serve food, I mean. Although even the one forced to feed us their leftovers were quite pleasant.
5. Forced detox. I hadn’t really been thinking I needed to give up the beer, but to be fair, I almost never think that. So this turned out to be a convenient way to force me into a drier, healthier three weeks.
6. Energy. It is empowering to know that by late afternoon you are probably among the most physically able people in the entire country, merely because you aren’t completely malnourished or dangerously dehydrated.
7. Fewer bathroom breaks. Not drinking water in public meant not drinking water at all on long travel days in share taxis which meant bathroom breaks were basically optional. Score.
Challenges
I’ve already addressed many of these in my earlier rants, but here is a more comprehensive recap of the issues you might face travelling in Tunisia during Ramadan.
1. Very few restaurants are open.
2. You need to be discreet. While you are technically allowed to eat, drink and smoke in public, doing so in front of people that are dying for just the tiniest taste of any of those things is really not cool, man. Although one of our hosts told us that carrying takeaway food past fasting people was perfectly fine because “when they’re hungry, they like to smell it”. I am Jack’s mounting skepticism.
3. You need to plan your food and drink schedule. On travel days, in solidarity with our fellow passengers in avoiding food and water, prior to our multiple 6-7 hr journeys we would spend the early hours of the morning binging food and water like we were about to be contestants on Survivor or dropped into some remote jungle, naked and afraid. All while somehow timing it to fully handle all bathroom duties in advance as well. Complicated math, that.
4. You need to come to grips with your own inadequacy. Realizing during our travel preparations just how weak we were, considering everyone else was doing 13-14 hrs every single day.
Interesting Side Note
Supposedly, people watch a lot more TV during Ramadan, particularly at night following the evening meal, and in the wee hours when they are taking their last opportunities to eat, drink and otherwise prepare for the long day ahead.
As a result, many Arab soaps, called “musalsal”, roll out just for the occasion. These serial dramas are similar to Latin American telenovelas and are usually set to 30 episodes that run nightly throughout Ramadan, with advertising prices going through the roof for what some describe as “the Islamic Super Bowl”. But with increased spirituality and self-sacrifice replacing pointed references to Drake being a pedophile.
Summary
Travelling in Tunisia in Ramadan definitely isn’t perfect. Everything is just a bit more complicated, with fewer things open, less tourist infrastructure and almost no restaurants. So foodies, in particular, could struggle. But if the local cuisine isn’t your main reason for visiting and you’re okay renting an apartment and eating in most of the time, you certainly won’t starve or anything.
So, our two main pieces of advice for travelling in Tunisia during Ramadan would be:
1) Stay in apartments so you can make your own meals.
2) Download the Glovo app so you can order food delivery from whichever few restaurants are open, as well as discreetly eat inside, away from the starving eyes of the masses.
Meanwhile, the communal spirituality during Ramadan in Tunisia is inspirational, and the additional calls to prayer and overall devotion certainly leaves a lasting impression. Not to mention the opportunity to enjoy top tourist attractions nearly by yourself, which is a pretty rare thing in today’s global travel scene.
In a single sentence, I would call travelling in Tunisia during Ramadan “not ideal, but manageable”. So don’t immediately rule it out, just make sure to consider all the pros and cons. BEFORE booking all your flights and hotels, ideally.
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