Kuriat Islands

The Kuriat islands lie about eighteen kilometres off Monastir, two low sandy islands surrounded by seagrass beds and shallow clear water, and they are the most important loggerhead turtle nesting site in Tunisia. A conservation programme monitors the nests through the summer and volunteers work on the larger island. Day boats run from Monastir in season, and there is a lighthouse and almost nothing else on the islands.

What you actually see

• The turtle nesting - the main loggerhead nesting beach in the country.
• The clear shallows - seagrass beds and sandy water around the islands.
• The lighthouse - the only permanent structure on the larger island.
• The conservation camp - the monitoring programme run through the nesting season.

When to go

June to September is when boats run and when turtles nest. Outside that there is no service. Sea conditions can cancel trips.

Honest expectations

There is no shade, water or facility of any kind on the islands. Day-trip crowds in high summer are a real pressure on the nesting beaches. Boats are cancelled in wind with little notice.

Nearby

Monastir is on the mainland, and Mahdia is south.