Stopover

A stopover in Tabarka: diving, surfing and fishing around the port

Tabarka is a small port in north-west Tunisia, close to the Algerian border. A practical stopover when you arrive from Sardinia, with plenty to do ashore and under water.

The YK Marine team22 Oct 20264 min read

Aerial view of the port of Tabarka: jetty, basin and the yard’s hard standing

In brief

A small, sheltered port, with clearance formalities on site.
The Coral Coast, known for diving on rocky seabeds.
The Genoese fort and the Aiguilles, two well-known Tabarka sights.

The port

The port of Tabarka has both a fishing harbour and a marina. It is small, sheltered and calm. Fuel, water and electricity are available on site.

Berths are limited, afloat and ashore.

Preparing your arrival

Send us your dates, the length of the boat and any planned work on WhatsApp. We get the berth ready.
A boat arriving from abroad clears in on site: customs, police, National Guard and APIP, the port authority. We do it with you, for a flat fee of 250 TND.
Keep the boat's and the crew's papers to hand. The list is in our article on clearance formalities in Tabarka.
Want to haul the boat out during the stopover? Tell us early: space on the hard is booked too.

The Genoese fort and the Aiguilles

The Genoese fort overlooks the port from the former island of Tabarka, now joined to the mainland. It was built in the 16th century by the Genoese, who came here to fish for coral. You can see it from all over the port.

By the sea, near the town, the Aiguilles ("the Needles") are tall rock pinnacles shaped by erosion. They are one of Tabarka's best-known landscapes.

Tabarka coastline with the Genoese fort, a paddleboarder offshore — The Genoese fort above the Tabarka coastline.

The Aiguilles of Tabarka, ochre sandstone needles by clear water, a promenade below — The Aiguilles, on the Tabarka seafront.

Diving on the Coral Coast

The Tabarka area is known as the Coral Coast. The seabed is rocky, with drop-offs, caves and red coral at depth. It is one of the best-known diving areas in Tunisia.

Dive with a local dive centre: they know the sites and the currents.
Coral is for looking at. Do not touch it and do not take any.

Two divers above a drop-off covered in red gorgonians, off Tabarka — Gorgonians and red coral: diving in Tabarka.

Surfing, kitesurfing and paddleboarding

The beaches around Tabarka pick up the north-west swell. Surfable waves come mostly out of season, from autumn to spring. In summer, the sea is often calm: that is the season for paddleboarding below the fort.

Sandy beach in Tabarka, straw parasols, the Genoese fort on its hill behind — The beach in Tabarka, below the Genoese fort.

Fishing around the port

People fish from boats, with a line or by trolling, and from the rocks. Check the rules for recreational fishing in Tunisia before you put a line in the water.

Ashore

Behind the town lies the Kroumirie, a mountainous area covered with cork oak forests. It makes for a good day's walk. The town's shops and restaurants are a few minutes' walk from the port. More ideas on our Why Tabarka page.

Cork oaks in Kroumirie, one stripped, above wooded hills and the bay of Tabarka — The Kroumirie cork-oak forest, above Tabarka.

Using the stopover for work on the boat

A stopover is a good time to get the boat back in shape. The yard is a 2-minute walk from the pontoons. The 160 t travel hoist lifts boats from 6 to 35 m, and you can stay on board on the hard, day and night.