Rimel Beach

About five miles (eight kilometers)

south of Bizerte is the charming Rimel Forest, where Aleppo and stone pine trees dominate the flora. Several sand tracks snake through the forest, but the most trodden ones lead to Rimel Beach (Plage des Bateaux). It could be a peaceful walk in nature if it weren’t for military vehicles constantly ramming through the forest.

Upon approaching the beach, attention is immediately drawn to two huge ships stranded not far from the coast: the

Hamada S

and the

Ydra

. Information about these two wrecks is scarce. The

Hamada S

was built in 1977 in Turkey. It once flew the Togolese flag and was on its way to get repaired in Tunisia when it ran aground.

As for the

Ydra

, it was a Greek cargo ship that got stranded as a result of a fire in the engine room. A few hundred meters further south, the hull of another boat barely makes it to the surface, while large rusted cogs and wheels belonging to one or more boats are scattered throughout the beach.

If shipwrecks can evoke feelings of spookiness or even dread, the feelings at Rimel Beach are heightened by the constant gunfire that comes from a military shooting range located directly behind the dunes. In case you are concerned about your safety, the beach is open to the public and the shooting range is cordoned off and guarded by friendly guards. Safety notwithstanding, the soundtrack can be quite unnerving.