Temehu
 
   
  
 

 

 

Camping & Campsites in Libya

Camping Site at Tkerkiba

 

When it comes to camping, Libya is the place. Huge expanse of sand, beaches and endless desert. Sleeping in the Sahara amidst sand dunes, under a quilt of dazzling stars, is unique, absolutely free, and amazing with some mythical background about the constellations.

Permanent camp sites are available in several places, particularly in the desert. Bringing your own sleeping bag is well recommended, as we neither encourage sharing nor provide them. These camping sites consist of thatched huts with shared shower facilities, a kitchen, small restaurant, fold up tables, and electricity source for your campervan.

Concerned organisations have stressed the need to use these camps only when necessary to reduce the strain put on local water resources. Be prepared to experience some mosquito nuisance, locally reduced by fire-smoke, eating raw garlic or using nets. This is part of the Sahara's wild life, as preserved in the nearby name Waw an-Namus, which means 'the oasis of mosquitoes', due to the small lakes surrounding the extinct volcano.

 

Free Camping

If you are travelling along the coast of Libya, then camping by the beach is allowed, apparently, only if your vehicle can reach the beach, as you can do in Zuwarah for example. But in areas where the beach is not accessible directly, you must use one of the designated places (see below). Camping in the Sahara is also free and sites are most often chosen by the guides and the desert experts - but you can let them know the places of your choice.

However, desert winter months are very cold at night, and temperature can drop below freezing point (between November and February), and therefore if you are travelling during this period, a good tent and heavy sleeping bags are needed. The recommended time for travel across the desert is between October and April, and most tours to the Acacus region do not take place between the end of May and August.

Normally your guide will set up the tent in a good spot for you, but if you fancy to sleep outside the tent just take your sleeping bag outside and see the ancient world still clutching to the sky. You can always go back inside the tent if the sky seems so close. 

 

Camping Places

Camping along the coast is subject to changes in regulations. According to new Libyan travel regulations, tourists travelling along the coast, from border to border, can camp in a number of designated sites, mostly parking gardens of hotels and youth hostels, for a fee of 10 Libyan dinars. These restrictions probably have disappeared with the ousted regime in 2011, and most likely will be replaced by other restrictions such as "safety" and "land mines".

If you ask us to design an itinerary for you and also request camping to be included, then we will plan your tour so that you will be camping in the approved locations. Some police stations can also allow  camping around their compounds, if necessity requires.

Designated Camping Locations:

  • Zuwarah: coming from the Tunisian border, you will head for Zuwarah, and camp in various locations by the beach.
  • Sabratha: the next allowed spot is Sabratha, about 40km from Zuwarah, either in the parking space opposite the archaeological site, or in the car park of the youth hostel.
  • Tripoli: Alkabeer Hotel (Grand Hotel).
  • Leptis Magna: the Tourist Village.
  • Sirte: hotel parking space.
  • Ajdabiya(h).
  • Cyrene: youth hostel.
  • Apollonia: either at the Tourist Village or Almanarah Hotel.
  • Tobruq: (Tobruk): Dar Alkhaleej.
  • Alburdi (Alburdi hotel).

 

 

 

Desert Camping Sites

There are several camping sites in Fezzan, some of which may no longer be operational, or may become full during certain months, like December and January:

  • Fezzan Campsite (Sabha)
  • Tkerkiba Campsite (Tkerkiba)
  • Tiwiwa (Ubari)
  • Alfaw Camp (Awaynat : al-Uwaynat)
  • Anay Camping (Ghat)
  • Adad or Acacus Camp (Acacus)

 

 

Tkerkiba Campsite

Address:
Tkerkiba (Takerkibah) Campsite
Tkerkiba
Libya
Contact:
Tel: +218 72 2644880
Fax: +218 72 2644780

Tkerkiba Camping Site

Camping Site at Tkerkiba
Tkerkiba Campsite

Fezzan Campsite

One of the most popular camping sites in the Sahara, located about 12km southwest of Sabha, off the road to Awbari and Germa. Huts cost about 10 LYD per person with shared bathroom; breakfast about 5L

Address:
Fezzan Campsite
(12 km into the road to Awbari)
Sabha
Libya
Contact: Mob: +218 92 5131987 - 92 5131967

 

Fezzan campsite
Fezzan Campsite

 

 

 

 

 

Adad or Acacus Camp

This is a fixed camp in Adad, Acacus. Only fixed accommodation is offered here. 150 LYD for a double hut. The price includes full facilities (shower, toilet, hot water).

adad campsite in Acacus, Fezzan

A view of the fixed campsite in Adad, Acacus, Fezzan, Southern Libya.

 

Adad campsite in acacus

 


 

 

 

Dar Awiss

Dar Awis

Dar Awiss Campsite; built in the 1998, refurbished in 2006.

The campsite consists of 30 large tents (4,50 x 3,50 m), each of which has a wooden floor and supported through a wooden frame, and covered with golden and blue canvas, to reflect both: the Tuareg's favourite colours and the sky-sand combination of the mysterious surrounding landscape; which may have originally inspired the Tuareg to hold such colours with great respect. Also a large Berber tent, lavishly furnished with traditional cushions and mats, is often used to welcome guests. Each tent comes with a veranda at the front, and an en-suite bathroom with running water and a shower. The use of running water in such critical and harsh conditions did not go unnoticed.

 

Idri (Adiri) Abandoned Camping Site

 

Camping site at Idri, near Sabha in Libya

The Idri camping site is now deserted, and offers no services. It can however be used as a camping stop in the route from Derj to Sabha. Please avoid leaving bottles and cans behind.

 

 

Cyrene Apollo Resort

Tel:+218 845642191
Fax:+218 844163710
Mob:+218 91 2093230

 

muntazah cyrene

Hotel & camping complex, Cyrene, Cyrenaica, Eastern Libya.

See 3 star hotels (under Cyrene) for more photos.

 

 

Camping Fees

 

 

a camp hut

 

Camping away from camping sites is free. Camping in camping sites involves paying small fee. Prices vary from camping site to another:

  • Thatched hut = between 5 and 15 Libyan dinars per a person, depending on site. 45 lyd for a double hut.
  • Setting up own tent = about 10 Libyan dinars.
  • Parking vehicle & connecting it to electricity source = about 10 Libyan dinars.

 

Camping Guidelines

 

 

  • Please Remember not to leave any rubbish behind and do not burry it; only bury your own waste where there is no toilet.

  • Tins, plastic, batteries, glass, tampons, condoms and other artificial material should be taken back to camping sites for proper disposal or to the nearest village or town. If you see members of your tour operator abusing this convention, do not feel embarrassed to remind them. Some tourists minimize this by taking their own supplies in reusable containers.

  • Not many people know why water bottles are shaped the way they are (with lines and grooves across them); these lines are designed for squashing the bottle to around a fifth of its original size, as follows: remove the top, place your hand under the bottle, then push the top of the bottle all the way down and immediately replace the top (the lid) before releasing it to prevent air going back in. Like this you will end up with much less rubbish to carry back, with you.

  • Do not take wood from living trees, only use dead wood found about, and therefore it is a good idea to collect good wood during your day travel to use at night, rather than wait until dark and then start looking for wood in the desert.

  • Do not pour water over prehistoric paintings in order to bring their colour out for good photos, as has been reported, and do not scratch, sign or autograph your name near the painting. Free software is available online which allows one to retouch photos with one click.