When it comes to camping, Libya is the place. Huge expanse of land, beaches and desert. Sleeping in the Sahara amid sand dunes and under a quilt of dazzling stars is absolutely free, and also amazing if you have a mythical background about the stars.
Permanent camp sites are available in several places. Bringing your own sleeping bag is more hygienic and therefore we do not provide nor do we encourage sharing sleeping bags. 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 and other places.
Free Camping:
If you are travelling along the coast of Libya, then camping by the beach is allowed 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, 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 then just take your sleeping bag outside and see if you like it; you can always go back inside if the sky seems so close.
Camping Places:
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. 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 these locations. Some police stations can also allow you to camp 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.
- Sert: hotel parking space.
- Ajdabiya(h).
- Banghazi.
- Cyrene: youth hostel.
- Apollonia: either at the Tourist Village or Almanarah Hotel.
- Tobruq: (Tobruk): Dar Alkhaleej.
- Alburdi
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)
- Africa Campsite (Tkerkiba)
- Wat Wat Camp (Ubari)
- Germa Camp (Germa)
- Eirawan Camping (Germa)
- Timbuktu Camp (Germa)
- Tassilie Tourism Camping (Germa)
- Alfaw Camp (al-Uwaynat)
- Alfaw Camp (Adad, Acacus)
- Rifaq as-Sahara (Ghat)
- Anay Camping (Ghat)
- Sergio Camp (Acacus)
- Dar Awis (Acacus)
- Waw al-Kabir (al-Kabeer)
Tkerkiba Campsite
Address:
Tkerkiba (Takerkibah) Campsite
Tkerkiba
Libya
Contact:
Tel: +218 72 2644880
Fax: +218 72 2644780
Tkerkiba Camping Site
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
Africa Campsite:
Located near Tkerkiba. Camping 5 LYD, huts 15 LYD, motobikes 5 LYD, cars 10 LYD, meals 10 - 15 LYD. Services: toilets, water, showers. Contact name (Abdul): mobile number +218 92 535 3823
Eirawan Camping:
Located in Germa, down a quiet side road, away from the noisy road. Camping 5LYD, huts 10 LYD, shared showers and toilets.
Wat Wat Camp:
Small and friendly camping site: tents 5LYD, huts 10 LYD, meals about 10 LYD.
Alfaw Camp:
Contact name (Abubeker): mobile numbers +218 91 395 0688 ; +218 92 376 4811. This is a busy camping base for entering Acacus via Awayanat > Awiss. Huts: single 15 LYD, double 25 LYD, treble 38 LYD, meals about 10 LYD. Parking: lorry = 15-20 LYD; 4x4 = 10-15 LYD; motorbike = 5 LYD.
Alfaw Camp:
This is a fixed camp in Adad, Acacus. Only fixed accommodation is offered here. 150 LYD per a person a night: this price includes full facilities (shower, toilet, hot ater), coffeshop, restaurant.
Anay Camping:
A small camping site, located about 2km south of Ghat. Tents 5 LYD, huts 10 LYD, cars 10 LYD, small shop, self-catering available.
Rifaq as-Sahara Camp:
Built next to the old camping site. Some of the cabins in the Friends of the Sahara Camp are air-conditioned. Cabin per person 20LY.
Dar Awis
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. Environmental issues were taken into consideration, but mainly regarding the colours and materials used in the construction, making them blend well with the surrounding rocks and sand. It is well recommended that tourists should refrain from using excessive water unless necessary, as the strain put on water resources may well affect the future of the area.
Idri (Adiri) Camping Site
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 {thank you for your kind understanding}.
Cyrene Apollo Resort
Tel:+218 845642191
Fax:+218 844163710
Mob:+218 91 2093230
An excellent good-value-for-money hotel & camping complex, Cyrene, Cyrenaica, Eastern Libya.
Cyrene Muntazah: single or double room 60 Libyan Dinar.
Camping Fees
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.
- Setting up own tent = about 10 Libyan dinars.
- Parking vehicle & connecting it to electricity source = about 10 Libyan dinars.
Camping Guidelines:
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Please Remember not to leave any rubbish behind and do not burry it; only bury your own waste where there is no toilet.
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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.
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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 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.
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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.
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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. Do not break any pieces to sell online.