Rallies

In addition to the usual passport translation, visa and the tour operator guide, rally visas require extra permits from various Libyan departments. Normally the tour operator, once provided with the details of the rally, will contact the following Libyan offices for their approval:

 

Approvals Required For Rallies

          1. Approval of the General people's Committee for General Security  (www.almiezan.net/index.php)
          2. Approval of the General people's Committee for Tourism (www.Libyan-tourism.org)
          3. Approval of the General people's Committee for Youth and Sports (www.gpcs.gov.ly)
          4. Approval of the Libyan Automobile Club.

      

Tourism Police

Libyan law stipulates that groups of four or more of   tourists or visitors must be accompanied by a representative from the Libyan Tourism Police, in their own vehicle, of course. These officers do not come free and the tour operator has to pay the government for their services, and therefore the cost will be transferred to the visitor. The normal cost for each officer is between €20 and €25 a day.

• For a group of 10 visitors the law says we need to hire one "tourism officer" to accompany the convoy.
• For a group of 20 visitors the law says we need to hire 2 officers.
• For a group of 30 visitors, we need 3 officers.
• For a group of 40 visitors, we need 4 officers.
• For a group of 50 visitors, we need to hire 5 officers.
• For groups of more than 50, we need to contact the Libyan Tourism Department for further details, but we were told that it is unlikely that we will need more than 5 officers.

Food, Petrol & Camping

Petrol is available every 50 miles or so and jerry cans are always available for extra supplies. Petrol in Libya is of top quality unleaded super petrol and is the cheapest in the world. Camping in Libya is ok and can be arranged. Camping sites, where shower and cooking facilities are available for a fee, are mostly found in tourist and desert areas, like Fezzan. Food: for large groups, we normally use mobile kitchens, which come equipped with every thing needed to prepare all kinds of meals. They are operated by a a team of two (a chef and his assistant). If you do not require this service, and would like to take care of your own food, then food in Libya is very cheap.