Acacus (Akakus) Travel Routes

Trekking in Acacus is fast becoming one of the main tour types in the region. To access Acacus one can either fly to Ghat and enter the southern region of Acacus on foot, or drive from Sabha to Awaynat (via Tkerkiba and Germa) and then head south. After a short drive south of Awaynat one reaches a flat expanse of desert to the west of Wan Casa sand dunes. The northern part of the Acacus mountain is known as Awiss, and the southern part as Tadrart Acacus. There are several trekking routes to cross the mountains from the Awiss region to Ghat, some of which can be walked in between 8 and 13 hours, depending on how fast you walk and how much you want to see:

 

 

Acacus Route 1:

• Awiss   >   Wadi Tin Lalen   >   Tissatin   >     Adar n Dzhalko   >   Alfawwar (hot spring: Arabic Bir Sakhen)
• Wadi Tashwinet (or Tashwinat) > Wan Amil > up Wadi Atkarni > Wadi Tenetfat > Ghat.
• Tissatin > climb to the plateau > Wadi Adar n Dzhalko > Alfawwar (Wadi Tanezuft) > Ghat.
• Awiss > Tihe n Awiss Pass > Wadi In Aghallasham > Wadi Tanezuft > Ghat.

Acacus Route 2:

This is a classic route starts from Germa (or Tkerkiba) and heads south towards Wadi Metkhandoush, then across Wan Casa to Acacus, before ending in Ghat at the far west of the country.

• Germa > Wadi Berjuj > Idhan Murzug sand dunes.
• Messak Settafet > Metkhandoush > Abahoha Pass > Wan Casa (Kaza) sand dunes.
• Cross to Acacus Mountain > Imrekkah > Iminnegh (water well) > Afazajar Arch > Wadi Tashwinet.
• Tin Khalega Arch > Tin Newen > Tin Asheekh Caves > Tin Lalen > Aghahar Mellen (the White Valley or River).
• Awiss > Adad (finger shaped monolith) > Awaynat > Aghrem n Udadan.
• Maghidet and Maghatghat (forest-like rocks) > Titeghsen > Eboulal (nomad settlement) > In Dinan (the haunted mountain).
• Ghat.

Acacus Route 3:

• Tkerkiba > Wadi Barjuj > Wadi Metkhandosh > Wan Ghajwil
• Wan Ghajwil > Wadi Barjuj
• Wadi Barjuj   > Germa > Sebha

Acacus Route 4:

• Day 1: Germa > Awaynat > Wadi Alabyad > Tlalah.
• Day 2: Talalah > Wadi Tashwinet   > Awaynat > Germa.

Acacus Route 5:

This route runs in the opposite direction to route 2, starting from Ghat and ending at Tkerkiba camp:

• Ghat > Jabel Takharkhuri (in the far south).
• Takharkhuri  > Wadi Tanshalt > Wadi Tashwinet.
• Wadi Tashwinet > Wan Casa  > Messak Mellet.
• Messak Mellet > Idhan Murzuq > Alghomode (Lgammudi, by Wadi Berjuj) > Wadi Metkhandoush.
• Wadi Metkhandoush > Wadi Arrassan > Tkerkiba.

Acacus Route 6:

• Ghat > Tadrart Acacus > Takharkhuri.
• Takharkhuri > Wadi Adad (cave paintings).
• Wadi Adad > Awaynat > Ramlat Dawada > Gaberoun > Umm Almaa, Mandara.

 

 

Acacus Route 7:

This route starts from Ghadames and cuts across to Ghat and then Acacus, the Lakes and Germa:

• Ghadames > Bir Annadarah
• Bir Annadarah > Ala'tshan > Bir Alalo
• Bir Alalo > Ramlet Addiwanah > Ghat
• Ghat > Takharkhurii > Anshel > Wadi Tanshalt   > Wadi Tashwinet
• Tashwinet > Adadd > Awaynat
• Awaynat > Ubari Lakes > Germa

 

 

Crossing Libya Across the Sahara from Tunisia to Egypt via Acacus & Tazerbu:

• Ras Jdayr > Zuwarah > Nalut > Ghadames
• Daraj > (off road to) Alhamada Alhamra > Adiri
• Sabha > Germa > the Lakes > Awaynat (Serdeles)
• Acacus > Wadi Metkhandoush > Wadi Annay > Tajerhy
• Elwighe > Waw Al-Kabeer > Waw Annamus
• Rebyana > Tazerbu
• Jalu > Jaghboub
• Tobruk > Egypt.
  
  With the following variations from Wan Annamous:
  

•  . . . Waw Annamus > Bezzima > Alkufrah > Awjeela > Jaghboub > Tobruk > Egypt.
• . . . .Waw Annamus > Hun > Ajdabiya > Banghazi > Tolmeita > Cyrene > Apollonia > Tobruk > Egypt.
• . . . . Waw Annamus > Hun > Waddan > Surt > Banghazi > Tolmeita > Cyrene > Apollonia > Tobruk > Egypt.

 

 

Waw Annamous

• Sabha > Zwila (Zuwaylah) > Timessa.
• Ben Gnaima Mountain (pre-historic paintings and engravings) > Waw Elkabeir > Waw Annanous.
• Waw Annamous (the inactive volcano, the four lakes, dinner and overnight on the sand dunes).
• Waw Annamous > Timessa > Murzuq (camping near Murzuq)
• Murzuq (castle and the old city) > Tkerkiba or Sabha.

Some Distances (approximately)

Ghadames - Awaynat Wanin (410 km)
Awaynat Wanin - Idri (140 Km)
Ghadames – Ghat (750 km)
Ghat - Acacus (Takharkhuri) (70 Km)

Sabha - Wadi Berjuj (330 km)
Wadi Berjuj  - Germa (180 km)
Germa - Gabroun (80 km)
Wadi Adad - Gabroun (430km)
Gabroun - Murzuk (170 km)
Gabroun - Wadi Zellaf (120 km)

Metkhandoush - Germa - Gebroun (220 km)
Murzuk - Waw AlKabeer- Waw Annamous (500 km)
Sabha - Zilla - Tmissah - Waw Alkabeer (500 km)
Waw Alkabeer - Waw Annamous (165 km)