North Africa boasts some
of the finest travel destinations in the world,
including the magical Berber Atlas mountains of Morocco, the flat sand beaches
of Tunisia, and the great pyramids of Ancient Egypt. But some of these wonderful
tour destinations have become crowded and no longer appear to
provide an exciting challenge to experienced travellers. Libya, on the other
hand, is a new destination, unknown, unexplored, totally unspoiled, and features
a number of unique and impressive archaeological and natural sites. As an emerging
sand, sun and sea destination of the future, Libya is truly blessed with archaeological
cities and world heritage sites, spanning all periods of history, right from
the Stone Age and the?Pleistocene to the Byzantine times and the modern sagas
of World Wars.
Planning Your Tour
&
Choosing Your
Libyan Tour Operator
To start planning your tour it is best to start familiarising
yourself with the geography and the culture of Libya and its rich archaeological
heritage. Ask your Libyan tour operator to provide
you with any information you may require before you make your final decision.
You can also have a look around this website, making sure you visit our
interactive
map (accessed from the Maps menu at the end of this page)
to have a general feel about the various regions of Libya
and explore the vast distances separating Libyan sites.
Regions of Libya
Tripolitania:
in the west, where you can visit
Tripoli's national museum for a brief insight into the history of
Libya; visit some of the Phoenician and Roman sites of Tripoli, Leptis
Magna and Sabratha; enjoy the best Libyan beaches of Zuwarah and
Farwa; find out more about the new Free Trade Zones, Libyan tourism and the new
investment opportunities; and explore the Berber towns and villages of Nafousa
Mountain, like Nalut, Kabaw, Jado and Yefren.
Cyrenaica:
in the east, where you can visit Benghazi,
the second largest city in Libya; explore the sites of Cyrene,
Tolmeita and Apollonia; see World War Two sites in Tobruk (and Alburdi); visit
pre-Greek Berber sites, like Slontha,
and enjoy the spectacular scenes of the verdant Green Mountain of Eastern Libya,
overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Fezzan:
in the south, where you can visit Ghadames at
the edge of the desert, then venture south into the Sahara's secret valleys and
mountains for a breathtaking glimpse of Libya's prehistoric civilisations of
Germa and
Tadrart Acacus (/akakous/); enjoy the fantastic
range of Ubari's kaleidoscopic lakes and
palm-fringed oases; study, sketch or photograph some of the thousands of prehistoric
art sites and shelters; watch the spectacular sunset over the towering sand
dunes; and gaze at the dazzling stars of the desert's mythical sky, which makes
Fezzan a truly wonderful world of its own.
How much time do I need to see Libya?
The answer to this question depends on how much you want to see. If you want
to sample most of Libya, including the best popular sites of the Sahara, then
you need at least 30 or 40 days. But the average time most visitors
spend in Libya is between 9 and 15 days. So the best thing to do is pay a quick
visit to see what Libya is really like, then you can always return
for more.
1 - 4 Day Tours
These short trips to Tripoli are ideal
for weekends and for those visiting Libya for business, educational reasons,
or for a weekend break in Tripolitania or Cyrenaica. We can secure the appropriate
visa and have it ready for you, reserve a room for you of your choice, meet you
at the airport, and assist you in
every way to make your weekend a memorable stay.
7 - 10 Day Tours
These tours are suitable for quick visits to selected
Greek and Roman cities of Tripolitania and/or Cyrenaica,
like Sabratha, Leptis Magna, Cyrene and Apollonia, and some Berber sites, like
Zuwarah, troglodyte Yefren, Nalut (in Nafousa Mountain), and even
as far south as Ghadames ('the Pearl of the Sahara'). Ten
days would be ideal to explore the best Roman and Greek sites of Libya. Most
tours fall into this category.
15 - 20 Day Tours
These tours are suitable for full holidays
or for exploring Libya's coastal treasures and desert sites. You can either choose
one of the popular tours combining Tripolitania and/or Cyrenaica and Fezzan,
or select your own destinations from these regions as you go. Also you can
spend the whole of your holiday in one place, say by the beach or in Farwa. With
at least two weeks in hand, you can also visit the Sahara and venture
deep into the Acacus (Akakous) valleys and further south towards the extinct
volcano of Was an-Namous. These tours are ideal for those who love to travel
or drive in the desert and relax by the kaleidoscopic
lakes of the great Ubari Sand Sea; as well as for those wishing to experience
life in the Sahara and explore the prehistoric arts of Acacus and
the rock engravings of Wadi Metkhandoush.
Alcohol-Free Beer
Food While Travelling In The Desert
This is the kind of food we usually provide during desert tours.
Food is optional. Desert food means food during desert
travel where 4x4 is required and where there are no shops, like Acacus, Methkhendoush,
Hamada and the Lakes. If chosen to be included in the itinerary, desert food
will include three meals, soft drinks and bottled water. Breakfast includes the
usual bread, cheese, butter, croissants, jam, honey, milk, eggs, tuna, fruit
juice, coffee, tea and biscuits. Midday lunch usually consists of light food
which is recommended during desert travel, like fresh salad with olives, cucumber
and tomatoes, bread, tinned vegetables, beans, tinned sardines, various fruits,
water and soft drinks. Evening meal is normally cooked and consists of soup,
and either rice or pasta with chicken or meat, with plenty of vegetables and
bottled water. Of course, travellers can choose to take care of their food during
desert tours as well, and buy all they need from the last available shop before
entering the actual desert.
Coastal & Desert Transport
For independent travellers and individual tourists who have their own vehicles
and want to save some money our guide can travel with them. But for those who
prefer to travel in private then our guide will have his own transport. For one
or two visitors who do not have their own transport we usually use ordinary cars. For small groups we normally use Mercedes Benz Vito
and Mercedes Sprinter (left photo); while for bigger groups we use mini
buses or coaches. All vehicles are air-conditioned.
For desert travel we use
air-conditioned 4WD vehicles, mainly Toyota Land Cruisers, which provide
both comfort and value for money; luxury and more expensive four wheel drives
are provided only on request. Please note that for serious desert drive the Toyota
has outperformed all other vehicles including the Hummer, the Land Rover, the
Range Rover and the Jeep. The maximum
number of passengers per a desert vehicle is 3: two in the back seat and one
in the front.
If internal flights are used in?our programs, please?keep in mind that domestic
flights in Libya, especially those between the smaller airports like Ghadames,
Kufra and Ghat, are always subject to cancellation and delays, and therefore
if domestic flights were requested to be used and then were
cancelled upon or after arrival, the agreed itinerary will be affected and consequently
an alternative land transport would have to be provided instead. Flights
between the main airports, namely Tripoli, Benghazi and Sabha,?are not normally
affected, except the flights?between Sabha and Benghazi, which are affected by
frequent delays.
