Painting Holiday

Small Group Tours:

Unlike most tour companies we have no minimum requirement to take part in our tours.

You can come along by yourself, with a friend, or with a group of friends. However, coming with a friend nearly halves the price of your tour. We believe committing to quality is good for you, for the environment and for the local culture as well.

You can also take part in a group tour if you prefer group tours and if there are groups matching your specifications (date, destinations, etc.) which you can join.

If you are just looking for an operator to put together an itinerary for your private group, then we will be delighted to design a program to suit your needs, regardless of the number of individuals in the group. Just let us know the number of visitors in your group and the kind of services required and we will do the rest.

 

 

 

This is a special itinerary designed primarily for painters and artists who would like to paint some of Libya's best natural and archaeological wonders, including the Unesco-listed sites of the Sahara. The archaeological coastal sites provide the best examples of Roman architecture and art to be found outside Italy; the number and variety of statues, columns and buildings to paint is endless. Uniquely important are the ancient Berber granaries and castles of Nafousa Mountain, as those of Yefren, Kabaw and Nalut, and the prehistoric troglodyte caves of Gharyan, which surpass those of Tunisia, where some of Star Wars' scenes were taken, in both number and quality. Heading down towards the edge of the great Sahara, one is welcomed by the ancient roofed city of Ghadames, the home of a unique style of painting and decoration not found anywhere else in Libya (above image, centre).

My own art work based on prehistoric art drawings; capturing the old way of living.

Venturing farther south, you will enter the Sahara desert for a life-time adventure and experience, where you will be welcomed by the ancient ruins of Germa, the capital of the legendary Garamentian Kingdom. Using Tkerkiba as a campsite base, you will be undertaking daily trips to the great lakes of the Ubari Sand Sea for a breathtaking scenery, and to the prehistoric valleys of Metkhandoush, the home of thousands of prehistoric engravings, some of which have never been published before; thereby allowing you to paint and create something truly unique. This itinerary is customisable and you are always welcome to suggest sites or new routes you would like to follow.

Upon arrival in Tripoli you will be met by your guide from Temehu, who will complete the entry formalities for you, and escort you to your hotel. An afternoon walk in the city centre and along the shores of Tripoli. You will then have your evening meal in a restaurant and then return to your hotel room.

Exploring Tripoli, including visits to the Assaraya Alhamra Museum for a quick virtual tour of Libya's history, from prehistoric times to the   present; a walk around the Old Medina (the Old City) to explore its network of narrow, roofed-streets, arches and covered souks; and the Arch of Marcus Aurelius. Then head for Nafousa Mountain to see the classic Berber fortified granary in Nalut, stopping at the Berber castle of Qasr al-Haj.

On the morning you will begin your desert journey by heading for Ghadames, the jewel of the desert at the edge of the Sahara. Transfer to the hotel, a short break, then you will begin your tour of this ancient city by visiting the old town, the unique and ancient walled city of the oasis of Ghadames; stopping at any place you feel you want to paint or sketch.

Today you will visit Ghadames Museum, and then continue your journey across the desert towards Sabha. Sabha itself does not provide any unique features for tourists, but it is fast becoming a transit centre for entering Acacus, and in a sense it is the modern capital of the southern region of Fezzan. From there you will continue towards Tkerkiba for the camp.

 

On the morning, you will head for the magnificent sand dunes of the Ubari Sand Sea, to explore a series of wonderful lakes dotted across the desert. Return to Tkerkiba for the camp. Leaving Tkerkiba in desert cars (4WD), you will start your tour of Fezzan by exploring the famous valley of Wadi Metkhandouch, to see and photograph some of the vast number of prehistoric engravings and rock-art. Some engravings and caves require walking on foot to get to them. The engravings describe the daily life of the area as it was in the distant past. Among the best visited art sites are the fighting cats.   You will continue your journey across the alien-like landscape of   Messak Settafet and Messak Mellet. These are also fantastic sites, providing both amazing and unique desert landscape and more rock-art. A fantastic opportunity to fill your memory card with wonderful memories.

 

 

After showering off all the desert heat and dust and relaxing the night in a hotel in Sabha, you will take an early flight to Tripoli airport, and head for the hotel. Today you will have some time left to visit other places in Tripoli, and perhaps a stroll along the Old City lanes for a souvenir or two, before dinner in one of Tripoli's top traditional restaurants.

 

How this holiday makes a difference?

We are a Libyan tourism company operating from Libya, we employ local services, and all our camping staff, drivers and desert experts are locals. This means that all operational costs of our tours pour directly into the Libyan economy, and booking your holiday directly with us would make a big difference to all of us in Libya. We provide real experience holidays by arranging for our visitors to meet and mix with the local people, camp and stop anywhere they like, customise their itineraries, attend cultural events and festivals where applicable, and visit local families and try traditional foods. To help preserve and support our local culture and heritage we have provided comprehensive guides and free coverage in our website of local festivals, crafts, industries, rock art galleries, and have created Libya's first online museum of Libyan museums for the world to see and visit, free of charge. Needless to say Libya's archaeological sites are nearly empty most of the time and thus provide a unique and private touring experience. Read more about our Responsible Travel Policy here.

 

Hotels are optional. They will be included in the price if requested. Independent travellers can pick and choose their hotels as they go.

Hotels in Libya:

Hotel standards and management in Libya can differ, greatly, from those of western Europe, and as a result we will do our best to choose good, convenient and quite hotels wherever we can. We also expect your understanding if any problems occur during your stay in any of these hotels and kindly request from you to let your guide know and deal with the matter politely.

If 3-star hotels were requested then we normally use the best ones available, like Zahrat Alkhaleej or Adoha in Tripoli,  Apollo Tourist Village in Cyrene, Almanara Hotel in Apollonia, and Dar Germa in Germa.

If 4-star hotels were requested then we must inform you that these hotels can be found only in Tripoli, Benghazi and one in Ghadames. For example, in Tripoli, we can use any hotel of your choice, like the Grand hotel (Alkabir), or the Blue Ship, which is located on the seafront, very quite,  near the centre, and well suited for visitors who prefer quite and comfortable hotels with a good sea view. Also we use the unique and excellent Zumit hotel in Tripoli and the grand Dar Ghadames in Ghadames for their traditional styles that reflect the local culture as well as for their high standards.

We are not affiliated with any of these hotels, but we do like the traditional style and Berber designs employed in the construction of these last two hotels and as a result we would like our visitors to experience something different to the usual hotels.  However, you are always welcome to suggest any other hotel you like, and where there are no bookings requested or confirmed,  we also do allow our  visitors to pick and choose their hotels as they go.

Camping Sites in Libya:

Camping sites wherever to be found are also locally managed and provide basic services. Where camping sites cannot be found, your guide can either find a suitable and safe place for you to camp, or take you to the nearest hotel that provides camping places for a small fee. Desert camping site can be very expensive, up to 250 Libyan dinar per a tent, and therefore these are often not included in our budget tours.

We do however provide our own tents (small and large) and other camping equipment like mats, mattresses and blankets; but, like we said elsewhere, we do not recommend sharing nor do we provide sleeping bags.

Hostels in Libya:

If hostels were requested in the program, then the quality of the service expected is provided as is. We cannot reserve rooms in hostels. Please refer to our guide to hostels in Libya for more information.

Single Supplements:

The rooms we book are normally twin or double rooms and the prices are charged accordingly. If you require a single room, then the extra price for the single supplement would have to be added to the price of your itinerary.   If single rooms are available in some hotels, then we will charge you only for that room. But if no single rooms are available, and you still want a single room, then we will allocate you a double room for yourself. This is where the single supplement price would have to be added.

Set Your Own Price:

Some of our featured tours are priced (as this one). However, as we allow our visitors to choose the exact services they want to include in the tour, then it is entirely up to you to set the price you want to pay.

Generally speaking we are committed to providing good service at reasonable price without compromising on quality. In fact our system allows you the freedom to pay for the quality level you require.

There are various factors that can affect the price. For example, some visitors want 4-star hotels, others want 3-star hotels, while there are those who prefer to use hostels or camp in the open beneath the desert's stars. Some tourists want food included in the price, while others prefer to travel light. The time chosen to visit Libya will also influence the costs, as heavy demand on scarce services tends to push the price up.

Travel companies that offer fixed price tours tend to impose the same services on the whole group, regardless of personal preferences. We are dedicated to offering good-quality services based on personal needs. Once you get in touch with us regarding a particular tour or itinerary, we will contact you to discuss the exact services you require and then set a price for your tour based on those preferences.

This means that it is you who decides the price and not us, simply by choosing to pay only for the services you require.

 

The Basic Required Services:

• Libyan visa on arrival
• Airport/border formalities & transfers
• Passport registration
• Temehu escort (guide)
• Tourism Police (for groups of 5 or more)
• Advertised or agreed itinerary
• Private transport (including desert transport where applicable)
• Internal flights (where shown in program)

Extra Services (as required):

• Accommodation in 3-star or 4-star or 5-star hotels
• Accommodation in hostels
• Camping fees and camping sites charges
• Food (full board or half board. Breakfast is included in all hotel prices)
• Museum & archaeological sites entrance fees
• Museum & archaeological guides
• Desert sites entrance fees (like Acacus)
• Any other request not listed in the above basic required services list

Price does not include any of the following services:

• Vehicle costs (cars, bikes, lorries, etc.).
• Travel insurance.
• Photography fees.
• Personal expenditure & souvenirs.
• Anything else not specified in the above services list.

Cash: full payment is required on arrival, in cash, in Euro currency. If you cannot pay in Euro, then the next preferred currency is US Dollar. The amount shown in Libyan Dinars is the amount to pay on arrival, converted to Euro currency according to the rates of exchange current at the time of paying - that is on arrival. Please note that small notes, like 5, 10 and 20, will not be accepted for large amounts, and will be accepted only to complete the amounts that are less than 50.

ATMs: if for any reason you cannot bring cash with you, then you can use your credit card(s) on arrival; but ATMs are found only in the major airports and cities, like Tripoli and Benghazi and a few other towns.

Travellers cheques are becoming part of the past in Libya and can be very hard to find a bank that accepts them. However, when you do find a bank that accepts them, then you need to provide a document showing your name(s) and the list of the cheques' serial numbers, normally obtained from the bank that issued the cheques. If you are bringing any travellers cheques with you, please make sure you obtain this document from your bank.

 

 

The amount to pay differs from one case to another. You will be notified via email during negotiations of how much deposit you need to pay, if any.

 

No deposit or advance payment is required from independent and private travellers as long as there are no hotel bookings required. Hotels in Libya will not confirm bookings without payment. Hostels in Libya do not accept bookings.

For groups arriving together as part of one group organised by another tour operator or a travel agent, then there will be no deposit to pay. Full payment must be made on arrival by the tour leader. If hotel bookings are required, then a deposit to cover the hotel reservation may be necessary.

No deposit is required from individuals booking a place in one of our group tours if booking is made six months or more before arrival; but if booking is made within six months of travel, then we require a deposit payment to guarantee the tour for the other members of the group. See below for details.

 

Independent & private travellers:

No cancellation fees will be applied to independent and private travellers if they cancel their tours at any time before the start of the visa procedure and where no hotel booking is required. Otherwise the cancellation fees will apply.

 

Group tours organised by other tour operators & travel agents:

No cancellation fees will be applied to group tours organised by other tour operators and travel agents. If deposit was made for hotel bookings and for processing large number of visas, then the deposit paid to the hotel and the fees paid to the immigration department may not be recoverable if cancellation occurs within the period specified in the cancellation fees table.

 

Individuals booking in a group tour:

If you cancel your place in a group tour before 12 weeks before departure, then we will refund all money paid to us. If you cancel within the 12 weeks period before travel, please read our terms & conditions for details on how much you will be charged. This measure is necessary to protect the itinerary of the group so that if one member decides not to turn up the tour will continue as planned.

 

Why do we charge cancellation fees for those who cancel their places in group tours?

• Hotel rooms: the rooms we book are normally twin or double rooms and the prices are charged accordingly. But, if we book a double or twin room for two visitors, then one visitor cancels his or her tour after the arrangements were made, especially near the time of arrival, then the remaining visitor will have to take the room for him/herself, which means we have to pay the remaining balance to the hotel. Because we cannot ask the remaining visitor to pay more after we have agreed a price, the cancellation fee will be used to offset the balance.
  
  
• Processing visas also requires paying money to the immigration department in Tripoli, and requires administration work to collect and check the documents, drive 110 km to the capital Tripoli, hand over the documents, return to the office (in Zuwarah), then return to Tripoli ten days later to collect the visas, and then visit the Tourism Police department for the special permit required, and so on. If you cancel after this process has started, then the cancellation fee will help towards covering these costs.
• Guides need to be booked for each tour. If the guide receives an offer from another Libyan company after confirming his assignment with us, and he refuses this offer because we promised him a contract, then he will loose both contracts and end up with nothing if you cancel your tour after the arrangements have been made. The cancellation fee will be used to compensate the guide. This is not a scenario, and it does actually happen now and then.

Booking Confirmation:

To book your place in this tour please use the following booking form. If you have your own group and would like to design your own private group tour, or you are an independent traveller, then please use the Tailored Tours form.