Sahara Adventure Drive

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.

 

4x4 Desert Drive Route & Sites

Sahara Desert Adventure

A rare opportunity to fill your memory card with wonderful memories.

If you want to experience the thrill of desert driving through the massive sand dunes, then this Acacus itinerary is for you. You will fly from Tripoli to Sabha and then head straight for Tkerkiba to begin your desert adventure using 4x4 desert vehicles. Most of the drive will be off-road. You will visit the prehistoric rock engravings of Wadi Metkhandoush, the dunes of the Ubari Sand Sea and Wan Casa, the valleys and canyons of alien Acacus, and the kaleidoscopic Ubari lakes.

 

Arrival at Tripoli airport, where you will be met by your guide, then, depending on time of arrival, transfer to Sabha airport, and drive to Tkerkiba for your first night of camping in the Sahara desert. From now on there will be no hotels until the return journey to Sabha on the last day. This tour is therefore involves an element of adventure and camping.

Today you will leave the camp early morning and drive through the spectacular waves of the Ubari sand dunes towards the kaleidoscopic chain of palm-fringed lakes. You will visit Umm Almaa (the Mother of Water), where you can safely take a short swim, before driving on to the Mandara Lake for the night. Owing to mosquitoes nuisance, the camp will be set up away from the lake, on top of one of the sand dunes, for an ultimate view of the Sahara's dazzling stars. Here you will have the chance to sleep under the Sahara's wonderful collection of constellations, and test your mythical knowledge about the ancient past.

 

After breakfast, you will leave the great sand sea, via the Mafo lake, towards the ancient capital of the Garaments: Germa, of classical Fazzania, and the centre of the Garamantean civilisation, where you will see the old city of Germa and its unique museum - the home of some of the oldest Stone Age implements and neolithic pottery found in the area. Then continue towards Serdeles, else known as Awaynat - one of the entrance routes to Acacus.

Germa Museum

 

Acacus : today you will venture towards Acacus via Awiss, to begin your exploration of Acacus (also written as Akakus). You will enter the area via Awiss then move on to Adad (The Finger), before setting up camp for the night. The Acacus Mountain chains are among the most spectacular anywhere in the Sahara. Dark basalt stones, carved by the desert wind into twisted chimneys, stacks and columns climbing from the vibrant orange sand dunes to give an almost Martian landscape. The area has long been classified as a World Heritage Site, owing to the hundreds of prehistoric rock art sites to be found along its endless wadis

 

 

 

Then you will continue your journey on the following morning towards the enigmatic Wadi Tashwinat. You will spend the morning exploring some of the best examples of rock art are to be found in the area, some of which date 12000 BC. Night in Tashwinat.

 

The Big Arch (Afodzjar)

Today you will visit the Big Arch, one of the most spectacular feature of the entire Acacus. The size of this natural arch is collosal and truely gigantic (try and locate a person in the phot for comparison). Then continue to the sand dunes of Wan Casa for the night camp. 

 

Camping among the sand dunes of Wan Casa.

Wan Casa - Wadi Metkhendoush: this morning you will leave the Wan Casa and head to the prehistoric valley of Wadi Methendoush. The drive is very varied, starting out on the flat sand plain and gradually moving across the rock terrians of the wadi. Amongst the rock engravings of the Wadi  are those depicting a whole range of animals  including gazelles, crocodiles, ostriches and many giraffes; vividly describing the daily life of the area as it was more than 12000 years ago: a lush-green savannah covered with rivers and lakes. Here you will have a rare chance to explore and photograph some of the vast number of prehistoric engravings and rock-art.

 

 

 

Sabha - Tripoli:

Leaving the Metkhandoush area you will drive to Sabha, then take the flight back to Tripoli.

 

Departure and farewell: depending on time of departure, you will have some free time in the capital, which you can use for shopping and expolring the cosmopolitan streets of Tripoli, before transfer to the Airport for departure and farewell.

 

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:

If 3-star hotels were requested or included in the price then we normally use the best ones available, like Al Andalus hotel in Tripoli,  Severus hotel in Leptis Magna, and Dar Germa in Germa.

If 4-star hotels were requested or included in the price then we must inform you that these hotels can be found only in Tripoli, Benghazi and one in Ghadames. For example, we can use Alkendi hotel or the Grand Hotel (Alkabir) in Tripoli, or Almanara hotel in Apollonia; but we can use any hotel of your choice and calculate the price accordingly.

We are not affiliated with any of these hotels, and we only recommend those hotels with proven good customer feedback. We also do like the traditional style and Berber designs employed in the construction of  some hotels, like El-Khan and Zumit hotels in Tripoli and the grand Dar Ghadames hotel in Ghadames for their traditional styles that reflect the local culture as well as for their high standards and to allow 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 in advance we do allow our  visitors to pick and choose their hotels as they go, after arrival, but availability during season cannot be guaranteed without booking in advance. However, if you are not specific about a particular hotel, then there are plenty of good hotels to choose from.

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. Some desert camping sites 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 (all new) for free camping; but we do not recommend sharing nor do we provide sleeping bags, unless on request.

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 as there are no reservation services. Please refer to our guide to hostels in Libya for more information.

Set Your Own Price:

Generally speaking we are committed to providing good tours 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.

Basic Required Services:

• Libyan visa on arrival
• Airport/border formalities & transfers
• Passport registration
• guide & his full costs
• Tourism Police (for groups of 5 or more)
• Advertised or agreed itinerary
• Private air-conditioned transport
• Desert transport & expert (where applicable)
• Internal flights (where shown in program)

Extra Services:

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

Price does not include any of the following services:

• Vehicle charges & taxes
• Travel insurance
• Photography fees
• Personal expenditure & souvenirs
• Anything else not specified in the above services list

 

Cash: full payment is required in Euro on arrival, with the option to pay in advance if preferred. If you cannot pay in Euro, then the next preferred currency is US Dollar or British Pound. The amount shown in Libyan Dinars (if any) is the amount to pay on arrival, converted to Euro currency according to the rates of exchange current at the time of paying.

ATM's: if for any reason you cannot bring cash with you, then you can use your credit card to withdraw cash from ATM's, which are found only in the major cities, airports, like Tripoli and Benghazi, and a few other towns.

Bank Transfer: if you prefer to pay in advance, then we can arrange for you to pay via bank transfer, where you can pay from your bank account directly into our bank account in Libya.

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. Usually there is no deposit to pay.

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, depending on the category of hotels chosen.

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.

 

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.

Group tours:

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 already paid to the immigration department to process the Libyan visa are not recoverable if cancellation occurs after we have applied for the visa.

 

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.
  

Booking or Enquiring About Our Tours:

If you need to book this tour or enquire about our tours in general, then please use our secure enquiry form.