Taste of Libya

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.

 

 

 

Fantastic tour to explore the ancient Phoenician, Greek and Roman ruins of Tripolitania, including visits to Tripoli's mysterious Old Medina and its bustling market life, magnificent Leptis Magna, and splendid Sabratha and its colossal theater. You will be accompanied by a local guide during your tour, to make sure everything proceeds according to plan. This tour gives you an introduction to the many different cultures and landscapes of Libya, particularly the archaeological sites of Greek Cyrenaica and Roman Tripolitania.

 

After arrival at Tripoli airport you will be met by your Temehu guide to escort you to your hotel in the city centre; and then depending on time of arrival a tour of the Old City, dinner at a local restaurant, then back to the hotel for the night.

 

Flight to Benghazi, to start your tour of green Cyrenaica - the home of the Pentapolis: Berenice, Taucheira, Ptolemais, Cyrene and Apollonia. Your first stop will be Teucheira (Tokrah), then Tolmeitha, before continuing towards Cyrene for the night.

 

A tour of the Greek archaeological site of Cyrene, the capital city of the Pentapolis. The city is beautifully set amidst the verdant hills of the Green Mountain, with spectacular views over the Mediterranean coastal plains. Cyrene was founded around 630 BC, and within a short span of time became one of the wealthiest cities in the whole region. The main sites you will see include: the colossal Temple of Zeus (right), the rock-cut tombs of the city’s necropolis, the Forum, the Temple of Apollo, the Agora, and Cyrene Sculpture Museum.

 

Today you will head for nearby Apollonia, the ancient port of Cyrene. After lunch you will drive to Qasr Libya to see some of the finest mosaic on display before heading back to Benghazi Airport for the flight to Tripoli, and transfer to the hotel for the night.

 

Today you will drive to Leptis Magna, the most complete and preserved Roman city in the world - a truly wonderful place to see and the most sought tourist destination in Libya. This is the home of the Berber Septimius Severus, who went on to become the first African Emperor of ancient Rome. There is so much to see here, including the beautiful Amphitheatre, the colonnaded street, the Severn Forum, decorated with the magical Gorgon heads, the massive Basilica, the Hippodrome, the Hadrian Baths, the Temples of Liber Pater, Hercules, Roma and Augustus, the Tiberio Arch and the Palaestra, to name only a few places. 

 

Today you will visit other sites in Tripoli that you did not see in the first day, then after lunch you will drive to Qasr Alhaj, in Jabel Nafousa, where you will visit the catacomb-like traditional Berber fortified granary. These castles were built from mud bricks, palm wood (for doors), and ropes. They usually consist of several floors, built in a circular fashion with a main door as an entrance to the castle. They were originally built to store the grains and oil for the families making up the village. Then continue the drive towards Zuwarah, by the western coast, for the night.

 

Morning drive to coastal Sabratha, around 40 km east of Zuwarah, to see the stunning 2nd century Colonnaded Theatre - the most complete Roman theater in the world, the Mausoleum of Bes, the Temples of Antoninus and Zeus, the Court of Justice, the Roman Forum and Sabratha Museum with its exquisite mosaics and the Christian church, before returning to Tripoli for the night. 

 

 

Today you will get some time to explore the capital city of Libya, visit the National Museum, or Assaraya Alhamra Museum, then transfer to the airport for departure & farewell.

This tour is priced; please see the Prices & Services tab (above).

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.

€1250 (Euro) per a person (group size 2 - 4).
€1030 (Euro) per a person (group size 5 - 10). 

(The price is based on a minimum of two taking part in this tour. This minimum is only required for this price. If you prefer to travel alone, please let us know.)

Price  includes the following services:

• Visa on arrival.
  
• Border/Airport formalities.
• Passport registration.
• Agreed 8 days itinerary.
• Temehu escort & his full costs.
• Tourism police & his full costs (For groups of 5 or more).
• Private transport.
• Internal flight tickets (Tripoli to Benghazi & Benghazi to Tripoli).
• Good 3-star hotels.
  
• Food (all meals).
• Museum entrance fees
• Museum guides.
• Archaeological sites entrance fees.
• Archaeological guides.
  

Price does not include any of the following services:

• Single supplement.
• Vehicle costs (cars, bikes, lorries, etc.; for groups coming in their own vehicles).
• Travel insurance.
• Photography fees.
• Personal expenditure & souvenirs.
• Anything else not specified in the above services list.

You Can Also 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.

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.