Small group tours to Libya

For many years Libya has been almost completely untouched by tourists. It boasts some of the most beautiful and unspoiled desert areas of the Sahara, rugged mountains and some magnificent, ancient cities and prehistoric sites.

We offer a range of trips to Libya:

Mountain treks, Camel supported treks, a journey through the heart of the Sahara, another following an ancient Caravan Route. All are scheduled though we can tailor a private trip to your requirements and arrange cultural extensions should you wish to include them. With 6 years experience of mapping, filming and designing trips in Libya we would like to share our experience with you and offer you unique trips to suite your interests.

Our scheduled programmes in Libya all include the Fezzan in the south-western area of Libya and a visit to Leptis Magna in the north, one of the most magnificent Roman Cities. Although badly damaged by an earthquake Leptis Magna contains some of the best examples of Roman architecture and gives you a real feel for life in Roman days. There is generally time on all trips to wander around Tripoli - a city that has enchanted many travellers with its very friendly atmosphere, old streets and shops of the medina.

If you are looking for a real wilderness experience then consider the Heart of the Sahara trip. Here there will be several days during which you might not meet any other person in the desert and certainly at most campsites there will be no sign of other people. Our Acacus Trekking programme includes 6 days of camel and vehicle supported trekking in what is possibly the most beautiful and interesting part of Libya. On all programmes there will be opportunities to walk each day, sometimes for several hours.

All of our trips are based, where possible, on a wild camping lifestyle. Our concept as far as possible is not to use fixed campsites but to find camps in pristine dunes or wadis. In the deserts individual tents are provided with mattresses and a blanket. You should provide a sleeping sheet and or a sleeping bag. Meals are always cooked for you and in the evenings you will sit around a warm campfire. Except for the Acacus Trekking, several hours each day are spent driving in comfortable, well-sprung Toyota 4 wheel drive vehicles when in the desert and minibuses or taxis for some of the tarmac sections of the journey. Historic tour: From €1400 (8 days) excluding flights. Departs: Sundays throughout the year

Libya is rich in archaeological and historic sites, some such as Leptis Magna or Ghadames rate with the best win the world. This tour is based in three star hotels where possible and visits selected sites in northern Libya. An English-speaking driver guide will accompany you. At the sites you will hire a local guide. We provide regular departures year round for this trip starting and finishing on Sundays. This tour can be booked at any time of the year for any size of group.

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Trekking in the Acacus: From €1410 (11 days) excluding flights. Departs: 2 April 2010

This trip combines seeing some of the natural and archaeological treasures in Libya with a few days trekking in the Acacus or more correctly Tadrart mountains, an area rich in sites with magnificent prehistoric cave art, set amongst grand rugged mountains and gentle sand dunes. Walking through this area we will have plenty of time to explore the wadis and see many of the paintings and carvings.

You will almost never camp within sight of other people and often in pristine countryside. All meals are cooked for you and evenings are spent round campfires under a starry sky. A support vehicle will meet us at each campsite. The walking varies - some is along sandy or stony wadis, but much is over mountain trails and paths used only by the local Tuareg. We will keep away from the popular trekking routes and visit some the less accessible and more spectacular regions of the Tadrart.

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Camel Trek in Tadrart: From €1310 (10 days) excluding flights. Departs: 26 March 2010

This trip takes you to some remote places that can only be reached on foot, or by camel. We start with a visit to Leptis Magna then fly to the desert airstrip of Ghat. Our trek starts from the Al Fawr (hot springs). You will walk accompanied by camels who will carry all the equipment and if you are tired can give you a ride as well. Our route will take us up an impressive mountain trail from the desert plains near Ghat onto the remote expanses of the Acacus Plateau then down to the complex of intersecting wadis of the eastern Tadrart. Here, in shelters under overhanging rock walls, people have lived for over 8000 years leaving a unique record of their lives and the changing environment through the medium of cave engravings and paintings. Evenings will be spent by open fires and nights sleeping in tents or under the starry sky. All food will be provided by a cook.

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Sahara Travel - Caravan Route: From €1435 (11 days) excluding flights. Departs: 4 March 2010 & 25 March 2010

Initially we follow the caravan routes leading from the coast to the unique town of Ghadames. Dubbed the city of the seven gates Ghadames is an ancient oasis lying on the edge of the Libyan Sahara. A charming maze of dark passages, bright squares, palm trees and beautifully decorated houses. This fascinating place has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site bringing back memories of the days of caravans crossing the Sahara laden with treasures.

Just beyond Ghadames we enter into the Hamada Al-Hamra or the red desert which takes two days to cross before we reach the magical landscapes of Tassili n'Azjjar. This is perhaps the most beautiful area of the whole of the Tassili Sahara. Here the wind has carved and sculpted the sandstone rocks into a forest of pinnacles, a labyrinth of canyons and towers emerging from the soft sands set against a background of pinkish dunes. This area has been home for millennia to men and women who recorded their changing world in fine rock art engravings and paintings. Scenes of wildlife such as giraffes, lions, rhinos and elephant up to 8000 years old. More recent art indicates a gradual desertification of the area. We now have a few days to wander through this fairy tale land; we will be away from the vehicles and only have one as a support vehicle for all the equipment. On average we will walk about 4 hours every day. After crossing a sea of dunes we suddenly come across a series of salty lakes surrounded by dense vegetation of palm trees and reeds. These are the Ubari Lakes. Beside one of the lakes is the old abandoned village of the Daouada people (also known as worms eaters). This is a unique area where it is possible to have a swim in the lake.

You will almost never camp within sight of other people and often in a pristine wilderness. All meals are cooked for you and evenings are spent round campfires under a starry sky. On most days there are plenty of opportunities for a few hours walking in the morning or evening.

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Heart of the Sahara: From €1350 (11 days) excluding flights. Departs: 18 March 2010 & 1 April 2010

This expedition, possibly the ultimate desert experience, crosses one of the Sahara's most extensive sand seas - the beautiful and little visited Idahan Murzuq (the Murzuk Sand Sea). We then visit some of the most interesting regions of the Fezzan: the Tadrart (Acacus) Mountains, with their magnificent scenery and famous cave art, the Wan Casa dunes and the Ubari Oasis Lakes.

The Murzuk Dunes extend for some 300km and their crossing is a serious expedition involving driving long distances over tough terrain. This is a unique opportunity to be guided by Tuaregs who come from the Murzuq area and know the dunes as well as anyone can. You will camp in pristine wilderness. All meals are cooked for you and evenings are spent round campfires under a starry sky. On most days there are plenty of opportunities for a few hours walking in the morning or evening.