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Libya holidays, Sahara tour

COUNTRY:
Libya
LOCATION:
Sahara Desert
HOLIDAY TYPE:
Potentially dangerous. Click here to check Foreign & Commonwealth office advice
DEPARTURES:
2012: 13 Mar, 3 Apr
PRICE:
From £1395 - £1460 (11 days) including flights from the UK, from £1125 - £1185 excluding flights.
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
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Libya holidays, Sahara tour
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Libya holidays, Sahara tour

Small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.

How this holiday makes a difference

The Libyan Sahara is truly one of the world's great wilderness areas. On this tour we use local leaders and local guides, especially at the major sites and little-visited routes that we visit. This provides local employment and so directly benefits the local communities. Our main accommodation is camping, which is very low impact in the desert, staying at fixed campsites and using safe and well equipped four wheel drives.

As waste disposal facilities are extremely limited in the areas we travel to on this tour, we encourage all of our passengers to reduce the amount of disposable items and packaging on goods that they take with them.

As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost.

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Story of the thingstodo provider

This small group operator is just celebrating its 30th year and was originally set up to enrich people’s lives through adventure travel. The directors have roots in overland trucking and are determined to keep a pioneering spirit alive. They believe what sets them apart is the strong relationships they’ve developed with local suppliers and tour guides over the years. A tour leader who thinks creatively can turn a good experience into a fantastic one and open up a place so that travellers gain insight into a completely different way of life. They operate in many different countries and try to avoid a blanket approach – their aim is to get customers involved in the projects they visit and to forge lifelong friendships.

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Day tour/Attraction provider no: 276

Libya holidays, Sahara tour
Libya holidays, Sahara tour
Libya holidays, Sahara tour
Libya holidays, Sahara tour

Libya holidays, Sahara tour

Reviewed 15 Apr 2010 by Peter Grove4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


The visits to Lepis Magna and the medina in Ghademes

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Don't believe the scare stories - Libya is great place with warm friendly people who are even prepared to discuss and tease Colonel Ghadaffi :)

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Yes

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


Excellent

Reviewed 25 Nov 2009 by Deborah Gray5 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Sleeping in the vastness of the Sahara desert. The local guides found the most amazing campsites amongst the sand dunes or up against the rocks of the mountains. Some nights we abandoned the tents and slept under the stars in moonlight so strong you could make out the colour of the sand.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Very practical ones. Take some small paper bags for the purpose of discretely disposing of toilet paper in the burnable bag. Wet wipes and hand sanitizer are also invaluable when camping in the desert without access to running water.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


The guides were very careful to leave only footprints and tyre-tracks. We didn't really encounter local people in the desert to benefit although the guides and cooks obviously gained employment from tourism.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


Absolutely fabulous, awe-inspiring scenery, lovely staff. It was an unforgettable holiday.

Reviewed 27 Apr 2008 by Dipen Kotecha4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Camping in the sand dunes, under the stars was unbelievable.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Take an extra couple of days either side of the holiday to chill in Tripoli. It has some wonderful restaurants and tea cafes.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


The guides and drivers were local and benefited, but the environment suffered due to the plastic plates, cups and cutlery we used.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


Great views, lovely people and amazing history.

Read the operator's response here:

We were delighted to read that you enjoyed your trip. It is always good to know our efforts are appreciated and therefore we are pleased to pass on your kind comments to all those involved with your tour arrangements. We are especially glad that you enjoyed camping in the sand dunes under the stars as it certainly does carry an amazing ambience.

We would like to address the point raised regarding the plastic plates and cups used while camping in the desert. Water is very precious and limited in the desert and our Local Agents do their utmost to preserve this. Whilst camping in the desert our Local Agent use a mixture of disposable and reusable crockery. Disposable plastic cups are used for cold drinks and disposable paper cups are used for hot drinks. Lunches are provided as a picnic, therefore, this reduces the amount of crockery required. If plates are needed, plastic disposable plates are provided. The evening meal is served on metal coated reusable plates.

We would like to assure you that all the disposable crockery used is disposed of correctly. We make every effort to reduce the impact we have on the environment and, in the desert we are careful not to deplete the water source. We would like to stress that we only use disposable crockery when necessary and, we do not encourage this on other tours where water is readily available.

We are always trying to find alternative ways of reducing the amount of disposable crockery used on this tour. We have investigated other methods of cleaning crockery in the desert, however, these do not meet our standards for acceptable hygiene. The welfare of our customers is of paramount importance to us, therefore, we must ensure we provide high levels of hygiene on all our tours. The next Libyan Sahara tour will run in October and, we aim to have replaced all the plastic crockery with paper crockery.

Reviewed 21 Apr 2008 by Heather Filby4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Visiting 5 World Heritage Sites in Libya with virtually no other tourists anywhere in sight. Also sleeping wild in the sand dunes of the Sahara.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Be aware that tourist police may be listening to your conversations so don't discuss politics/Colonel Gaddafi or local staff may get into trouble.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


The holiday was booked by the operator via a local tour company in Tripoli. Libyan guides and drivers were used throughout (and tourist police!). Meals were eaten in local restaurants and prepared by the kitchen van crew in the desert. We tried not to leave any litter anywhere and particularly in the Sahara.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


Both parts of the tour - Lost cities of the Roman Empire and Libyan Sahara were excellent.
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Day tour/Attraction Reviews

We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!

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Libya holidays, Sahara tour
Libya holidays, Sahara tour
Libya holidays, Sahara tour
Libya holidays, Sahara tour
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