| Page Views: 9,196 Last Visit to Libya: March, 2009 | Libya revisited by TheWanderingCamel - last update: May 30, 2009 |
| Libya 2009 - scenes from the most recent visit |
My first visit to Libya in January 2006 left me with the desire and determination to return to this fascinating, and largely unknown, country - particularly to its south-western corner - the desert region of the Fezzan and the Jebel Akakus.
That first visit introduced me to Tripoli - the White City on the Mediterranean with its walled mediaeval medina, Ottoman houses and faded Italian colonial buildings; Outside the city there were magnificent Roman ruins - Imperial Leptis Magna, seaside Sabratha and the quiet beauty of the Villa Sileen; hilltop Berber towns with their massive fortified granaries, ancient olive presses and tiny stone mosques and, 600km south, on the edge of the Sahara, the extraordinary caravan city of Ghadames.
March 2007 found me back there for a few days in Tripoli - time to explore the city again and to visit Leptis Magna and the Berber hilltop towns of Qasr el Haj and Gharyames before flying to Sebah - 800km south of Tripoli - at the beginning of a journey that would take us deep into the Fezzan and the strange landscape of the Jebel Akakus.
Now it's 2009, and I'm just back from my third visit to this amazing country. As well as some as-yet unfinished tips from my 2007 visit, there are those from this most recent visit in the pipeline as I add to this general overview. There's also a whole new page on the eastern region, the Jebel Akhdar, in the making. For anyone revisiting these Libyan pages, some of these new tips will be inserted among the old as I place them into an appropriate spot. To save you scratching your head as you think - Have I already read that? you'll see they're marked as **New**.
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|  | Why Libya? The north-west region of Libya - the land around the capital, Tripoli, and into the escarpment of the Jebel Nafusa, belies the image of Libya as a land of barren desert with the occasional oasis. Named Tripolitania for the three Roman cities that once stood here, this is the coastal plain, a region of intensive agriculture. It was this that brought the Romans here - to grow olives and wheat for the empire and build the towns whose ruins tell us so much of the life here. One, Oea, now lies buried beneath Tripoli, the country's capital, but the others, Sabratha (80km west of Tripoli) and Leptis Magna (125km to the east), remain - wonderfully preserved and worth the journey to Libya alone.
But there's more....
Tripoli's a delight. With its old walled medina, beautiful harbour, the remnants of Ottoman and Italian occupations, parks, arcaded streets and excellent museum - there's plenty here to keep you wandering for days. That you can do it without any hint of hassle or pestering from a soul makes the time spent here a joy.
The fertile coastal strip gives way to the rocky scarp of the Jebel Nafusa as you head inland. Here is where you'll find miles of olive groves, flocks of sheep and ancient towns, some - like Nalut and Kbao - clinging to the hillsides and crowned with extraordinary fortified granaries, whilst others - such as Gharyan - hide their old houses under the ground - troglodyte dwellings that were both perfectly adapted to the harsh climate here and provided protection from invaders. All speak tellingly of the fierce independence of the Berber people who call this part of North Africa their home.
Once over the escarpment, the road stretches before you, the fall in the land barely discernable as you head out into the desert. There's little to watch out for apart from the occasional camels, sand drifting across the road ( this can be a real hazard) a couple of small villages and the odd clump of palm trees. If Ghadames is your destination - as it was mine on my first trip to Libya - and you have made a couple of stops along the way, it will be early evening before you're there - a long day ( Ghadames is 660km from Tripoli) that has brought you to the edge of the Sahara, at a point where Libya, Algeria and Tunisia's borders meet.
Further south lie the dunes of the Urabi Sand Sea with its surprising lakes; the ghost cities of a long-lost Saharan civilization and, even further south, the Jebel Akakus with its fabulous ancient rock art - prehistoric petroglyphs and cave paintings - testament to the time when wild animals roamed here and man lived among them with their herds of cattle; and, always, the sands of the desert. Just the place for a wandering camel.
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| | Practical realities Libya really lived up to my expectations - it's a beautiful country, with so much to offer the visitor. January's weather in 2006 was kind ... lovely sunny days and reasonably mild temperatures made sightseeing a pleasure and whilst the overcast skies in the desert meant the colours of the sunset were not spectacular they kept the intense night chill at bay. March 2007 brought warm Spring days, almond blossom, wildflowers, fabulous sunsets - and the flying sands of a desert storm! March 2009 repeated more of the same (including the desert sand, though this time it was what greeted us on our arrival in Tripoli) and also brought the added experience of serious cold in the mountains of the east - to the point of flurries of sleet one morning. It's not only the landscapes that bring surprises here.
There is so much that is special about Libya, it really repays the effort it takes to get there. For most visitors that will mean an organised tour of some sort - a guided tour through one of the agencies that specialize in out of the way places, a Mediterranean cruise with day stops at the ports of Tripoli and Benghazi, a safari by 4x4 or RV for those with a more adventurous bent - or more time at their disposal - perhaps. Currently, tourist visas are only available through the Government-registered travel agent with whom you have made your booking and, despite anything you may have heard to the contrary, the reality is that it is certainly not the easiest place to get to as an independent visitor. This does show signs of easing but the best advice is to contact a reputable travel agent who deals with Libyan tourism regularly to see what the current situation is at the time you are planning your trip.
leyle |
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 Comments for TheWanderingCamel about Libya | | | | |
iandsmith Wed Oct 28, 2009 14:46 UTC
Not sure whether I should be encouraged or discouraged after reading your warning tips! Cheers, Ian.....actually, that should be ciao, currently in Italy. | toonsarah Sun Aug 30, 2009 20:51 UTC
A wonderful page Leyle, as always from you - atmospheric descriptions, fascinating details, & practical info. Perhaps I shouldn't read your pages - as soon as I do, I add another place to my wish-list ;-)) Let me know when remaining tips are done please | VeronicaG Fri Jun 19, 2009 23:11 UTC
I liked your up to date and thorough tips, Leyle! Sorry it took me so long to drop by....hope to read about your future travels soon. | Nemorino Fri Jun 5, 2009 20:33 UTC
Another great page! Amazing (to me, at least) that the dry, clean sand of the dunes was such a wonderful preservative for the Villa Sileen. You saw so many beautiful places -- but thanks also for your authoritative tip on the landmine situation. |
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