  Libya
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| Page Views: 6,904 Last Visit to Libya: March, 2007 | Libya revisited by TheWanderingCamel - last update: May 9, 2008 |
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.
I've started adding tips from this visit to those I first wrote in 2006. 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**.
Still waiting is the eastern region of the Jebel Akhdar - the Green Mountain - inland from Benghazi. with its Classical Greek and Byzantine cities. Next time ....
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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 last year 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 this year brought warm Spring days, almond blossom, wildflowers, fabulous sunsets - and the flying sands of a desert storm!
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 generally issued to groups ( the minimum number is usually 4) and, whilst it may be possible to get around this, 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 | | | | |
1oneeyejeff Tue Dec 25, 2007 05:18 UTC
How can I get a tourist visa to Libya? I am planning to ride my bicycle from Cairo, Egypt to Tunis, Tunisia this Spring. Let me know. Contact me Jeff_survives@yahoo.com THank you. Jeffrey | SLMairways Sun Nov 11, 2007 22:43 UTC
How do i get a visa to Libya? I want to see Libya soon. Thank you. ray | starship Sun Oct 21, 2007 00:05 UTC
An absolutely wonderful page!! Great observations and photos to bring it all to life. Before viewing your page, I didn't have a clue about Libya! I am truly impressed. | aurore Sat Sep 8, 2007 18:11 UTC
hi! i am thinking of going to libya at the end of december..i wanted to know if you have travelled with an agency, and if you have done, which one, or as a backpacker. i wnted to make sure travel agents are serious! thank aurore aurorecourtoy@hotmail.com |
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