Our tour to Libya gives the opportunity to experience a true Saharan expedition. We travel deep into the south of the country into remote and spectacularly beautiful areas, visiting ancient sites from prehistoric times.
We plan to cross the Mediterranean to Tunisia and then head south to the oasis of Ksar Ghilane. Bordering the sand dunes, this will be our base for a couple of days to practice sand driving and practicing recovery techniques which will be essential skills for the main part of the trip. Heading to the south of the country we will cross into Libya, where the adventure really begins.Moving on from the coastal plains, we begin to head south, heading for the spectacularly situated hillside town of Nalut. Continuing south we arrive at Ghadames “the jewel of the Sahara”. This World Heritage Site is one of the treasures of North Africa and we will spend time exploring the ancient city. Having restocked with food, fuel and water, we now leave the road behind as we head further south. Our route runs parallel to the Algerian border and the spectacular terrain is a mixture of rocky tracks and sand dunes which are becoming bigger with each day of driving.
After four or five days, we arrive at the old town of Ghat. We are now in the deep south, and this town is a halt on the ancient trading routes out of Algeria, Niger and Chad. Our destination is the fantastic mountains of the Jebel Acacus. Here the lightly coloured and softly contoured sand dunes contrast dramatically with the dark jagged mountain peaks. Our tour takes us into the heart of this eerie landscape. In prehistoric times the climate here was very different as witnessed by the many rock paintings and carvings of cattle, elephants, giraffes and crocodiles.
No expedition to Libya would be complete without visiting the Ubari Lakes. After many hours driving over dunes hundreds of metres high, the lakes appear as a mirage, gently shimmering and surrounded with palms. The mineral content is so high that swimming is akin to being in the Dead Sea, floating on top, rather than in the water. This is one of our most remote and beautiful wild camps where we can sit and watch the setting sun change the dunes from pink to orange and then purple as night falls. Our return route north takes us through further expansive landscapes and having crossed back in to Tunisia we are rewarded with a two night stay in a 5 star hotel wher we can relax and recount tales of our expedition.
This tour will be a true adventure with some serious driving included.Outstanding scenery guaranteed!
