LIBYA

Tourism in Libya

A warm country with warm hearts.

 Libya is located in the north Africa, in between two great seas, i.e. the Mediterranean sea and the great sand sea Sahara, and having borders with Egypt and Sudan in the east, Tunisia and Algeria in the west and Chad and Niger in the south. Libya, one of the beautiful countries is deeply rooted in pre-history. The Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans and the faith of Islam contributed in the creation of it's ancient culture. Remains of ancient buildings including beautiful mosques witness the richness and diversity of it's history.

Libya is having plenty of tourism resources like deserts adventure, archeological sites and historical sites, battlefield sites and beach holiday sites.

How to get to Libya

BY LAND:

From Egypt boarder you can enter in Libya.

From DJerba-Tunisia boarder you can enter in Libya

Benghazi:

Benghazi is Libya's second city and the principal city of eastern Libya. Benghazi is worth exploring. It can also make a good base for touring the Jebel Akhdar, as well as the Greek cities of Tokra, Tolmeita, Cyrene & Apollonia.

Tokra:

Tokra was one of the five cities of the Greek Pentapolis, the site is 70km north-east of Benghazi.

Tolmeita:

North-east along the coast, 37km from Tokra, is the ruined city of Tolmeita (formerly Ptolemais). Tolmeita's attractive palm-fringed setting, and its transition from Greek to Roman occupation, make this a worthwhile excursion.

Al-Bayda:

Al-Bayda is a pleasant, if unspectacular, city on the northern fringe of the Jebel Akhdar. Al-Bayda, the city makes a good base for exploring the ruins of Cyrene, Apollonia, Qasr Libya and Slonta. Al-Bayda was one of the main strong  holds of the Sanusi Movement during the Ottoman period.

Shahat:

The modern village of Shahat, 17km east of Al-Bayda.

Cyrene:

It's easy to spend a day exploring the ruins of Cyrene, which are worth visiting as much for their spectacular setting as their significances as monuments of the Greek occupation.

Susa:

The small town of Susa, about 20km from Shahat, is the gateway to another wonderful ancient Greek city, Apollonia. The modern town was first established in 1897 by a group of Muslim refugees from Crete.

Apollonia:

Apollonia was the harbour for Cyrene, 18km west, and because of this it played a critical role in the prosperity of Cyrene and the other cities of the Pentapolis. Most of what remains today dates from the Byzantine era (from 5th to 6th century AD) when Apollonia was known as the "city of churches". It had five basilicas and 19 towers.

 Tobruk:

Tobruk, city and port, northeastern Libya, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is 142km west of the Egyptian border and the scene of some of the most important WWII battles, is a household word. Its only draw card is the war cemeteries.

Tripoli:

Tripoli, capital of Libya, on the Mediterranean Sea, in the northwestern part of the country. It is the largest city, a principal seaport, and the leading commercial and manufacturing center of Libya. Points of interest include the Natural History Museum, the Archaeological Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, with a collection of regional cultural artifacts, the Epigraphy Museum, containing inscriptions from the Phoenician, Roman, and Byzantine periods, the Islamic Museum, a Roman triumphal arch erected in honor of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in the 2nd century, the Karamanli and the Gurgi mosques, and a Spanish fortress dating from the 16th century.

Sabratha:

Wonderfully preserved ancient Roman city. The ruins of the ancient Roman city of Sabratha, around 80km west of Tripoli, are among the highlights of any visit to Libya. Sabratha boasts one of the finest theatres of antiquity.

Leptis Magna:

Leptis Magna, an ancient city along the Mediterranean Sea. The city began as a trading port for the ancient people of Phoenicia around 1000 BC and then became part of the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. Leptis Magna, which was located on a natural harbor protected by islands along the North African coast, began as a Phoenician trading post. Leptis Magna was associated with the Roman Empire for more than 600 years beginning in the 2nd century BC. During that time many buildings were constructed using Roman architectural styles. These Roman structures, well preserved under sand for centuries, have made the city an important area for archaeological study since the 1920s. Leptis Magna was also known as the birthplace of Roman emperor Lucius Septimius Severus (AD 146-211).

Gharyan:

Gharyan sprawls across the top of a plateau and is one of the last towns of any size before Sebha, 690km south across the desert. Gharyan's main attractions are it's underground houses, built by the ancient Berber inhabitants of the area. Their unique design arose very much from the environment in which Berbers lived.

Yefren:

Yefren is one of the more appealing towns in the mountainous region. It sits high on a series of rocky bluffs, overlooking the flat coastal plain, and is surrounded by attractive wooded areas.

Kabaw:

The pleasant Berber town of Kabaw, 9km north of the Gharyan-Nalut road. This stretch of countryside is one of the more fertile areas of the Jebel Nafusa and the sight of shepherds with their flocks in the surrounding fields is not uncommon.

Nalut:

At the western end of the Jebel Nafusa, the regional centre of Nalut is home to yet another exceptional Berber granary. Nalut is a decent place to break up the long journey between Ghadamas and Tripoli.

Ghadamas:

Town and oasis in Libya, with 10,000 inhabitants, next to the borders of Tunisia and Algeria. Ghadamas is recognized for its beautiful and inventive architecture, designed to fight the dramatic extremities of Saharan climate. All houses are made out of mud, lime, and palm tree trunks. They are constructed so that all fit together, with covered alleyways between them, and adjacent roofs, allowing passage from one house to another. The Unesco World Heritage listed old city is by far the largest and best preserved in Libya. Although the old city is virtually deserted, it is easy to imagine it as a thriving city and one of the most significant trading towns of the northern Sahara.

Sebha:

Sebha is the largest settlement in the Libyan Sahara and now serves as a sprawling garrison town. Sebha is an important transit point for Sahara travel. The area around Sebha is quite fertile with barley, wheat and onions the main crops. 

Al Jufra:

Halfway between Sebha and the coast, east of the Tripoli-Sebha Highway, are the three adjacent Al-Jufra oases of Houn, Sokna and Waddan. Bizarrely, Al-Jufra was announced as the capital of Libya in 1987, but the idea never caught on.

Idehan Ubari & Wadi Al-Hayat:

The Idehan Ubari is a dramatic sea of towering sand dunes. Along the southern border of the sand sea runs the Wadi Al-Hayat. The wadi is one of the most fertile areas of the Fezzan. The main highway from Tripoli and Ghat runs through the heart of the wadi. 

The Ubari Lakes:

The lakes of the Idehan Ubari are among the many highlights of the Libyan Sahara. The Ubari lakes are nothing short of a miracle. There are at least 11 lakes in the area.

Gebraoun:

Gebraoun (Grave of Aoun), is one of the largest of the Saharan lakes, measuring about 250m by 300m. The lake is very deep and is surrounded by reeds and palm trees. The ruins of the town of Old Gebraoun lie on the lake's western shore.

Germa:

Germa 150km from Sebha, is one of the largest settlements in Wadi Al-Hayat and carries with it a wealth of historical associations. The modern town lies near the ancient city of Garama, which was once the capital of the Garamantian empire and is well worth visiting.

Ubari:

The friendly town of Ubari has little of interest to travelers, but you're likely to pass through here en route to Jebel Acacus. It's also the only town of any size between Al-Aweinat and Germa.

Al-Aweinat:

The pleasant, small oasis town of Al-Aweinat lines the highway with its trees and houses. Al-Aweinat can make an alternative base to Ghat for exploring Jebel Acacus.

Ghat:

The ancient trading centre of Ghat is one of the most attractive of Libyan oasis towns. A highlights is the well preserved, enchanting mud-brick medina in the heart of town. It is also one of the few permanent Tuareg settlements in the Sahara.

Rock Art of the Libyan Sahara:

The other worldly landscape of the Libyan Sahara provides a perfect gallery for viewing on of the finest collections of rock art on earth. These ancient art forms have proven astonishingly enduring. Their whimsical beauty reflects an almost child-like simplicity in the conception of the natural world, but they have been created by extremely skilful artists.

The Jebel Acacus:

The Jebel Acacus is another worldly landscape of dark basalt stone monoliths rising up from the sands of the central Sahara. This Unesco World Heritage listed area is home to some wonderful scenery with a number of unique natural rock formations enhanced by the ever shifting sands of the desert.

Wadi Methkandoush:

Wadi Methkandoush lies along the southern side of the Msak Settafet. It has one of the richest concentrations of prehistoric rock carvings in the world. Most of the carvings in the soft sandstone date back at least 12,000 years, making this one of the oldest rock art sites in Libya.

Waw Al-Namus:

Few Libyan destinations require such an effort to visit as Waw Al-Namus and, for the most part, the journey is one of unrelieved monotony. Waw Al-Namus must rank among the most remote places in the world, standing as it does at the centre of the Sahara. The lakes in this crater formed by a now extinct volcano are superb, surrounded as they are by high reeds and fine black and white volcanic sand.