A 11-day trip into the Saharan South of Libya, an area which has received very few international visitors in more than a decade.
After beginning the adventure in the capital Tripoli, before driving nearly the length of Libya to the deep Sahara in the far south of the country. You board 4x4s and our first stops are the beautiful Oases of Ubari – large natural water-pools, surrounded by towering dunes, a surreal and extremely memorable sight.
From here we move through surreal landscapes including boulders that look like planets and rock formations that look like a petrified forest until we reach the small caravan town of Ghat, nestled up against the border with Algeria – learning about its historic trading heritage in this remote corner of the planet.
We then enter the massif of the Jebel Acacus, exploring its immense rock formation, enormous dunes and cave paintings. The Jebel Acacus has UNESCO status and is one of the great sets of mountains in the middle of the Sahara and we camp in this incredible setting for three nights.
Finally we return to Tripoli via ancient pyramid tombs and learn about the legacy of the 2,000 year-old Garamantes civilization.
Arrival at Tripoli airport.
Transfer to your hotel in the city centre.
Afternoon city tour of Tripoli.
Overnight in Tripoli.
A long days drive south covering the 700km from the capital to the
Sahara.
We will camp in the dunes near the small town of Brak.
Overnight camping in tents.
We drive south and spend a full day exploring the Ubari Lakes, some of
the most spectacular oasis in the world. We will visit Gaberoun, Umm
al-Maa (the Mother of Water), and Mandara lakes.
Overnight camping in tents.
After further exploration of the lakes we continue west.
We will reach our camp in an area called Wan Tikofi – known locally as the Valley of the Planets due to it’s mysterious spherical rock formations.
Overnight camping in tents.
From Wan Tikofi we continue the journey. We will drive west through the small trading town of Alwadet into the deserts of the Wadi Maghidit, famous for it’s rock formations reminiscent of a petrified forest.
We head south from Wadi Maghidit, passing the Kaf Ajnoun (citadel of ghosts) rock formation. We continue onto Ghat, a well known former caravan town of the Sahara built from mud.
Overnight camping in tents or in Ghat.
Finally, we head into the Jebel Acacus, with towering natural rock arches and stunning panoramic views. Entering from the south we will pass the 44m high Avzgar arch before reaching Wadi Tashwinat. We will then visit numerous rock formations and ancient cave paintings.
Overnight camping in tents.
Another full day exploring Jebel Acacus. We will leave the Wadi Tashwinat region and re-enter the Acacus into the Awassi region. More time we be spent visiting ancient paintings.
Overnight camping in tents.
A final day in the Acacus mountains in the Awassi area. In this area we often meet some Tuareg encampments as well as viewing more paintings and stunning rock formations. We will camp north of the fin ger rock at Adab that marks the northern end of the Acacus range.
Overnight camping in tents.
We drive back towards Ubari and Germa where we spend the afternoon exploring the Pyramids of Al Hatiyah. Found buried in the sand in the 1950s, the pyramids date back to the Garamantes civilisation from over 3000 years ago. We also explore the ruins of ancient Germa, an archaeological site and once the capital of the Garamantes Kingdom.
Overnight near Germa.
We leave the Sahara desert behind and take a long 900km drive back to Tripoli.
Overnight in Tripoli.
Transfer to airport.
End of trip.
