Temehu's Guide To Prices In Libya

It is generally difficult to find information regarding prices in Libya online, and therefore instead of wading through hundreds of web pages, our price list was designed to provide the simple information you require to assist you design your Libyan adventure holiday and approximate the cost of your tour and daily living in Libya. In this guide, you will find the current prices of most food items, petrol, car insurance, Libya visa, hotels & hostels, tourist guides, camping fees, internet charges, private accommodation, public transport, and other related services. If you are in doubt of anything, please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.

The following is a short guide to prices in Libya. Please note that some prices may have slightly changed since publication, and that we are continuously trying to update our data. Please note that during the sanctions imposed on Libya during the February war many items have nearly doubled in price, and that since the war had ended prices still fluctuate in accordance with the state of the economy. This means that prices will take some time to settle, once liquidity returns to normal.

Many Libyan tour operators and other travel companies charge a flat fee for holidays booked for certain times. We make our  tours flexible and open to the visitor's preferences and hence our prices do vary accordingly and reflect our commitment to the services we believe must accommodate all needs. We can design a luxurious private holiday for you at the top resorts in Libya, or work out an economic trip to cover all your basic needs. This is what we do: we listen to you and do what you want us to do. But in order for us to calculate the exact price of your private holiday, we need to know as much information as possible about your requirements, like:

• The number of visitors in the group.
• The type of  itinerary chosen (or, if customised,  the sites you would like to see).
• The date on which you intend to visit Libya.
• The duration of your stay.
• The type of hotels you prefer: 3, 4 or 5 star hotels, or camping.
• Type of vehicle, if applicable.
• And if food and archaeological sites and museum fees to be included or not.

Services Included In Our Prices

Our basic prices include the following basic services:

• Libya visa on arrival.
• Airport & border formalities.
• Passport registration.
• Temehu's escort (or guide).
• Agreed itinerary
• Private transport.

Other services, like hotels, meals, desert transport, archaeological and museum guides, archaeological sites entrance fees, etc, will be calculated on request, and will depend on the duration of stay, the kind of sites chosen, and the number of visitors. Please specify all the services required in your email.

How much do I have to pay for my passport registration?

All tourists and visitors have to register their passports with the Libyan police no later than one week after  arrival. Your Libyan tour operator or travel agency will automatically arrange this for you. The fee for this service is normally about €10 (10 Euro) - often is included with the visa cost. If your tour operator or agent fails to do this for you, you might be fined an amount which can vary depending on circumstances.

Usually the approved passport translation costs around £30.  
Update: this service is no longer required.

According to Libyan law, a tourist must be accompanied, at all times, by a Libyan representative of the chosen tour operator, from entry to exit. This representative, who must accompany you, is always referred to as "guide" by all tour operators, when the correct word to use is "escort" or "companion", which is < مرافق > in Arabic. These "companions" are not necessarily experts in tourism and may not have professional qualifications as Guides. They are employees of the tour operator who must accompany their visitors during their tour or stay in Libya.

Temehu Escort: the cost for this service depends on the information requested at the start of this document, like number of visitors and duration of stay, and is always included in the price. Guides travelling with visitors (in their own cars) are generally cheaper than guides travelling in their own vehicles.

Archaeological guides: the cost of a qualified archaeological guide and/or a museum guide is around 50 LYD a day. This is NOT usually included in the price, unless requested in the enquiry form. Please bear in mind that archaeological and museum guides are compulsory by law, and entering archaeological sites without hiring the services of a qualified guide often is not possible.

We do not know what "local payment" means nor do we understand what this gobbledygook is for. We have searched the world wide web for clues, but we have failed to find a convincing answer.

Those entering the country in their own vehicles need to pay for the following services. Temehu Tours does not charge for these services, and the amount payable by the visitor is what Temehu has to pay to obtain the necessary clearances for the vehicle:

• Insurance: usually between 10 and 30 LYD per a vehicle, for 15 days, depending on insurance company, duration, and vehicle type.
  
  
• License plate: about 115 Libyan Dinars, of which 100 dinars are refundable when you leave the country. (Please let us know if you want us to pay the deposit for you; we normally do, unless you specify otherwise.)

Carnet de Passage:

• free if you have an International Carnet de Passage , otherwise
• $30 for a motorcycle
• $50 for an ordinary car (up to 3000 kilograms)
• $100 for a camper (3000 - 5000 kilograms)
• $150 for a lorry (5000+ kilograms)
• Motorhome: this depends on the type of the motorhome: an ordinary car, a desert car, a  small van, a truck, a bus, or a lorry. Please write to us (or send us your logbook) for exact price.

Please note that we have left these prices in US Dollars because the amount payable is the same in Euro or Dollars: for example, you can pay either 30 Dollars or 30 Euros; and therefore it is best to bring some Dollars so that you can pay in Dollars, otherwise you will end up paying the same figure in other currencies, regardless of value. [Microsoft was doing similar thing recently when its copy of Vista was selling for the same amount (the same figure) in British Sterling in the UK as it was in US Dollars in America.]

Update: June 2009:
According to a new law (June 2009) the following amounts must be paid at the border for all vehicles entering Libya, in addition to the above fees. Please note that these amounts are not refundable.

• Motorbikes: 75 LYD
• Cars & 4WD vehicles: 155 LYD
• Mini Bus: 250 LYD
• Lorries and other large vehicles: 350 LYD

Update: September 2010:
The above amounts have been further updated as follows:

• Motorbikes: 75 LYD
• Car (ordinary): 150 LYD
• 4WD vehicle: 150 LYD
• Saloon cars & 4WD with tinted back windows (privacy glass): 251 LYD
  
• Double & Single Cabin cars (with box at the back): 251 LYD
• Minibus: 250 LYD
• Lorries, trucks and other large cargo vehicles: 351 LYD

Petrol is very cheap in Libya, which compensates for all the above costs: one of the cheapest in the world. Some tourists find it "bizarre" that alcohol-free beer costs 5 Libyan dinars, when 10 litres of petrol cost 2 Libyan dinars. As in any other country, imported goods are generally more expensive than goods produced locally.

Petrol : 20p a litre (0.20 LYD).
Diesel : 15p a litre (0.15 LYD).

Update: (March 2011):

Libya has slashed petrol prices by 25%. The price of one litre of petrol is now 15 pence, down by 5 pence from 20 pence.

Update: (January 2012):

Price of petrol still the same: 15p a litre (0.15 LYD).

To enter any archaeological site, like Sabratha or Leptis Magna, visitors must pay about €35. This price includes an archaeological guide who will guide you through the site. This cost is not normally included in our prices unless it was specified in our included services. The reason for this is because some visitors want to see all the archaeological sites, while others only want an escort to drive them through Libya, and therefore the cost will vary from one visitor to another.

• Museum entrance fee: about 6 LYD
• Video camera fee about 10 LYD
• Camera fee about 5 LYD
• Museum Guide: about 50 LYD

See our museum gallery for details.

Entering Acacus also requires a permit, available from your tour operator, and some entrance fees:

• Lorry: €15
• 4WD €12
• Entrance: €5 per a person.

Camping away from camping sites is free.
Camping in camping sites involves paying small fee.

• Thatched hut = €6 per a person
• Setting up own tent = €5
• Parking vehicle & connecting it to electricity source = €6

Tariffs in Libya have gone a total reform after the recent changes in Libya's policies. All import duties, some of which were as high as 150%, were replaced with a 4% customs handling fee. Prices of imports, like vehicles and detergent, have gone down, but the prices of the tariff-free dairy products, meat and raw materials have gone up as they now also incur the handling fee. Libya, which is reliant on food imports for about 80 percent of its needs, has recently expressed its worry about rising world food prices and stated its position to oppose any development of food monopolies; yet food prices and other costs of living continue to rise.

Restaurants & Cafes

Cheap meals in public restaurants: start from 3.50 LYD a meal (just under 2 euro).
Mid range restaurants: between 10 and 20 LYD a meal (between 5 and 11 euro).
Top of the range restaurants: up to 50 LYD a meal (up to €28 euro).

Pizza: between 3 and 10 LYD.

Sandwiches: start from 0.50 LYD to 4 LYD a sandwich.
Soft drinks: 0.50 LYD.
Coffee & tea: between 0.50 to 2 LYD (depending on where you have your coffee).

Yes, there are youth hostels in Libya. They provide basic service and good value for money: a bed. Do not expect anything more than that, other than shared facilities. A bed in a hostel costs between 10 and 20 Libyan Dinars, depending on hostel. Please visit our hotel gallery for a list of hostels in Libya.

5-star hotels are rarely found in Libya, apart from three in Tripoli. 1-star and 2-star hotels, if found, are not recommended. Most top Libyan hotels are considered as 3-star hotels by European standards, and they are easily found almost everywhere. Actual prices for budget hotels start from 40 Libyan Dinars; 3-star hotels range from 80 to 150 Libyan Dinars for a double/twin room; while 4-star hotels start from 175 and can reach up to 375 Libyan Dinars for a double/twin room. 5-star hotels range from 575 to 750 Libyan Dinars. Hostel prices range from 10 to 20 Libyan Dinars per a bed.

For a list of hotels & hotel prices in Libya please see:

https://www.temehu.com/hotels/introduction.htm

Monthly:

• Room in a shared house:   100 - 150 LYD.
  
• Flat: 300 - 600 LYD (or more), depending on location and type of place.
  
• House: 300 - 1200 LYD (or more), depending on location and type of place.
• Villa: 600 - 2500 LYD (or more), depending on location and type of place.
• Luxury villa with swimming pool:   2000 - 7000, depending on location and type of place.

Internal Flight Fares

• 75 LYD one way (between Tripoli, Benghazi & Sabha), while return costs 140 LYD.
• From Tripoli to Ghadames: about 44 LYD one way, and 88 LYD return.

Private Taxi

• Tripoli taxis: taxis within Tripoli range from 2 to 20 Libyan Dinars, depending on destination and time.
• Between all the major cities: to take the whole taxi just for yourself, you would expect to pay, on average, between 35 and 50 LYD for each 100 kilometres.

Local Bus Service

• Bus fares within Tripoli: 0.50 LYD for each stop.
  
• Bus fares between Libyan towns and cities:
  • From Tripoli to Alkhoms 2.25 LYD
  • From Tripoli to Ras Jdayr 3.75
  • From Tripoli to Nalut 5.00
  • From Tripoli to Ghadames 11.00
  • Form Tripoli to Sabha  18.00
  • From Tripoli to Sirte  8.75
  • From Tripoli to Ajdabiya 16.00
  • From Tripoli to Benghazi  18.75
  • From Tripoli to Derna 24.50
  • From Tripoli to Tobruk 24.75

International Bus Service

Between Libya, Tunisia and Egypt:

There are two Companies that provide this service: Alettehad Alarabi (The Arab Union) and Speed Transport:

Alettehad Alaarbi:

(1) - from Tripoli to Alexandria (Egypt): 75.00 LYD one way, return: 105.00 LYD.
Days: Saturday, Monday & Thursday.
Time: departure 07:00.

(2) - from Tripoli to Cairo: 80.00 LYD one way, return 120.00 LYD.
Days: Saturday, Monday & Thursday.
Time: departure 07:00.

(3) - from Tripoli to Jordan & Syria: 115.00 LYD [plus: $70 for the boat from Egypt to Jordan].
Days: Thursday
Time: departure: 17:00.

Speed Transport:

(1) - from Tripoli to Alexandria (Egypt): 55.00 LYD one way
Days: Tuesday & Thursday
Time: departure: 08:00.

(2) - from Tripoli to Cairo: 65.00 LYD one way.
Days: Thursday & Monday.
Time: departure: 08:00.

(3) - from Tripoli to Tunisia: 30.00 LYD one way.
Days: everyday, except Saturdays.
Time: departure: 16:00.

• Dial up internet: 0.40 LYD per hour (home only, not in any internet cafe).
  
• Broadband (fast internet): 20 LYD a month.
  
• Wireless internet: Libyana Net personal package provides 1 GB a month at up to 3.6 Mb/Sec for a one-off payment of 335 Libyan Dinars and then 15 LYD per a month, with 5 LYD for each additional 1MB:
  http://www.libyana.ly/  

Cinema prices in Tripoli range from 3 to 5 Libyan Dinars.
3 - 5 LYD:

• Alhamraa Cinema (Red Cinema): new name is Alkhadra Cinema (Green Cinema), located near the Green Square, Tripoli.
• Alfath' Cinema, located in Belkhire street, Tripoli.
• Odeon Cinema: new name Omar Alkhayyam Cinema, located in September Street,Tripoli.
• Alwaddan Cinema, located in hotel Alwaddan building, Tripoli.
• Almahary Cinema, located in hotel Almahary building, Tripoli.
• Aljomhoreyyah Cinema, new name Khaled Bin Alwalid Cinema, located in Bab Bin Gheshsheer, Tripoli.
• Arrashid Cinema, located in 9th of August Square (previously Asswaihly Square).

Original (brand) batteries cost about 5 LYD for two batteries.

Satellite mobile phones normally work in Libya and there will be no problem bringing one with you. Hiring a satellite mobile phone in Libya will cost about 80 Libyan Dinars per a day.