All our tours are 100% customisable: dates, duration and services.
Itinerary: for independent travellers and groups:
Trekking Across The Akakus (Acacus) Mountains.
Duration: from 10 Days
Tailor-Made Acacus Trekking Tours
If you are part of a private
group and would like
to organise your own
trekking tour, then
you can submit your route
for our team to check and approve, and if it is feasible, then we will get back to you with all the relevant details including prices and all the required information to process the Libyan visa on arrival. You can walk across
the hot sand dunes of
the Ubari Sand Sea, from one lake to another; trek
along the cliffs overlooking
the valleys of the enigmatic Acacus (Akakous); or trek along
the prehistoric galleries of Wadi Matkhendoush and
explore its hidden
rock engravings.
Itineraries
The following trekking tours are fully customisable to suit individual needs. The tours are divided into two parts: the first
part takes you to Fezzan, which can be customised to either get there directly via flying to Sabha from Tripoli on the first or second day, or by driving
via Qasr al-Haj, Nalut,
Ghadames and Sabha. The second part involves driving to Awaynat to start the trekking or hiking tour. There are a number of options or routes available, from which you can choose or modify the most suitable for your needs, or design a new route altogether and let our desert expert approve it.
If you take up the first option (the flying to Sabha option) and skip the last day in Leptis Magna, then your itinerary would be 10 days long. But if you do not want to fly and instead prefer the drive to Sabha via Ghadames and then finish the tour with a day in Leptis Magna, the tour would be 12 days long.
Day 1
Upon arrival in Tripoli you will
be met by your escort, who will complete
the entry formalities for
you, and escort you to your
hotel.
Day 2
Either fly directly to Sabha in the morning, or
drive to Sabha via Qasr Alhaj, Nalut and Ghadames.
Day 3
Today you will have an hour or two to see the old city of Ghadames, before heading south across the desert for the long drive to Sabha.
Days 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Today you will drive towards Awaynat via Germa for the night in the fixed camp. On the following morning you will start your trekking adventure across
the spectacular
landscape of
Acacus and its unique valleys and sand dunes. The northern part of the Acacus mountain
is known as Awiss (or Awis), and the southern part as Tadrart Acacus. There are
several trekking routes for crossing the mountains from the Awiss region to
Ghat, the best of which are summarised below. You can either drive all the way down to Tashwinat and start trekking back to civilisation, or start trekking from Awiss and then return to Awaynat by 4x4 from Tashwinat. You can either discuss these options with your tour leader and the desert expert and decide on the best route to take, which adds another element of adventure to your tour. Or you can submit your own route for our team to check and approve.
The following are some of the main trekking routes across the Acacus Mountain: (Akakous):
Route A:
Arrival at Awaynat by car, to start from the haunted rock fortress
of Idinen (or the Fortress of Ghosts or Kaf Ajnoun), as follows:
Alfawwar (hot spring)
Adar n Dzhalko
Tissatin
Wadi Tin Lanen
Awiss
Tin Lebbu
Tashwinat
The Big Arch
Route B:
Wadi Tashwinet
Wan Amil
Wadi Atkarni
Wadi Tenetfat
Ghat
Route C:
Awaynat
Awiaa
Tissatin
Wadi Adar n Dzhalko
Aal-Fawar (Wadi Tanezuft)
Ghat
Route D:
Awiss
Tihe n Awiss Pass
Wadi In Aghallasham
Wadi Tanezouft
Ghat
Route E:
Awaynat
Adad
Awiss
Ramlet Wan Casa.
Route F:
Starting from the Fortress of Ghosts (Cave Aljonoun)
Maghedet
Aramet
Ghat
Route G:
Drive to Awaynat then Adad and Awiss, to start trekking from Awiss all the way to the Big Arch in Tashwinat, then return to Awaynat by car (4x4):
Awiss - Tin Lallen?
Tin Lallen - Tashwinat
Tashwinat - Tin Khaliqa - night near Bir Mninegh
Mninegh - The Big Arch ( (Afodzjar) - night near the big arch
Wan Casa, night before Wan Casa
Return to Awaynat
Route H:
A reverse of the above trekking tour: drive all the way down to the Big Arch in Tashwinat, then start trekking your way back up to Awaynat, before returning to Sabha for the flight t Tripoli:
Arrival in Tripoli - transfer to Sabha
Ubari Lakes? - night in a tent
Drive to Awaynat then to Tashwinat (using 4x4). Night near the Big Arch (Afodzdjar).
Walk towards Wadi Amrekka, via Wadi Tikwettan: giraffe paintings.
Walk towards Tin Khliga -? night in Wadi Tashwinat
Wadi Tashwinat: full day exploring the capital of Acacus.
Continue trekking towards Wadi In Taherin, then after lunch head for Mahreggeli (Maherjella) for the night camp.
Wadi Tin Asheh (Ashekh) - lunch in Tin Lallen - then pick up by car for the return journey to Awaynat (Alfaw fixed camp)
Route I:
Day 1: Flight to Sabha then drive to Germa for the night.
Day 2: Drive to Awaynat (Serdeles) then continue to Ghat.
Days 3, 4, 5 & 6: trek across the Acacus range including visits to the shelters where you can explore some of the prehistoric art treasures in Tanbarsola, Anshel and Afagh.
Day 7: Morning drive to Awaynat by 4WD.
Day 10
Today you will begin your journey back to civilisation and head for
Sabha, for the evening flight to Tripoli, transfer to the hotel.
Day 11 (optional)
An early drive to
Leptis Magna, to explore this wonderful ancient city. Return to the hotel in Tripoli.
Day 12
Departure & farewell.
Please feel free to customise the above itineraries in any way to suit your needs.
Approximate distances between the Ubari lakes
Sabha? - Tkerkiba: 120 km
Tkerkiba - Mafou:? 40 km
Mafou - Gaberaoun: 5 km
Gaberaoun - Umm Almaa: 25 km
Umm Almaa - Mandara (dry lake): 5 km
Mandara - Tkerkiba: 17 km
Tkerkiba - Germa: 15 km
Tkirkiba - Umm Almaa: 17 km
Tkirkiba - Mafo: 39km
Tkirkiba - Gaberoun: 45 km
Mahrouga - Gaberoun: 15 km
Gaberoun - Fredgha: 28 km
Gaberoun - Umm Alh'isan: 30 km
Umm Alh'isan - Attrouna: 11 km
How this holiday makes a difference?
We are a Libyan tourism company operating from Libya, we employ local services, and all our camping staff, drivers and desert experts are locals. This means that all operational costs of our tours pour directly into the Libyan economy, and booking your holiday directly with us would make a big difference to all of us in Libya. We provide real experience holidays by arranging for our visitors to meet and mix with the local people, camp and stop anywhere they like, customise their itineraries, attend cultural events and festivals where applicable, and visit local families and try traditional foods. To help preserve and support our local culture and heritage we have provided comprehensive guides and free coverage in our website of local festivals, crafts, industries, rock art galleries, and have created Libya's first online museum of Libyan museums for the world to see and visit, free of charge. Needless to say Libya's archaeological sites are nearly empty most of the time and thus provide a unique and private touring experience.
Itinerary Code: TKT29 Duration: from 10 Days
Small Group Tours
Unlike most tour companies we have no minimum requirement to take part in
our tours. You can come along by yourself, with a friend, or with a group of
friends. Coming with a friend nearly halves the price of your tour.
You can also take part in a group tour if you prefer group tours and if there
are groups matching your specifications (date, destinations, etc.) which you
can join.
If you are just looking for an operator to put
together an itinerary for your private group, then we will be delighted to design
a program to suit your needs.
Accommodation
Itinerary Code: TKT29 Duration: from 10 Days
Hotels
are optional. They will be included in the price if requested. Independent travellers can pick and choose their hotels as they go.
Hotels in Libya
If 3-star hotels were requested or included in the price then we normally use the
best ones available, like Al Andalus hotel in Tripoli,? Severus hotel in Leptis
Magna, and Dar Germa in Germa.
If 4-star hotels were requested or included in the price then we must inform you that
these hotels can be found only in Tripoli, Benghazi and one in Ghadames. For
example, we can use Alkendi hotel or the Grand Hotel (Alkabir) in Tripoli, or
Almanara hotel in Apollonia; but we can use any hotel of your choice and calculate
the price accordingly.
We are not affiliated with any of these hotels, and we only recommend
those hotels with good customer feedback. We also do like the traditional
style and Berber designs employed in the construction of some hotels, like
El-Khan and Zumit hotels in Tripoli and the grand Dar Ghadames hotel in Ghadames
for their traditional styles that reflect the local culture as well as for their
high standards and to allow our visitors to experience something different to
the usual hotels.? However, you are always welcome to suggest any other hotel
you like, and where there are no bookings requested or confirmed?in advance we
do allow our? visitors to pick and choose their hotels as they go, after arrival,
but availability during season cannot be guaranteed without booking in advance.
However, if you are not specific about a particular hotel, then there are plenty
of good hotels to choose from.
Camping Sites in Libya
Camping sites wherever to be found are also locally managed and provide basic services.
Where camping sites cannot be found, your guide can either find a suitable and
safe place for you to camp, or take you to the nearest hotel that provides camping
places for a small fee. Some desert camping sites can be very expensive, up to
250 Libyan Dinar per a tent, and therefore these are often not included in our
budget tours. We do however provide our own tents (small and large)
and other camping equipment like mats, mattresses and blankets (all new) for
free camping; but we do not recommend sharing nor do we provide sleeping bags,
unless on request.
Hostels in Libya
If hostels were requested in the program, then the quality of the service
expected is provided as is. We cannot reserve rooms in hostels as there are no
reservation services. Please refer to our guide to hostels in Libya for more information.
Prices & Services
Set Your Own Price
Generally speaking we are committed to providing good tours at reasonable price without compromising on quality. In fact our system allows you the freedom to pay for the quality level you require.
There are various factors that can affect the price. For example, some visitors want 4-star hotels, others want 3-star hotels, while there are those who prefer to use hostels or camp in the open beneath the desert's stars. Some tourists want food included in the price, while others prefer to travel light. The time chosen to visit Libya will also influence the costs, as heavy demand on scarce services tends to push the price up of some services like hotels.
Travel companies that offer fixed price tours tend to mandate the same services on the whole group, regardless of personal preferences. We are dedicated to offering quality services based on personal needs. Once you get in touch with us regarding a particular tour or itinerary, we will contact you to discuss the exact services you require and then set a price for your tour based on those preferences.
This means that it is you who decides the price by choosing to pay only for the services you require.
Basic Services:
Libyan visa on arrival
Airport/border formalities & transfers
Passport registration
Guide & his full costs
Advertised or agreed itinerary
Private air-conditioned transport
Desert transport & expert (where applicable)
Internal flights (where shown in program)
Extra Services:
Accommodation in 3-star and/or 4-star hotels
Accommodation in hostels
Camping fees and fixed camping sites charges
Food (full board or half board. Breakfast is included in all hotel prices)
Museum
&
archaeological sites entrance fees
Museum
&
archaeological guides
Any other request not listed in the above basic required services list
Price does not include any of the following services:
Vehicle charges & taxes
Travel insurance
Photography fees
Personal expenditure & souvenirs
Anything else not specified in the above services list
Payment
Details
Itinerary Code: TKT29 Duration: from 10 Days
Cash: full payment is required in Euro on arrival, with the option to pay in advance if preferred. If you cannot pay in Euro, then the next preferred currency is US Dollar or British Pound. The amount shown in Libyan Dinars (if any) is the amount to pay on arrival, converted to Euro currency according to the rates of exchange current at the time of paying.
ATM's: if for any reason you cannot bring cash with you, then you can use your credit card to withdraw cash from ATM's, which are found only in the major cities, airports, like Tripoli and Benghazi, and a few other towns.
Bank Transfer: if you prefer to pay in advance,
then we can arrange for you to pay via bank transfer, where you can pay from
your bank account directly into our bank account in Libya.
Travellers cheques are becoming part of the past in Libya
and can be very hard to find a bank that accepts them. However, when you do find
a bank that accepts them, then you need to provide a document showing your name(s)
and the list of the cheques' serial numbers, normally obtained from the bank
that issued the cheques. If you are bringing any travellers cheques with you,
please make sure you obtain this document from your bank.
Deposit Payment:
The amount to pay differs from one case to another. You will be notified via email during negotiations of how much deposit you need to pay, if any. Usually there is no deposit to pay.
No deposit or advance payment is required from independent and private travellers as long as there are no hotel bookings required. Hotels in Libya will not confirm bookings without payment. Hostels in Libya do not accept bookings.
For groups arriving together as part of one group organised by another tour operator or a travel agent, then there will be no deposit to pay. Full payment must be made on arrival by the tour leader. If hotel bookings are required, then a deposit to cover the hotel reservation may be necessary, depending on the category of hotels chosen.
No deposit is required from individuals booking a place in one of our group tours if booking is made three months or more before arrival; but if booking is made within three months of travel, then we require a deposit payment to guarantee the tour for the other members of the group.
