Libya Travel Guide
The following is a short travel guide to Libya. Please write to us for specific answers.
How Do I Get To Libya?
You can arrive via Tripoli International Airport (TIP), Benghazi Airport, Ras Jdayr land border (Tunisian-Libyan border), and Emsaad land border (Libyan-Egyptian border). You can also take the boat from Tangier, Marseille, Genoa, Valetta or Turkey.
Do I Need To Book A Fancy Holiday In Order To Get The Libyan Via?
No. You do not have to book an expensive holiday or full tour with us in order to apply for the tourist visa to Libya. The only compulsory services are our escort and private transport. Everything else is entirely up to you. You can pay for your hotels and meals and guides as you go and when you go. You can choose to sleep in a 5-star hotel or in a hostel. Your guide will help you find the places of your choice.
Can I Travel By Public Transport In Libya As A Tourist?
No. You cannot travel by public transport because the law clearly prohibits us from using public transport for our clients. For convenience, safety and level of comfort the law requires from all Libyan tour operators to provide private transport for their visitors who do not have transport of their own.
Do I Need Any Vaccinations?
Yes. But you need qualified information from your doctor or clinic. Generally you need to vaccinate against polio, typhoid, tetanus, rabies, and hepatitis A and B. Yellow Fever Certificate is needed if you are arriving from affected countries. Get professional advice; do not depend on online information.
Can I Visit Libya If I Have An Israeli Visa In My Passport?
No.
Do I Have To Specify A Date For My Arrival?
Yes. You need to provide us with the date of arrival at least ten days before arrival. We need this to apply for the approval from tourism police, and therefore altering this at a later stage implies changing this permit which requires at least seven days to process. However, during your initial enquiry and negotiations you can just provide us with an estimated date of arrival.
Can I Travel Alone In Libya?
No. Libyan law states that all tourists must be accompanied by a guide from the tour operator that granted them the tourist visa.
What Is Tourism Police?
Libyan Tourist Police is also required for groups of five or more tourists, while two officers must accompany groups of ten visitors. The Tourist Police will be appointed by the authorities when we apply for the visa and not by us, and therefore we have no say in this matter.
What Is Desert Expert?
No matter how much you know about the desert, Libyan law requires all tour operators to assign a desert expert for every tour venturing into the Sahara. These desert experts are often local Tuareg who lived in the desert since it was fertile and green.
What is Visa Authorisation Number?
According to a recent law that came into effect on June 2009 all Libyan travel companies must obtain a visa authorisation number from the immigration authority, and then send this number to the embassy of your choice to use to apply for the Libyan visa. This was valid only when the visa on arrival was suspended. But after August 2009 the visa on arrival we reinstated and there is no need to send the VAN to the embassy.
Can I Go Anywhere I Like In Libya?
Yes, if you specify the route through which you will be travelling. Libyan visa is granted to visit the destinations specified before your arrival when you applied for the visa. Just include all the sites that you might and would like to visit and then you do not have to visit them if you run out of time. It is also best to specify major routes, like Tripoli , Nalut, Ghadames, Sabha, Fezzan, and then you can stop at any place along this route.
Is it Free To Bring My Car or Motorbike Into Libya?
No. You need to pay new flat fee per a vehicle, insurance, Libyan license plate, and Carnet de Passage (Passages). These amounts depend on type of vehicle. For example a desert vehicle (4WD) will cost around 160 Euros, plus Carnet (free if you have an international one, or from $30 for a bike to $150 for a lorry).
Is There Any Banks With ATM Machines In Libya?
Yes. But ATMs are found mainly in big cities like Tripoli and Benghazi and also at airports. We recommend you bring cash with you to make life easier. Travellers cheques should be avoided and cashing them. Credit Cards are accepted in major hotels and some places.
Can I Pay For My Tour After Arrival?
Yes. You do not have to pay us a penny in advance, unless you want us to book some hotels for you. If no hotel booking is required, then you can make your full payment on arrival in cash using Euros, Dollars or Sterling. For large groups we may ask for a deposit to cover the visas fees, which we need to pay, long before arrival. You will be informed during your enquiry if you need to pay any deposit or not.
Is It True I Need To Give Tips In Libya?
No. Most Libyans dislike the practice and it is best to avoid it. You can help Libyan establish respected tourism by not taking part in such culture.
Am I Allowed To Bring Some ELectronic Gadgets Into Libya?
Yes, you can bring in gadgets like GPS systems, mobile phones, eBooks, satellite phones, etc.
What Am I Not Allowed To Bring Into Libya?
Drugs, alcohol and alcoholic products, pork and pork-based products, items made in Israel, obscene publications & literature, and clothing containing animal furs. To bring your own pet with you is okay but you must tell your operator in advance and you must carry a veterinary health certificate.
Can I Buy Alcohol In Libya?
No. It is forbidden to drink or traffic in alcoholic drinks and drugs. Leave all drinks behind before you cross the border, and preferably do not drink the night before.
Can Women Dress Modestly In Libya?
Yes. Western women can dress modestly, without covering their hair, as they do in many other countries; they can ware jeans; and they can wear swim-suits and bikinis by the beach (away from public and family places). Just ask your guide about anything you are not sure of.
Do I Need To Have Travel Insurance?
Yes. Full stop.
Is There A Danger From Terrorism In Libya?
No. Libya is the only country in North Africa where terrorists have no place to hide; and unlike what has been said before, Libya and Greenland are among the safest destinations in the world. There were some attempts to disrupt tourism by the Sudanese and Chadian borders, but were not successful, and as a result most tour operator will not include any destinations from these area in their tours. Even the FCO advices against travel to border areas.
Can I Discuss Politics In Libya?
Do not. You are in Libya for tourism purposes and you should stick to this.
Is It True Driving In Libya Is Dangerous?
Yes, it is. Road signs are mostly in Arabic; Lunatic drivers are everywhere and not just in Libya and so high speed is a major killer in Libya; sand storms can render visibility very poor; stray camels (and cars) can take you with surprise; and the occasional build-up of sand in the middle of the road forbid driving at night. Libya law forbids tour operators from driving at night with their visitors.
What Do I Need To Take With Me To Libya?
If you will be visiting Libya between November, December and March, then you are warned that in the Sahara the temperature at night drops below zero. Also medical assistance and medicines are hard to come by when you are travelling around the desert and other remote regions of Libya, and therefore if you are taking any medications please make sure you bring adequate quantities with you. Bringing cash with you is very safe and very useful, in order to avoid driving from one place to another and from one bank to another looking for a place where you can exchange some dollars or pounds. The list of things one needs to take to Libya will vary from person to person, depending on the type of holiday and the regions to visit. For example someone is going to explore the caves of Acacus in the desert would need a different list from some who is going on vacation to Libya to relax by the beach.
Small rucksack
Your medications
Your passport
Your air ticket
Travel insurance details
Cash
Antiseptic wipes
Water purifying tablets
Paracetamol
Good digital camera
Spare Batteries
Good sleeping bag (as we do not provide these)
Good desert boots & extra laces
Warm clothing (jacket)
Thermal vests
Thick socks
Gloves
Good jumper
Woolen hat
Sunhat
Sunglasses
Suncream
Notebook
Maps & guide books
Torch
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