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Day
01 Saturday: Arrive Tripoli
Ahlaan wasahlaan “Welcome” to Libya – we
are warmly welcomed and after clearing Custom and Immigration,
we are met at the exit gate and transferred to our hotel.
The drive gives us our first glimpse into the life of the
people who live in the capital city. Check in starts from
1400 hrs. Dinner will be at a local restaurant.
Overnight: Borj Al Madina or similar Hotel (1 night)
(D)
Day 02 Sunday: Tripoli / Benghazi (Flight)
Our Libyan experience starts with a visit to the National
Museum, which is located in Sarayah Hamra Castle then depart
to visit Sabratha, which stands out as one of the most beautiful
sites in Libya. A World Heritage Site, Sabratha was founded
by the Canaanites (6th c. B.C.), ruled by Carthage, Phoenicia,
Numedia and then Rome in 46 B.C. The site offers a majestic
collection of public buildings, arenas, temples of Liber Peter,
Srapis, Isis, and Hercules. Tripoli “ Oea“ (the
bride) of the Mediterranean is the capital of Libya. Transfer
to airport for a short flight to Benghazi. We will be met
& transferred to the hotel. Dinner could either be at
the hotel or at Tripoli Airport depending on the flight time.
Overnight: Noran or similar Hotel (1 night) (B, L,
D)
Day
03 Monday: Benghazi / Apollonia (Drive)
A brief city tour of this second largest city in Libya before
head out to visit Ptolemais or Ptolemaida, which was one of
the ancient capitals of Cyrenaica and the former capital of
Pentapolis, offering today remains of palaces, theatres, Bouleterion
and a 3rd century bridge. Continue onto Qasr Libya where we
visit an interesting museum that houses more than 50 pieces
of mosaic artifact fragments dating back to the 6th century
AD. Continue onto Apollonia. Dinner in the hotel.
Overnight: Al Manarah or similar Hotel (1 night) (B,
L, D)
Day 04 Tuesday: Apollonia / Benghazi (Drive) / Tripoli
(Flight)
Our journey today starts with a visit of Apollonia (Soussa)
to include the majestic Theatre, the Roman baths as well as
the Byzantine palace. Next stop is the World Heritage Site
of Cyrene. The city was part of the 1st century five city
state of Pentapolis and was second in size only to Athens.
Cyrene was founded by the Greeks in 631 B.C. and was later
occupied by the Romans and then the Arabs. We also visit the
famous temples of Zeus and Apollo and after lunch we visit
incredible Drive back to Benghazi for a return flight to Tripoli.
Meet & transfer to hotel. Dinner will either be at Benghazi
Airport or a restaurant in Tripoli depending on the flight
time.
Overnight: Borj Al Madina or similar Hotel (2 nights)
(B, L, D)
Day 05 Wednesday: Tripoli
The highlight of any journey to Libya is visiting the renowned
World Heritage Site of Leptis Magna located east of Tripoli.
From a Berber settlement it became an important community
when it was established as a city by the Canaanites and reached
its climax under the rule of Roman Emperor Septimus Severus.
We visit the vast site including the Triumphal Arch, huge
Basilica, Forum, Public Baths, Hippodrome, and Amphitheater
etc. Dinner will be at a local restaurant. (B, L,
D)
Day
06 Thursday: Tripoli / Ghadames (Drive)
An exciting day today as we head south to the Saharan oasis
of Ghadames. En route, we stop at the “ghost town”
of Nalut, which is located high in the Nafusa Mountains. Nalut
offers an insight into the traditional living styles of the
locals – the prevalent style of life until the Libyans
found the oil wealth providing them with the resources to
afford more concrete structures than the caves at Nalut. After
a tour of Nalut, we head further south towards the arid Saharan
Desert. Dinner in the hotel.
Overnight: Al Waha or similar Hotel (2 nights) (B,
L, D)
Day 07 Friday: Ghadames
This oasis was settled from prehistoric times and was a major
port of call for traders and pilgrims en route to Mecca. Ghadames
is a beautiful sleepy desert town that has preserved its original
culture, most visibly in the architecture of the town with
its labyrinthine passages. Our tour will cover both the old
ghost town and the mysterious desert. Evening we witness the
sunset in the desert, which can be extremely beautiful; however,
it is very much weather dependent. Dinner in the hotel. (B,
L, D)
Day 08 Saturday: Ghadames / Tripoli (Drive)
After an interesting experience of the Sahara, we proceed
to Kabaw village with the old houses mostly in shambles, and
all of the inhabitants living in rather anonymous structures.
We also visit the ghurfas, the grain store built by the local
Berbers, and located at the very summit of the village. This
is followed by a visit to Tormisa to see the incredible, and
intact, cave structures there. From here we visit the pottery
market at Gharian before returning to Tripoli. Dinner will
be at a local restaurant.
Overnight: Borj Al Madina or simlar Hotel (1 night)
(B, L, D)
Day 09 Sunday: Depart Tripoli
After an incredible journey, this morning you will be transferred
to the airport for your return flight home. Check out time
is 1100 hrs. (B)
Possible extension to Ubari
Day 09 Sunday: Tripoli / Sebha (Flight) / Ubari (Drive)
A city tour of the old city before transfer to the airport
for flight to Sebha. You will be met and transfer for a three
hours drive to the beautiful Magic Lodge, which is very fitting
with its name.
Overnight: Ubari Magic Lodge (2 nights) (B, L, D)
Day 10 Monday: Ubari
This morning you will be setting out to visit Wadi MethKandoush,
which has the finest rock carvings in Libya, and all is located
within a small area, across only 200 meters. The main attraction
is the Fighting Cats, which is high up on the cliff. In addition,
the wadi offers fine carvings of elephants, giraffe, buffalos
& etc. (B, L, D)
Day 11 Tuesday: Ubari / Sebha (Drive) / Tripoli (Flight)
One
of the wonders of the southwestern Fezzan is its wonderful
lakes, which surrounded by sand dunes and palm trees. There
are about 13 lakes in Ubari. The most important lakes are:
Gaber-Aun, Mandrah, Om-Elmaa. These lakes are known for their
high salinity, reaching 3 times that of the sea. Gaber-Aun
is the largest lake in the area. It is surrounded by trees
and lines of high sand dunes. Drive back to Sebha to catch
our return flight back to Tripoli. Meet & transfer to
hotel. Dinner will either be at Sebha Airport or a local restaurant
in Tripoli depending on flight time.
Overnight: Borj Al Madina or similar Hotel (1 night)
(B, L, D)
Day 12 Wednesday: Depart Tripoli
After an incredible journey, this morning you will be transferred
to the airport for your return flight home. Check out time
is 1100 hrs. (B)
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