Libya is one of the hidden gems of the Mediterranean world, a country of great history and breathtaking beauty. Libya’s strategic geographical position has made it a vital link between the eastern and western parts of the Arab world, and between Europe and Africa. Its Phoenician, Roman and Byzantine ports, ancient Islamic cities, palaces, fortresses, cave engravings and archaeological treasures are all testimony to the great civilizations of old and offer glimpses of what life was like in ancient times.
Although Tunisia enjoys a Mediterranean setting and is a beach destination for vacationing Europeans, there is much more to this small country than sand and sun. Over the course of 3000 years, Tunisia, the northernmost country of Africa, has witnessed the passage of Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Turks, Spanish and French. They came as fugitives or adventurers, to conquer or to claim, warriors and missionaries, traders and farmers, each leaving a part of their story in stone or mosaics, on the hills of Carthage and the threshold of the Sahara.
From Tripoli to Tunis, our journey takes us to many important Roman ruins, to the sands of the Sahara and its desert oases, and to the tranquility of the island of Djerba, referred to by Ulysses as the Land of the Lotus Eaters. Along the way, we are introduced to the customs and cultures of these fascinating regions.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Roman ruins of Leptis Magna
• Greek ruins at Ptolemais & Cyrene
• Tripoli's ancient Red Castle
• Evening tea with a Libyan family
• Meet members of the desert Tuareq
tribe
ITINERARY IN DETAIL
Day 1 Arrive Tripoli
Ahlaan wasahlaan. Welcome to Libya! We will be met on arrival and transferred to our hotel. The drive gives us our first glimpse into the lives of the people who live in the capital city. This afternoon we will take a tour of Tripoli, founded by the Phoenicians in 1000 BC and later conquered by the Romans. Our tour of this beautiful metropolis covers the huge fortress and the National Museum. Dinner tonight will be at a local restaurant.
Overnight: Hotel 4 Seasons
Meals: Dinner
Day 2 Tripoli-Sabratha-Tripoli
This morning is at leisure. After lunch at a local restaurant, we will visit Sabratha, on the coast. A World Heritage site, Sabratha was founded by the Canaanites (6th century. BC), ruled by Carthage, Phoenicia, Numedia and then Rome in 46 BC. The site offers a majestic collection of public buildings, arenas, temples of Liber Peter, Srapis, Isis, and Hercules.
Overnight: Hotel 4 Seasons
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 Tripoli-Leptis Magna-Tripoli
A highlight of any journey to Libya is 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. We will also visit the second century Villa Silin, a Roman villa with magnificent panels, untouched mosaics and frescos depicting different aspects of life of that era. We will have lunch at the local restaurant at the site before returning to Tripoli.
Overnight: Hotel 4 Seasons
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 Fly Tripoli-Benghazi and drive to Appollonia
Early this morning we will transfer to the airport for our short flight to Benghazi, the second largest city of Libya. Upon arrival, we drive to Appollonia. En route we’ll visit the ancient city of Ptolemais, the former capital of Pentapolis, with impressive ruins of palaces, theatres and one of the largest underground cisterns in Africa.
Overnight: Hotel Al Manara
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 Cyrene & Appollonia
In the morning we will visit Appollonia (Sousa), which was the port of Cyrene. Our visit includes the majestic theatre, the Roman baths and the Byzantine palace. Later we continue to 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 BC and was later occupied by the Romans and then the Arabs. We will see the famous temples of Zeus and Apollo.
Overnight: Hotel Al Manara
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 Drive Appollonia-Benghazi and fly to Tripoli
We will drive to Benghazi this morning. On arrival, we will have a tour of this resort city, including a spectacularly maintained war cemetery (Libya played a major role in the North African Korps). We will see the old town with its artistically designed buildings, and colourful souq. We will have lunch at a local restaurant before our transfer to the airport for our evening flight to Tripoli.
Overnight: Hotel 4 Seasons
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 Drive Tripoli-Nalut-Ghadames
Although the drive is long, it is an exciting day, as we head south to the Saharan oasis of Ghadames. En route, we will stop at the "ghost town" of Nalut, which is located high in the Nafusa Mountains. Nalut offers an insight into the traditional cave living styles of the locals - the prevalent style of life until the Libyans discovered oil, which spurred the grown of the modern concrete structures. Lunch is at a local restaurant before heading further south towards the arid Saharan Desert.
Overnight: Hotel Dar Ghadames
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 Ghadames
This oasis was settled in prehistoric times and was a major port of call for traders and pilgrims en route to Mecca. Ghadames is a sleepy desert town that has preserved its original culture, most visibly in the architecture of the old town with its labyrinthine passages, mud bricked structures and gaily decorated streets. Our tour will cover both the old town and the mysterious desert. This evening we witness sunset in the desert. This can be a wonderful experience but it is very much weather dependent.
Overnight: Hotel Dar Ghadames
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9 Drive Ghadames-Tripoli (630 kms)
After the interesting experience of the Sahara, we proceed to Kabaw village, with its old houses mostly in shambles. We will 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.
Overnight: Hotel 4 Seasons
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10 Drive Tripoli-Djerba (approx 3 hours)
The morning is at leisure. This afternoon we drive to the border and cross into Tunisia, continuing to our hotel on Djerba. This evening we will enjoy dinner at the hotel.
Overnight: HotelCezarPalace
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11 Djerba
We’ll explore the island of Djerba this morning, visiting the synagogue, Hara Sghira, Guellala and Houmt Souk. Lunch is on your own and the afternoon at leisure. This evening dinner has been arranged at a local restaurant. Weather permitting, we will enjoy a sunset cruise.
Overnight: HotelCezarPalace
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12 Drive Djerba-Gabes-Matmata-Douz (330 kms)
After breakfast, we depart for Matmata, known for its excellent examples of troglodyte dwellings. These structures are created by digging a large pit in the ground. Artificial caves are then dug into the walls of the pit, and are used as rooms. We will have lunch in a cave hotel at Marhala and afterwards visit a traditional Berber cave dwelling. We will continue our drive to Douz, the largest of the oases of western Tunisia and the gateway to the desert. Here we will visit the weekly market and then check into the hotel. Later in the afternoon we will experience the desert on camel-back!
Overnight: Hotel El Mouradi Douz
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 13 Drive Douz-Kebili-Chott El Jerid-
Tozeur (150 kms)
After breakfast, we drive to Chott el Jerid, then continue to Tozeur. A chott is a salt lake that stays dry throughout the hot season. Chott el Jerid lies in the middle of Tunisia and covers 5000 square kilometres at its greatest. A thousand years ago, it was part of the Mediterranean Sea. The surface of the chott is made of a layer of salt crystals, which causes mirages to dance across it when the weather is very hot.
Overnight: Hotel Dar Cherait
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 14 Tozeur
Tozeur was once a Roman outpost and a stopping point for the camel caravans that made their way from the sub-Sahara to trade with the coastal cities. Tozeur owes its modern affluence to the 200,000 date palms that are watered by numerous underground springs. These produce the world-renowned dates, deglet noor (“fingers of light”). This morning is at leisure and, after lunch at the hotel, we will visit the oasis of Tozeur, the Palmery and the Dar Cherait traditional art museum.
Overnight: Hotel Dar Cherait
Day 15 Tozeur-Selja-Tamerza-Mides-Chebika-
Tozeur (150 kms)
This morning we drive to Metlaoui and start the Red Lizard train ride to explore the gorges and canyons of Selja. After our exciting rail excursion, we continue by jeep into the hills of Djebel en Negueb, an offshoot of the Atlas Mountains. We will take in the Berber villages of Tamerza, Mides and Chebika. These three upland oases depend on the numerous small mountain streams that seep into the ground and provide irrigation for palms, fruit trees and vegetables. We will have lunch at Tamerza.
Overnight: Hotel Dar Cherait
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 16 Drive Tozeur-Kairouan (295 kms)
This morning we begin our drive to Kairouan, enjoying lunch en route at Rif House, close to Gafsa. Kairouan is defined as Tunisia’s holiest city. Legend has it that in 670 AD, a general of the invading Arab forces found in the sands here a golden cup that he had lost a few years earlier in Zamzam well in Mecca. When he picked up the cup, a well sprang forth, proving the existence of an underground river between Kairouan and Mecca and making the water of Bi’r Barouta holy. The mosque in Kairouan is the oldest in North Africa, and its minaret is the oldest in the world.
Overnight: Hotel El Kasbah
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 17 Drive Kairouan-El Jem-Tunis (290 kms)
This morning we will visit the Great Mosque of Kairouan and the Barbar Mausoleum and then drive to El Jem to see the magnificent amphitheatre and Roman villa. Built around 200 AD, the amphitheatre at El Jem is second in size only to the Colosseum of Rome. Its magnificence attests to the importance and wealth of El Jem around that time. After lunch at a local restaurant we will continue on Tunis.
Overnight: Hotel El Mouradi Africa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 18 Tunis
In the morning we will visit Sidi Bou Said and Carthage. The lovely blue and white village of Sidi Bou Said is perched on the cliffs overlooking the Bay of Tunis and offers a pleasant stroll through its cobbled streets. From there we will take in the ruins at Carthage and then travel to the medina and souks of Tunis, where we will have lunch. The medina of Tunis is the largest in Tunisia and it is easy to lose yourself in its labyrinthine alleyways. Originally built in the 7th century, in its present form it dates mostly from the Hafsid (13th C) and Turkish (17th-18th C) periods. On display are almost all types of wares imaginable, including carpets, jewellery, brassware, copper, pottery and spices. This afternoon we will visit the splendid Bardo Museum, with its fine collection of Roman mosaics.
Overnight: Hotel El Mouradi Africa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 19 Depart Tunis
We will be transferred to the airport for our international flights home.
FACT FILE
• Meals as specified in detailed itinerary
• Deluxe accommodatons
• Air-conditioned transport
• English-speaking guides
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| Tour Itinerary |
| Day 1 |
Arrive Tripoli |
| Day 2 |
Tripoli-Sabratha-Tripoli |
| Day 3 |
Tripoli-Leptis Magna-Tripoli |
| Day 4 |
Fly Tripoli-Benghazi and drive to Appollonia |
| Day 5 |
Cyrene & Appollonia |
| Day 6 |
Drive Appollonia-Benghazi and fly to Tripoli |
| Day 7 |
Drive Tripoli-Nalut-Ghadames |
| Day 8 |
Ghadames |
| Day 9 |
Drive Ghadames-Tripoli (630 kms) |
| Day 10 |
Drive Tripoli-Djerba (approx 3 hours) |
| Day 11 |
Djerba |
| Day 12 |
Drive Djerba-Gabes-Matmata-Douz (330 kms) |
| Day 13 |
Drive Douz-Kebili-Chott El Jerid-Tozeur (150 kms) |
| Day 14 |
Tozeur |
| Day 15 |
Tozeur-Selja-Tamerza-Mides-Chebika-Tozeur (150 kms) |
| Day 16 |
Drive Tozeur-Kairouan (295 kms) |
| Day 17 |
Drive Kairouan-El Jem-Tunis (290 kms) |
| Day 18 |
Tunis |
| Day 19 |
Depart Tunis |
| Tour Information |
| Cost: |
€2995 (approx C$2995) |
| Length: |
19days |
| Limit: |
18 participants |
| Start: |
Tripoli |
| End: |
Tunis |
| Deposit: |
US$500/C$500 |
| Departure Dates |
| 2008 Departures |
 15 Apr 2008 - 03 May 2008 |
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