Marhaba “Welcome” to Libya – you are warmly welcomed by our Meet & Great manager and after clearing Custom and Immigration, you are transferred to Al Seel hotel or similar. The drive gives you a first glimpse into the life of the people who live in the capital city.
Meet your local English-speaking guide at the hotel. He will inform you about the tour. Lunch and then the tour begins.
We drive to Tripoli´s II WW Cemetery, which contains 1,369 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 133 of them unidentified. There will be also a visit to an old Christian church and much more. Later with your guide, you will get an impression of this fascinating city with its long and changing history. (L. D)

Today you visit the outstanding site at Leptis Magna, one of the greatest ancient sites in the world. It was originally a Phoenician trading port and prospered for nearly 1000 years before Vandal invasions and sandstorms brought its downfall. In its heyday during the reign of Libyan Emperor Septimius Severus, it was second only to Rome and housed over 100,000 people. This vast city remained buried for some 1300 years, and it was not until the 1920s that a major excavation by Italian and Libyan archaeologists revealed the limestone and marble wonders that we explore today. We return to Tripoli for dinner. Overnight at Victoria hotel

Driving 70 km south of Tripoli city, you face a formidable wall of hard rock. That is Jebel Nafusa. The mountain rises abruptly from the desert plain of Jefara to a
height of over 750 meters, with the highest peak of a modest 968 meters. The mountains are awe-inspiring, bare, rugged, savage, and devoid of vegetation; however, the fertile plains on the mountain’s high plateau are full of olive, fig, and fruit trees, as well as vineyards.

This is a fascinating excursion to Jebal Nafusa, the heartland of the Berber people of Libya, with a visit to the magnificent 12th-century fortified granary of Qasr al-Haj (chosen as one of the World’s 80 Greatest Treasures in a recent BBC series).

We continue to Yefren to see the fantastic views from this deserted, ancient stone village of Ta’aqrbst, which clings to a narrow rocky outcrop overlooking a stunning drop-off from the escarpment into the Sahel Al Jefara, with its hundreds of valleys.

Continue to Gharyan, which lies at the foot of the plateau of the Nafusa Mountains, 50 miles (80 km) south of Tripoli. Gharyan was on the trade routes both south to Fezzan and over the Nafusa Mountains. By 1884, the Ottomans had established a mayor and town council in Gharyan.
It was considered the center of Libyan resistance against the Italian invasion in the early 20th century.

Gharyan has a population of 85,219, making it the biggest city in Jebel Nafusa. Olive oil processing, flour milling, carpet weaving, and pottery making are the main occupations.

Its famous troglodyte caves are a major tourist attraction. The root “Ghar”, in the name Gharyan, means “cave”. The caves were dug vertically down into the rocky ground. We return to Tripoli and overnight at Victoria Hotel. (B, L, D)

After breakfast, you visit Sabratha. Amongst all the coastal sites, Sabratha stands out as the most beautiful. 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 Pater, Serapis, Isis, and Hercules. Tripoli ” Oea” (the bride) of the Mediterranean is the capital of Libya.

Later you explore 20th century Italian Tripoli. Basically, your exploration of Tripoli’s 20th-century Italian architecture heritage will take you through three neighborhoods. Immediately south of Martyrs´ Square is the heart of the early 20th-century Tripoli. Dinner in a local restaurant and overnight at Victoria hotel. (B, L, D)

After breakfast, transfer to Mitiqa International Airport for your flight after an unforgettable tour. (B)