 LIBYA
February 2013
Overlanders can only transit the north coast - expect many checkpoints.
The south has become a closed military zone.
Libyan dinar exchange rates
CJ based in Libya says: 'Forget about banks for money changing, everybody uses the gold shops, of which there are many. We use $US and are getting about 130 LYD for new $100 bills. You will get a lower rate for small bills. Euros/Sterling may also be possible to change.
Price
of fuel
Along with Egypt and Algeria, fuel in Libya is about as cheap
as it gets in the Sahara. Petrol is about 0.20D/litre dinars.
Diesel 0.15 LD/litre.
Costs
With the visa costs, Libya is not so cheap and can be very expensive as some take advantage of the current situation. Notes come in 10, 5, 1, half and a quarter with the numbers written in English as well as Arabic.
Useful languages
Arabic and English. Road signs names are in Arabic but the distance numbers are in Roman ('English') script. Nevertheless it helps to learn the ten cardinal Arabic numerals (read from left to right, unlike Arabic script which is read from right to left).
Tourist visas are suspended and unlikely to return soon; same with transit visas.
Business visas cost around €300 with an 'invitation' supplied. The visa can to be authorised from 10 days after submission at an embassy and is available at the Ras Adjir border, though
it might be considered more of a 'collection' with an authorisation in advance.
The usual coastal crossing at Ras Adjir from Ben Guerdane in Tunisia is intermittently open to foreign vehicles. The other crossing is further south near Nalut at Dehiba / Wazin. Last heard, with a 'business visa' you don't need an escort to transit the coast route between Tunisia and Egypt, but with lots of checkpoints it might be a good idea.
The bilingual stamp in your passport, is no longer required as of 2010 for tourist visas, but they may change the rules back.
.Libya Embassy, Cairo
7 El Saleh Ayoub St.
Zamalek (island in the Nile)
Cairo
In the
UK the Libyan Consulate is at 61-62 Ennismore Gardens,
SW7 1NH. Telephone 020 7589 6120 Fax 020 7589 6087. Here's the form.
Border costs - all approximate
• €300 visa / person
• From 6LD a fortnight for insurance
• 150LD' fixed charge' per car/4WD. Motorcycle 75LD
• 70LD to rent an Arabic number platefor a moto with a refund at the other end
• Around €35 / day for the guide in your car
Libya is no longer listed on foreign carnets and the local permit is not available at Wazin. So it's one less document. Of course if you're going right across Africa you may as well get a proper FIM carnet.
Finding
a reliable Libyan tour operator used to be
tricky but was getting better. www.fessano-tours.com
have been recommended, as has www.almuheettours.net and Tidwa Tours. Temehu's transparent web page linked above seems to inspire confidence.
Border formalities
Show green form
and passport. Rent number plate and buy local carnet
and insurance at another hanger further up. Allow at
least two hours. You can change money at
the kiosk in the hanger or use the ATM. To get your own carnet stamped, see this. Recent account from Tunisia to Egypt, October 2012. And another here from February 2013.
Desert
pistes
Nothing doing nor likely to change soon: the south of Libya is a closed military zone. The main area of interest was the fabulous Fezzan
in the southwest, and particularly the amazing Akakus
mountains east of Ghat (rock paintings - sadly nearly all vandalised in 2009). The engravings
of the Wadi Mathendous was also worth a visit. The
piste over to the mosquito-ridden crater at Waw el
Namus was also popular as is a visit to the dune lakes
in the Erg between Ubari and Idri. Eastern
Libya was a bit more off the
map. |
