Libya Travel Itineraries

At Magic Carpet Travel we run a selection of fully escorted tours for those wishing to travel to Libya as part of a small group with a tour guide. Our English-speaking guides are all very experienced and knowledgeable. Any of these tours can be combined with one of our optional Ghadames or Desert Extensions.

If you are interested in any of these tours but the exact routes do not suit your requirements, please contact us and we can tailor-make a similar itinerary just for you. Our tours are action packed to make sure you get the most out of your trip to Libya, at a value for money price. However, if you prefer to travel at a gentler pace, then we can add in days at leisure or take more time to explore the various sights.

Alternatively, if you would like to follow one of these itineraries but would prefer not to travel as part of a group, then please contact us to arrange this.

Libya - The Essence
Tripolitana, Cyrenaica and Ghadames - 9 days/8 nights

No trip to Libya is ever long enough but this tour allows you to see the main highlights that Libya has to offer. As well as getting to know the bustling capital of Tripoli, you will visit the classical cities of the Mediterranean coastline, with their magnificent Roman and Greek remains. You will then head down into the western Sahara to learn more about the Tuareg, Berbers and even the troglodytes.

After flying into Tripoli, we head east to Benghazi, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Over the next couple of days we will visit the magnificently well-preserved Roman capital of Ptolemais, Qaser Libya with its unrivalled collection of Byzantine mosaics, the ancient port of Apollonia, and the beautiful Greek city of Cyrene with its massive Doric Temple of Zeus.

Returning to Tripoli, we will then spend some time visiting the old town, the ancient medina with its narrow alleyways, elegant mosques and animated souk, and the Commonwealth War Cemetary. We will also visit the Jamahiriya Museum, home to one of the finest collections of classical art in the Mediterranean. We spend a whole day in Leptis Magna, one of the most extensive and intact ruins of the Roman period, with its magnificent theatre, basilica, Hadrianic baths and circus. Sabratha, to the west of Tripoli, is home to one of the world's most magnificent Roman theatres and is always a highlight of the trip.

Continuing West we head to Ghadames, an oasis town often called the 'Jewel of the Sahara'. A UNESCO World Heritage site, its distinctive white-painted mud buildings and winding alleyways are a photographer's dream. Home to the Tuareg Berbers this is one of the oldest pre-Saharan settlements. Our drives to and from Ghadames take us through the Nafusa mountains, where we will stop to admire fortified granaries and troglodyte cave dwellings, before finally heading back to Tripoli and our flight back to the UK.

This trip can be combined with (one of our optional desert extensions) the 3-night optional desert extension which takes you to Sebha, the Ubari Lakes and the Ubari Sand Sea. You will spend two nights in a luxurious tented camp in the Sahara Desert.

Magic of Libya
Tripolitana, Cyrenaica and the Desert - 9 days/8 nights

Magic of Libya is ideal for those who wish to see the classical sites of Libya but who also want experience the thrill of travelling through the stunning scenery of the Sahara Desert.

In the far south-west of the country are the dramatic landscapes of the Akakus Mountains, the vast ‘sand sea’ of the Murzuq Dunes, and the picture-perfect, palm-fringed oases of the Ubari Lakes. The mountains also contain rock art dating back thousands of years. These paintings and engravings were made at a time when the Sahara was lush and fertile, and are dramatic evidence of previous climate change on planet Earth.

After flying into Tripoli, we head east to Benghazi, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Over the next couple of days we will visit the magnificently well-preserved Roman capital of Ptolemais, Qaser Libya with its unrivalled collection of Byzantine mosaics, the ancient port of Apollonia, and the beautiful Greek city of Cyrene with its massive Doric Temple of Zeus.

Returning to Tripoli, we will then spend some time visiting the old town, the ancient medina with its narrow alleyways, elegant mosques and animated souk, and the Commonwealth War Cemetary. We will also visit the Jamahiriya Museum, home to one of the finest collections of classical art in the Mediterranean. We spend a whole day in Leptis Magna, one of the most extensive and intact ruins of the Roman period, with its impressive theatre, basilica, Hadrianic baths and circus. Sabratha, to the west of Tripoli, is home to one of the world's most magnificent Roman theatres and is always a highlight of the trip.

We then fly to Sebha where our desert adventure begins. For the next two nights you will stay in a luxury tented camp surrounded by nothing but spectacular sand dunes. Using this as a base we will set out by 4x4 jeep to vist Wadi Mathkandush and the remarkable prehistoric rock paintings and carvings. The following day we will drive through the Ubari Sand Sea and visit the spectacular freshwater lakes of the Awbaru region. We then fly home to Tripoli and return to the UK the next day.

If you would like to spend more time in the desert this tour can be combined with the optional 4-night desert extension which will allow you more time to explore the Akakus Mountains and the oasis of Al Aweinat.

Classic Libya
Tripolitana and Cyrenaica - 6 days/5 nights

No trip to Libya is ever long enough but if you have time or budget restrictions then this tour allows you to see the classical highlights that Libya has to offer. You will have plenty of time to experience the bustle of of the old town and souk of Tripoli, the extensive Roman ruins of Leptis Magna and the magnificent Roman theatre at Sabratha. Flying East you will stay in Benghazi and visit the magnificently well-preserved Roman capital of Ptolemais, Qaser Libya with its unrivalled collection of Byzantine mosaics, the ancient port of Apollonia, and the beautiful Greek city of Cyrene with its massive Doric Temple of Zeus.

Of coursee, this trip can be combined any of our extension tours to Ghadames or the Saharan Desert.

Long Weekend - Tripolitana
Tripoli, Leptis Magna, Sabratha - 3 nights

No trip to Libya is ever long enough but if you have time or budget restrictions then this tour allows you to see the main highlights that Libya has to offer. Ideal for first timers to Libya, you will visit some of the greatest mosques and palaces, experience the bustle of the bazaars and enjoy the quiet contemplation of Persian gardens and the imposing desert ruins of Persepolis on a route that takes in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis. This trip can be combined with the 3-night optional desert extension which takes you to Sebha, the Ubari Lakes, Sahara Desert.

Libya - Desert Adventure
Tripolitana and the Desert - 6 nights

No trip to Libya is ever long enough but if you have time or budget restrictions then this tour allows you to see the main highlights that Libya has to offer. Ideal for first timers to Libya, you will visit some of the greatest mosques and palaces, experience the bustle of the bazaars and enjoy the quiet contemplation of Persian gardens and the imposing desert ruins of Persepolis on a route that takes in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis. This trip can be combined with the 3-night optional desert extension which takes you to Sebha, the Ubari Lakes, Sahara Desert.

Ancient Libya
Tripolitania and Ghadames - 5 nights

No trip to Libya is ever long enough but if you have time or budget restrictions then this tour allows you to see the main highlights that Libya has to offer. Ideal for first timers to Libya, you will visit some of the greatest mosques and palaces, experience the bustle of the bazaars and enjoy the quiet contemplation of Persian gardens and the imposing desert ruins of Persepolis on a route that takes in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis. This trip can be combined with the 3-night optional desert extension which takes you to Sebha, the Ubari Lakes, Sahara Desert.

Desert Extension - 3/5 nights

No trip to Libya is ever long enough but if you have time or budget restrictions then this tour allows you to see the main highlights that Libya has to offer. Ideal for first timers to Libya, you will visit some of the greatest mosques and palaces, experience the bustle of the bazaars and enjoy the quiet contemplation of Persian gardens and the imposing desert ruins of Persepolis on a route that takes in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis. This trip can be combined with the 3-night optional desert extension which takes you to Sebha, the Ubari Lakes, Sahara Desert.

Ghadames Extension - 3 days, 2 nights

No trip to Libya is ever long enough but if you have time or budget restrictions then this tour allows you to see the main highlights that Libya has to offer. Ideal for first timers to Libya, you will visit some of the greatest mosques and palaces, experience the bustle of the bazaars and enjoy the quiet contemplation of Persian gardens and the imposing desert ruins of Persepolis on a route that takes in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Persepolis. This trip can be combined with the 3-night optional desert extension which takes you to Sebha, the Ubari Lakes, Sahara Desert.

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About Magic Carpet Travel, Libyan Tour Operator