Libya : Sea of sand and the Awbari Lakes.

Next Dates: October 2008

Grade: 3

This adventure to Libya is challenging for both driver and vehicle. It is a 21-day trip in which you travel through two countries, taking in their own individual cultures and landscapes.

The safari is designed for standard off road vehicles with minimal alterations; the most important of which is the ability to travel for 1000km on full tanks.

We also recommend that you remove any spoilers from your vehicle before the trip. Due to the extreme nature of the terrain we cannot accept anyone on this adventure who has not had a minimum of level 2 dune driving experience. We therefore recommend that you have a least traveled through the desert in Morocco. The adventure allows the individual to travel at their own pace using GPS, TPC and a roadbook containing tulips and GPS co-ordinates.

We start the adventure at an auberge in Provence, which is situated one hour from the port. After a 24-hour crossing from Marseille to Tunis, the next two days are spent traveling through Tunisia. The first night is spent in El Jem where you will have the opportunity to visit the ancient ruins of a Roman amphitheater that still dominates the surrounding landscape. During day 3 you will travel through many distinctive and picturesque villages on our journey south to the mountain village of Matmata. Day 4 is an enigma - we will either spend the day at the border or, if the officials are being kind, an hour. Then after spending the night in our first wild camp we meet the following day in the historical mountain town of Nalut for lunch. In the evening we will be camping near Dirj which is a Turag town and where we are often invited to attended one of their festivals. The following morning we travel to the start of the Ubari Sand Sea Camp and test our sand driving skills. For the next 3 days we will be crossing enormous dunes some 200 meters high and traveling and traveling across vast sand plateaus, until we reach Al Uwaynat and then onto tarmac to Ghat. The following day is a rest day and can be spent exploring Ghat restocking provisions, or buying souvenirs. Over the next 2 days we will be traveling through and camping in the Acacus Mountains where you will get the opportunity to see rock art and script left by the Bushman and Turags. During the following 4 days we will be making our way up through Libya going through the town of Awbari, visiting the Awbari Lakes (an opportunity to both swim and sand ski) until we reach Zlitan. Day 17 is a rest day, but we recommend that you spend the day at Leptis Magna. Day 18 is our last day in Libya and there will be an opportunity to make a quick visit to the ruins of Sabratha or to stop for lunch before meeting at the border at 1400hrs. We will be spending the evening at Matmata in Tunisia and our last night again at El Jem. On your last day in Tunisia we recommend that you visit the town of Cathage, which is 5km from the Port.

Sea of sand and Awbari Lakes Route

Day 1. We will meet at the French port of Marseille to board the MS Carthage on route to The Tunisian port of Tunis. the crossing will take around 24hrs.

Day 2. The Carthage will arrive in Tunis at 1130 and after an hour or so of Tunisian customs we will be able to head South towards the city of El Jem. El Jem has a fantastic Roman Amphitheater and we should arrive in plen ty of time to enjoy its ancient granduer. Oue hotel is but a stones throw away from this magnificent ruin.

Day 3 Journey from El Jem to Matmata.

Day 4 Border crossing to wild camp 100km south.

Day 5 Leaving wild camp and traveling to mountain town of Nalut and on to Dirj wild camp.

Day 6 From Dirj traveling to plateaus and riverbed to well - Wild Camp. Practice dune driving.

Day 7/8 Crossing dunes - Wild Camps.

Day 9 Out of dunes to Al Uwaynat and on to Ghat.

Day 10 Rest Day - opportunity to visit the historical Ghat and visit the shops and market.

Day 11/12 Ghat to Acacus Mountains - 2 Wild Camps.

Day 13 Leaving the Acacus and on to Al Uwaynat and Awbari - Campsite near the dunes.

Day 14 Awbari to lakes - Wild Camp.

Day 15 Wild Camp - leaving the sand behind us, head north to wild camp near Sherif.

Day 16 Traveling north on tarmac roads to hotel in Zlitan.

Day 17 Rest Day - would advise you to visit Leptis Magna.

Day 18 Zlitan to border stopping at Sabretha (if time allows) to visit ruins and on to hotel in Matmata.

Day 19 Matmata to El Jem.

Day 20 El Jem to Tunis with plenty of time to visit Cathage. Meet at port at 1430hrs for 24hr crossing.

Day 21 Arrive at Marseille 1430hrs approx.

The approx. distance of the safari = 4600km / 2875 miles: 1200km - Tunisia, 3400km - Libya

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How do I Get to Libya?

There are two sea routes to Libya. You can either take a ship from Marseille(France) to Tunis or from Genoa(Italy). We use the ship from Marseille which leaves every Thursday or Saturday.

The cost for a 4x4 with two passengers is £599 return. This includes a 2 berth outside en suite cabin and port taxes.

Conditions

Sahara Desert

· Temperatures will range from 45°C at the hottest part of the day to 15°C at 2am
· Sunshine all day. Shade is important
· Warm wind from a zephyr to force 6
· High winds will mean that sand will be airborne
· Stones (small to large), flat rock, dry lakes, sand rivers, mountain passes and sand dunes 200 meters high
· Camps are basic. Hotels vary from reasonable to good

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Training Day

The training day, as well as being fun, will give you the chance to get to know us and your fellow travelers. During these very comprehensive training day's you will have the opportunity to have your vehicle looked over by the Impala team, who are experts in expedition vehicle preparation, and can give you all the advice you need.

The weekends include training in:

· Navigation
· Driving
· Maintenance

and will include advice on: camping and health.

There is one for each Impala trip that we run, contact us for dates.

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Equipment

A full list of required equipment for all Safaris can be found in the Equipment section. In addition to this list you will require the following for Libya:

Vehicle Preparation

· Full service - with oil changes of engine, gear box and axle oils
· New clutch and documentation of unit unless less than two years old
· Guards for differentials, steering and fuel tanks
· Half shafts and differentials must be checked for wear
· Fuel capacity of 1000 kilometers (600 miles)

Equipment/Parts

· 2 bridging/sand ladders
· 6 meter rope/strop
· Differential gears and pinions

It is possible to buy the TPC Maps by visiting the Stanford's Map Shop web site.www.stanfords.co.uk

The map numbers are:
TPC G 2C, G 2D
TPC H 3A, H 3B, H 3C, H 3D
TPC H 4A, H 4D

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Clothing

Obviously in the heat of the desert, heavy clothing will not be needed. Be prepared for cold temperatures at night though, so bring a woolly jumper or something similar. A suggested list is:

For a 15 day safari to Libya:

· 5-6 cotton t shirts
· 3-4 pairs of utility trousers (or similar)
· 3-4 pairs of mid-length shorts
· 1 fleece
· 1 warm jumper
· warm socks (for nighttime)
· 1 hat (for warmth at night and protection from the sun in daytime)
· 1 pair of sunglasses
· sturdy sandals
· walking boots/sturdy shoes
· nightwear (warm but comfortable)

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Food

You should have enough food with you for three weeks for every person in your party.

Good food to take is that which does not take a lot of preparation i.e. ready made meals to heat in a saucepan, tins of fruit, chili, potatoes etc.

Try to buy items that have combustible packaging; i.e. paper, card or plastic. Please not that tin is not combustible and does not decompose easily.

Couscous is a good substitute for rice which takes a lot of boiling (therefore using up resources). Fresh vegetables, fruit and bread can be bought most days. Remember to avoid eating salads in restaurants and drinks like orange squash which use local water.

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Health Advice

We take a serious view on Health and Hygiene during our adventures and as long as a few basic rules are followed you will have an enjoyable, illness free time with Impala Adventures.

Water

1. Use only bottled water, making sure the top is secured. At Cafés and Restaurants water is often put on tables in what appears to be sealed bottles but in fact it is often tap water which has been put into water bottles.

2. Any opened bottles must not be used for drinking after 1 day. Use yesterday's opened water for washing.

3. Try to keep the water cool. This can be achieved by covering with a blanket low down in the vehicle.

4. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day. YOU CAN VERY EASILY BECOME DEHYDRATED.

5. Take some water purification tablets to treat local water.

Suggested Vaccinations

Check polio, diphtheria and tetanus are all up to date.

Hepatitis A and typhoid are advised.

There is a very low risk of malaria. Fresh water in the region is not safe to drink unless it has been boiled first as it contains infections.

All vaccinations can be obtained at your local surgery. You should check with your doctor up to 8 weeks before you leave as most courses are for 6 week period.

We suggest that you take Medical Insurance cover whilst you adventure with us and suggest you get an E111 (available from Post Offices) which will cover you in European countries.

In case of an emergency we will have a satellite phone with us at all times.

Prices

Price for a vehicle and 2 passengers = £3000.00

Look what we include:

Does not include: Ferry from France to Tunisia, Entrance fee for Leptis Magna, or Medical and Vehicle Insurance in any country.

Booking

Right click on one of the below links and select "Save Target As" to save a booking form to your computer:

Offroad Safari Booking Form (as Word Doc for PC)

Offroad Safari Booking Form (as pdf)

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