Libyan costs
 

After a bit of web trawling at sahara info I have updated the entry and guide costs (plus other details) on the Libya page:
http://www.sahara-overland.com/country/libya.html

Chris S

------------------
Author of Sahara Overland and the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, among other things

http://www.sahara-overland.com and http://www.adventure-motorcycling.com

hmmmmm - these are 4wheel-prices!!!
Ursula S

Hi,

Read the bit on the web site Chris,

>It is said the route to Niger from El >Gatrun is being sealed up to the border at >Tumu, and the Nigerans are also improving >the track from the border to Seguedine. >But it was also report by Arko in early >2004 that this route is now closed to >tourists. So southern exits only lead to >Algeria (Ghat - Djanet)

had already emailed Sari travel about possiblity of crosing Libya out via Al Gatrun. Got a reply a couple of days ago:

-Your proposed trip is possible and we are ready to prepare invitation
letters, provide you a qualified tour guide and prepare a program for you to
visit Tripoli tourist sites, desert & lakes in the south up to Al Katrun.
As for cost of our services, we are going to provide it to you later when
you determine how many days your trip will last in Libya.


Have you / anyone else had any experience with this group ? (http://www.sarilibyatravel.com/)

Thanks

Pete

We paid 150 USD per day when using Arkno/Azar tours in Feb 2003 for 2 bikes and 10 days. The tour agency provided a 4WD and English speaking guide. It sounds like we may have paid a little over the odds but we had a great time.

We booked using Azar but when the wheels came off the pram and my engine failed...we dealt with Jamal at Arkno. There seems to be various referral and commission arrangements in place.

We paid half up front and half on completion of the trip.

Arkno was also able to arrange an extension to our visas in Tripoli without too much trouble.

John Sutherland
www.city2surf.co.uk

I have heard that a new regulation is being soon adopted for independant travellers : may be no more guide at the border post !!!
If it's true WHAT A GOOD NEW !
RR .

I'm holding off on arranging my invitation if this is the case. Anyone else heard this? What was the source?

It would save me 100 Euro/day! (and the hassle of having a following 4WD).

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

slowly-slowly.....
the law will probably be released in March and in May we might have some new regulations for visa, invitation letter, triangle stuff and guide, Inshallah!
the source is a german agency working very close with Sari in Zuara (good connections to Tripoli)
Ursula


[This message has been edited by ursula (edited 26 January 2004).]

>But it was also report by Arkno in early >2004 that this route is now closed to >tourists.

I've since heard that another Libyan agency, Sari, says the Tumu border is open.

CS

hi chris:

are the Libyan visa application process and requirements the same for USA passport holders as for UK citizens? my fiance and i are planning to drive thru Libya (and then to Algeria and Niger) for an extended honeymoon in September and October this year. we're trying to figure out the best way to secure our Libyan visas. we'll be in france for about a week or so at the beginning of the trip - should we plan to do our visas in paris, while securing our vehicle?

thanks in advance for the advice. we recently found your site and your great book - i drove thru Africa (and the sahara via the Tanezrouft route) with two friends in a '72 LandCruiser in 1990-91. looking forward to heading back.

cheers,
tom

Until today, here, we did not heard officials and unofficials news or rumors about the change in visas regulation, local visas registralion, guide suppression, ecc.

This kind of news instead of helping us is cause of a lot of misunderstandings with clients and waste of time and money for everybody.
regards
Budrinna

Well lets just hope the rules do change. This border to border guide + military escourt stuff is a pain in the backside and can't be good for tourism.

" is cause of a lot of misunderstandings with clients and waste of time and money"

Hmmmm , a lot of money for whom ?

Certainly for Lybian agencies who are sure now to have the money from tourists because it's impossible to vist Lybia without them !
Certainly not for tourists ( like me ) because I prefer to wait and see if there is a new regulation and may be save money for something we don't need !

I hope that this NEW is TRUE !

RR ;

Further to the point of the expected coming new regulations in tourism with own 4x4 we went into the problem that rose the question and We found:

1 -In the General People's Congress to be held late day of february there will infact be discussed the possibility of new changes in the political and current life of the Libyan people, involving many fields.

2 -The inbound of foreigns tourists coming with own cars, excluded the border local traffic- Tunisians and Aegyptians - is less than 1% of the total inbound of foreign touris now all coming by air and sea. Shall this point be discussed ? That is the true question to be asked?

3- The figure of the guide will remain compulsory to avoid many problems, mainly in the safiest maintenace of archeological sites to avoid damages and thefts already documented.

hello Budrinna
thanks for your investigation!

But all the 99% plus 1% touris need
- an invitation from a tourist agency
- a visa
- a triangle stamp

so its worth while discussing it!

regards

Ursula

PS: If you really care about the archeological sites, why don't you stop the bulldozers in the Messak Sattafet destroing one of the greatest sites in the world?
The 1% touris can never ever do a damage like this in 1000 years!





[This message has been edited by ursula (edited 30 January 2004).]

Well only people I have ever seen damaging Archaeology in the Sahara have been guides themselves!

Imagine if Libyans were required to pay for a guide for 24 hours a day whenever they vsited a Eurpoean country - just in case they stole something while they were there!