Libya / Tunisia
 

Can anyone give me advice on Libya / Tunisia. Visa, getting M/Cs in etc. Planning on sept oct riding down to Genova and then across to Tunis on the ferry. I have done a search on here but can't find much.

Thanks
Pete

PS I would like to travel around Libya without a guide.

Lybia
 

I am in the same boat as you, but alas, I do not know any other way than having a guide. I know a person whom we will travel with in a few weeks, who knows a lybian policeman who will act as guide and help in optaining all the nessesary paperwork and formalities, as well as accompanying us whilst we are in lybia itself. best of luck stephan

Are you talking about the whole Libya or only the coast road?

Hi - getting a bike into Tunisia on the ferry is no problem at all. I did this with a car in 2007 but a bike is not much different. At the Tun/Lib border - not sure with a bike, but again a car was OK. I had a carnet which the Libyans used, but unsure whether it was required or just accepted.

Tunisian visa - unsure re your nationality, but if it's EU you will just get a stamp on entry - you don't need a visa. For Libya - yes you will need one. There's plenty of discussion re this on the HUBB and there was also talk a month or 2 ago of people entering Libya needing to be in a group of 5.

Guide - for the north coast road, you don't need one. For anywhere south of this, yes you do.

overlandcruiser.net

Thanks for the reply s. I was hoping to go south and not have to stay on the coast road. Is it a big problem if you wonder south after saying you will stay on the cost?

Where can I get bike insurance, do I need to buy it in Libya?

Any places you recommend seeing?

Ta for the help
Pete

PS Just called the Embassy they say If I book through a travel agency to get the visa I will not need a guide anywhere in Libya! Number in case anyone else needs it 0207 589 6120 They do take a long time to answer.

That's an interesting piece of information you were told by the Embassy about not needing a guide! Do any other members have any experience of this?

Libya is full of police checkpoints, so you would not get far from the coast road before being stopped at one.

Places recommend seeing - the attractions of Libya are mainly either along the coast, or a looooooong way south into the desert. Do you plan to go into the desert? You will pretty much have to to see the best scenery.

Insurance - unsure on that one. We used a guide, so it was already arranged at the border when we arrived. I suspect - and am willing to be corrected on this by others if I am wrong - that there is a booth at the border where you can buy it. It won't be expensive, but bear in mind it will only be 3rd party.

Mark

Hi
we do plan to ride in the desert so bring on the places :O) This web site has some info Homepage Looks like if we head south as we get over the Tunisian boarder we will find some good places
I have asked a couple of agency's for info and will keep you informed
Thanks for the info

Pete

You'll need a tour guide anywhere in Libya away from the transit route to Egypt.

The guide will meet you at the border and you'll follow in your car/bike. If you're going to the desert, then the first guide will hand you over to the desert guide at the start of your first piste - eg in Ghadames. The desert guide will be in a Land Cruiser. Desert guides are more expensive than "city" guides.

The desert guide then takes you round the desert and hands you back to the first guide when he's done with you.

If you're on your own on a bike the cost may be prohibitive. If you're a group of more than four then I think a tourist Policeman must accompany the group at all times (usually in the guides vehicle). You'll have to pay extra for this.

You get your insurance and arabic number plates at the border. You will have paid for all of this in advance to your tour company. You then change money at a booth on the right 100m inside the border. However, your guide handles everything for you.

We went as a group of seven people in four vehicles. This really made it affordable.

You have to really want to go to Libya to go through all the routines regarding Arabic translations of your passport, thumb prints, visas, organising guides etc.....

....but it is an amazingly beautiful country and the people there are warm and friendly. We loved it and would go back in a minute.

Good luck!

So, one more time. Is it possible to go alone at your own into Lybia riding the main coast road going to Egypt?

That is what I need. Going into Lybia from Tunisia and ending up in Egypt. Is that possible without guide?

Thanks.

Well - quite pushy considering it's not your thread :laugh:

If you have a transit visa and complete the journey in 5 days, then I believe the answer to be "YES"

Thanks for the info Fraser.
I'm going to go to Libya and I really want to ride the desert not just the north road. Just got to work out how, I think it will be down to the people, police etc I meet when I'm there.

Life's for adventures.

Pete

Passports have to have a translation in them in Arabic. This can be got from Arab British chamber of commerce London Arab British Chamber of Commerce - ABCC Tel 02076594861 Costs £30

Hope this helps others

Pete

Hi BMWBiggles

Glad to hear your plans are progressing. Places to see in Libya - have a look at my website - overlandcruiser.net

I think you will probably need the services of an agency to get all the paperwork sorted out, even if you CAN travel around the south without a guide. Would be too easy to miss something out if you were doing it on your own.

For the desert bit of the tour, whether or not you need a guide I would strongly suggest either using one or teaming up with a tour group purely for safety.

Which agency are you using? PLEASE don't tell me it's Arkno!

Mark

Hi
So far I have e mailed two, one was Libtra tours the other I can't remember their name but neither have yet got back to me. Can you recommend one?
Thanks for the link.
Ta

Pete

YES too, you're right ( both points):thumbup1:

Which agency to recommend - dunno - the postings in the HUBB will probably be more up to date than me....the 2 I have heard mentioned the most (and am not aware of any horror stories about) are Fessano and Al-Muheet (or is it Al-Mukheet)?

You can get the official translation stamp for free, from the UK passport office in London or Peterborough. Both offices know it as "the Libya stamp" as it seems that Libya is the only country that requires it!

I work in Tripoli 2 weeks per month, so if you're passing through, let me know. It's pretty quiet otherwise...

Cutting across Lybia
 

I may pop in to say hello, planning to cut across from Egypt to Tunisia with some old boys :scooter: around the second half of October.
So cheers for the Lybia stamp tip.

Travellers in the know, How long (roughly) should I allow for a not rushed but focused crossing, stopping only at the must sees and the odd photo with the odd looking rock, camel or whatever,

Assume taking the north route and allowing half a day border crossing each end.

is 4 days :funmeterno: ?

Hi - if you're travelling along the North Coast on a 5-day transit visa, I think you'll use the full 5 days. Leptis Magna and Sabratha will take the best part of 1 day each, not to mention Cyrene and Appolonia. And that's even before you've been to Benghazi!

Hi
Thanks for the invite. If we go into Tripoli we will pop in. Is there anything you need brought over? Baked beans etc :O)

Pete

Thanks for the offer but with being two on/two off, I'm back in the UK every two weeks and the suitcase of supplies I take doesn't normally run out :-)

Drop me a PM if you're coming through and we can meet up in the Green Square in Downtown Tripoli. It's right by the souk and old town, on the seafront. There's a pretty reasonable outdoor cafe next to it, and a few more traditional places nearby.

While I'm there, I stay in a reasonably priced hotel just off Sharia Omar Al Mukhtar, 10 minutes walk from the Green Square. No covered parking unfortunately, ok if you are passing through and looking for somewhere to stay or book in advance.

PM me for details.

Regards
Graham

Hi Guys,

Having finished prepping our car and therefore being able to accurately guess leaving dates we were just about to book a guide for the 4/5 days we will be in libya in about a months time. We told the chap Sami at Ocean Tours that we only wanted to stay on the coast road and did not need a guide but he has just said that 'by libyan law you will need a representative'.

Obviously this could simply be a sales ploy, but who did other people use to simply organise a visa and not bother with a guide?

Many thanks

Try Alarbi at

SAHARA STARS tourism services

We used him in Dec 08 to transit Tunisia - Egypt & then back, Egypt - Tunis a month later

Although we only wanted transit visas, we had to eventually get the ful one as it seems they dont like issuing the Transit version???!!!!

He drove his car with the policeman with him.
One of our travelling companions has used him / his father for Libyan Desert tours previously & he is highly reccomended


let us know how you get on & if you manage to get the transit Visa

Andy

Pete (BMWbiggles)

Another way of doing this is to join an organised tour. I did Tunisia and Libya with Wildcat Adventures in 2008 Motorbike Tours Since 1985. Libya / Tunisia Motorbike Tour - Caravan Routes & Roman Sites and we had a great time but with a lot of the hassle removed. Some would view this as "cheating" because we did not enter under our own steam but what the heck, we rode Tunisia on our won and met up at rendezvous in the evenings and Libya we all had to ride together anyway because of the "guides". We went down as far as Ghadames and I would recommend a visit. Wildcat treat you like an adult and let you do your own thing if you want to - you don't have to hang on their apron strings (although some do). Incidentally I don't have any connection with Wildcat - just think that it's a good way to get to where you want to get to.

Thanks for that info. If I don't sort the visa out, any other way, I think I will go down this route. I would much rather just be on my own so I can ride where I like. I'm really not into tours, at least Wildcat Adventures sound like you have a bit of freedom.
Thanks again.

Pete

No translations needed for tourist visas... and have not been needed for over 6 months now.

Safe travels all; Sam.

Hi guys,

We've been liasing with a Libyan tour agency finalising arrangements for out travel through there in just over a month. The chap Sami at the agency seems pretty insistant on us collecting our visas at the border and not sorting it here in London first. This seems a bit of a risk to us as we would much rather have it sorted before we left - has anyone else done similar or should we absolutely insist on arranging it in London before we leave?

Many thanks

Visa at border is no problem, and is the way to go.

But, I would recommend a reliable agency:

Fessano W Tours

Do a google; and then send Hadi an email. You might find cheaper, but you won't find better.

Safe travels, Sam.

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!