Libya

Morning: departure with a flight from the main Italian airports (direct flight from Rome)

Afternoon: arrival in Tripoli in the early afternoon. Hotel check-in. Visit the Libyan capital and its old city, a labyrinth of alleys and an interesting blend of typically North African and Ottoman architectural styles, strongly influenced by the Italian colonial past. Visit the Red Castle, which overlooks the bay where Tripoli was formed, the Arch of Marcus Aurelius, and Martyrs’ Square, the beating heart of the Libyan capital

Evening: dinner featuring very fresh fish in one of the many restaurants along the Corniche. Overnight stay in a hotel in Tripoli

Morning: wake up, breakfast, and departure for Sabratha. Visit the ancient Roman city of Sabratha, among the best-preserved in North Africa, and its magnificent theater, one of the finest examples of 2nd-century Roman architecture. Today, the theater, along with the entire ancient city of Sabratha, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site

Afternoon: continuation of the journey towards the Libyan interior and arrival in the late afternoon in Nalut

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in a guesthouse

Mattina: sveglia, colazione e visita dello Ksar di Nalut, tipico villaggio berbero fortificato, e prosecuzione del viaggio verso l’antica città carovaniera di Ghadames. Inizia oggi la vera avventura in uno degli angoli più suggestivi del Sahara

Pomeriggio: visita della stupenda città-oasi fortificata di Ghadames. La città coperta, dichiarata Patrimonio dell’Umanità dall’Unesco nel 1986, si presenta come un dedalo di vicoli, tunnel, cortili e luoghi di culto; la sua particolare architettura serviva per proteggere i suoi abitanti dal caldo della zona

Sera: cena e notte in hotel a Ghadames

DAY 4 – 5: the real adventure begins today: 3 days of exploration in one of the most suggestive corners of the Sahara Desert, where we will hardly encounter other human presence and will camp in dreamlike scenarios under infinite starry skies. We will follow the border line with Algeria, crossing the magnificent red desert of Hamada el Hamra, the Bin Duqish canyon, and the sea of sand dunes amidst a vast number of bizarre rock formations. Finally, we will discover the surreal area of Magadet, an endless series of pinnacles and other rock formations stretching to the horizon

DAY 6: after 3 days of desert tracks, we will emerge from the depths of the Sahara at Ghat. Visit the city of Ghat, an important historical caravan center along the Saharan routes, featuring a picturesque medina dominated by a fort. Night in a hotel in Ghat

DAY 7 – 8: The Tadrart Acacus! The very best of the Sahara’s immense vastness, free from any human contamination. A succession of dunes, sandy valleys, ancient lava flows, and bizarrely shaped pinnacles, as well as splendid natural rock bridges. Visit the imposing Forzhaga Arch and Wadi Tashwinat. This area was once inhabited by nomadic populations who found refuge in the wadi’s labyrinth of natural caves, as evidenced by the numerous rock carvings, some dating back more than 10,000 years. The paintings, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, can also be found in Wadi Tin Lalan and other wadis flowing into the Tashwinat—a complex system of 101 valleys and gueltas, once carved by just as many watercourses, now dried up. Nights in tents in the Tadrart Acacus

Morning: wake up, breakfast, and departure for the Ubari Lakes. Check-in at the bungalows

Afternoon: visit the beautiful Ubari Lakes. True oases in the desert, they are set in a spectacular landscape within a real sea of imposing sand dunes

Evening: dinner and night in a bungalow at the Ubari Lakes

Morning: wake up, breakfast, and departure for the long return journey towards Tripoli. Brief stop in Sebha, the historic capital of the Fezzan region

Afternoon: continuation of the journey toward the Libyan capital and arrival in the evening

Evening: dinner and evening in Tripoli

Morning: after breakfast, departure along the coastal road, built during the Italian occupation, and arrival at Leptis Magna. Visit Leptis Magna, perhaps the most important complex of Roman ruins in Africa. Founded by the Phoenicians, it flourished under Carthage and later fell into Roman hands. It preserves a wonderful theater, the forum, an exceptionally well-preserved market, basilicas, monumental arches, and colonnades, all testifying to the city’s importance—especially during the empire of Septimius Severus (who was born and raised in Leptis Magna), when it had more than 100,000 inhabitants and was one of the most important cities in the Empire.

Afternoon: on the way back to Tripoli, visit Villa Selene, a splendid example of a 2nd-century Roman villa, whose floors are enriched with exquisite mosaics. Return to Tripoli in the afternoon and relax at the hotel.

Evening: dinner and evening in Tripoli.

DAY 12: transfer to Tripoli airport, flight back to Italy… And on to the next adventure!