Libya Explored

Slowly digesting my 14 days in Libya courtesy of Peregrine Adventures.

The highs were:

• drinking in the Milky Way in the desert silence of the Tadrart Acacus
• walking around the empty streets of Ghat's old medina (although the absence of our local guide contributed to the experience)
• Pippi, Lois and Sybl

The Greek and Roman ruins of the coast were almost too impressive in their extent and had benefitted from rebuilding/restoration by the Italians. Similarly, the rock art in the Tadrart Acacus is in an amazing condition considering that some of it is 14,000 years old. Ghadames felt like a dying town - a very melancholy place. At least Ghat had been put out of its misery.

The lows were:

• the unprofessional behaviour of Peregrine's local guide
• ending the trip feeling that it has been overpriced and that I'd got extremely poor value for money

Lessons for me:

• avoid local leader-only tours
• trust my gut instincts on value for money

I'm certainly not travelling with Peregrine/Gecko's again. Libya's worth visiting though, especially if you liked Syria - it has a very similar feel.

Here's an Excel spreadsheet showing what I actually spent in Libya, on top of the cost of the tour, flights and getting a certified Arabic translation of my passport details for the Libyan visa.

And, our reading list.

(And finally - July - the photos.)