Tour 4 – World cultural heritage in the desert - historical cities, rock engravings and paintings

First day

Arrival in Tripoli, transfer to the hotel. First trip through the city.

Second day

From Tripoli we drive in the southwest direction into the old city Qaser aluminium-Haj and Nalut. Qaser al-Hadj partly still owes its name "castle of the Mekka pilgrims" to its completely preserved and partly for the storage of grains. In Nalut there is the largest preserved storage castle. To reach there one must go through the old abandoned Berber settlements of Nalut, where we can admire the building techniques of the traditional houses. Over the small oasis settlement Sinaun, Tafalfalt and Dardj to Gadhames, where we will also stay overnight.

Third day

The historic town centre of the oasis city belongs to the UNESCO world cultural heritage. In October the oasis becomes the scene of the Ghadames Festivals, where music and dance groups from Libya and the neighboring countries Tunisia and Algeria meet. In Ghadames we are guests in one of the traditional houses and eat there in the afternoon. We stay overnight to the south of oasis city in tents.

Fourth/fifth/sixth day

We drive from Gadhames in the direction of Ghat where the adventurous desert begins: from pictorial dune formations over rock formations. During these three days there is a possibility of desert hiking lasting several hours, where we trace the “knights of the desert" the Tuareg and the researchers of past centuries. Our experienced companions look for each of us a romantic place where we can break open our night camp.

Seventh day

We reach the old Berber settlement of Ghat set up from broken stones and air-dried mud bricks, which is also a UNESCO world cultural heritage place. The city once formed an important caravan base, the last one on the way to Sudan and to black Africa. After the visit to the old part of the town we go in the direction of Takarkury, where the "Louvre of the Sahara" begins, the Akakus Mountains with its pre historic paintings and rock engravings. We stay overnight between the long past epochs of works of art.

Eight day

Further to the Louvre of the desert. Pictures from the OSCAR-CROWNED film "the English patient" become all of a sudden real before our eyes. From the rock elbows in the Tadrart it continues further to Tashwint, where we again see rock pictures, which belong to UNESCO’s world cultural heritage. We stay overnight in tents.

Ninth day

Travel from Tashwint to Wadi Ti'n Aniwa. There we see a small grotto, whose apsis kinds of rear walls are completely painted with its partly overlapping motives. It becomes erotic in Wadi Ti'n Laleen, where male myth creatures with animal masks attack over richly dressed women. We open our camp near to the rock paintings.

Tenth day

In the next morning we go to Wadi Mathendoush, where impressive rock engravings await us. The cliff of the Wadi is closely covered with engravings over several hundred meters. An impressive diagram of animals, as well as hunting scenes astonishes the eye of the viewer. Further drive to Murzuq, where we also stay overnight.

Eleventh day

From the pre historic rock engravings we set out again in the sand desert. The delightful monotony of the sand dunes creates the necessary free spaces into our civilization-damaged thinking. After a short pause in Wadi Marjuj, where we see an agricultural project, we go further to the dunes of Idhan Ubari. We stay there over night protected by the high sand dunes.

Twelfth day

On this morning we set out over the high dune combs from Ubari towards the salt lakes from Gabaroun. On the way there we pass these romantically clarified world wonders, which seem to have risen to a surrealistic picture. In this wonder world between sand dunes, palms and lakes we open our night camp.

Thirteenth day

We start early in the morning in order to visit the old city of the Garammanten, Djerma. The Garammanten are the oldest tribe, which has populated Libya. Worth seeing in Garama beside the ruins of the city are also their kings and pyramid graves. In Murzuq, the capital of the Mariniden we visit the Souk, the citadel and the old fortress. We head further to the 120 km away Sebha, from where we fly out to Tripoli.

Fourteenth day

The day belongs to the capital Tripoli. The National museum and Al Saraya al Hamra (the red Turkish palace), the old part of town with their mosques, churches and the Souks are on today’s program.

Fifteenth day

A final walk through the old city or a shopping tour through the shopping streets can still be made in the morning. In the afternoon transfer to the airport.