How to Travel to Libya in 2024

By Joan Torres 23 Comments Last updated on January 4, 2024

Travel to Libya

This is the most complete and up-to-date Libya travel guide available on the internet.

Libya is a surprising country indeed.

Home to Leptis Magna and Sabratha, Libya has outstanding, world-class Roman ruins, sitting on the Libyan coast.

From 1911 to 1951, the country was an Italian colony, the heritage of which is still very visible, not only in the architecture that dominates the center of Tripoli, but also in the somehow sophisticated way Libyans drink their cappuccino.

Except for a tiny part of the – today inaccessible – eastern coast, Libya is an utterly massive, barely populated desert, filled with ancient Berber, caravan towns like Gadhames, located more than 600km from Tripoli.

Today, however, Libya has become a failed state struggling to put an end to an armed conflict that has been ongoing since 2011, preventing travelers from venturing into the most off the beaten track country in the whole Mediterranean.

However, with proper planning and research, anyone can travel to Libya safely.

This guide contains endless Libya travel tips that will show you how.

Pinterest Libya Travel Guide

😷 COVID-19 Travel restrictions for Libya

As of today, there are no COVID requirements for entering Libya.

That’s the official information but nobody checks it upon arrival in Libya, not even the airline (I flew with Libyan Wings from Tunis).

📰 Libya today: what is it like to travel to Libya?

In 2011, following the Arab Springs in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt, a set of peaceful protests against an absolute Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, escalated into a bloody armed conflict between the rebels and Gaddafi’s local forces.

One year later, Gaddafi was defeated, captured, and killed, putting an end to more than 40 years of dictatorship.

For the first time ever, Libyans were able to foresee a bright, beautiful future but, unfortunately, the same people that wanted to overthrow Gaddafi, claiming to favor democracy, began to fight each other over power and wealth, dividing the country into different regions controlled by different militias.

A second civil war began, and on and off conflicts continued until the country officially split into two main regions, ruled by two different, independent Governments: West Libya, with Tripoli as the capital, and East Libya, with Benghazi as the main city.

However, in October 2020, exhausted from a pointless civil war, both Governments signed a permanent ceasefire and promised to hold elections, but they have been continuously postponed ever since.

Today, the peace agreement is still valid, but that doesn’t avoid the occasional clashes between the two Governments, and their permanent disagreements over power, like happened in May 2022.

Tourists can travel to Libya now, but your visa will only be valid for traveling in the Western part of Libya because the Eastern Government doesn’t recognize it. 

Why travel to Libya
When visiting Libya, don’t miss the theater found in Leptis and Magna

⚠️ Is it safe to travel to Libya?

By far, safety is the number 1 concern for people wanting to visit Libya, which is kind of understandable, since the media has been showing nothing but years and years of conflict.

As previously mentioned, a peace agreement was signed between both West and East Governments back in 2020 and, except for a few occasional clashes between the Government forces – where civilians are not targeted – traveling to the West part Libya is mostly safe nowadays.

All Libyans will tell you that today, traveling to Libya is completely safe and as long as the money coming from oil – Libya is an oil-rich country – keeps flowing through both East and West, it will remain so, or that’s what many locals Libyans believe.

My personal experience when I went to Libya

From Afghanistan to Syria and Iraq, one can really feel that you are in a conflict or post-war country but for some reason, not in Libya.

On the one hand, you barely see any military presence there, at least in the areas where you are allowed to travel, and that includes the capital too.

On the other hand, while destruction is prevalent in most Syrian cities’ skylines, Tripoli is pretty untouched, as were all the places we visited, except for the main avenue in Misrata, the city that suffered the most.

We saw a few buildings with bullet holes and stuff but not even 1% of what you see in Mosul or Aleppo.

Again, I just saw one tiny part of the country, and I know that in Benghazi, for example, there was a fierce battle but, from a traveling standpoint, most places in West Libya are intact, and the atmosphere seems surprisingly relaxed.

is it safe to travel to Libya
We found this building in Sabratha, an area damaged during the war

🪪 How to get a visa for Libya

Can you travel to Libya?

Libya is one of the most difficult countries to travel to but the local authorities are making things a bit easier now…

Up to September 2023, only business visas were issued, so the Libyan company had to fake your purpose of travel, stating that you were visiting Libya as an oil or tourist consultant, something like that, but this is not the case anymore.

Now you can finally travel to Libya on a tourist visa, even though the visa process is pretty much the same.

Below is an explanation of how to get a visa for traveling in Libya.

Step 1 – Getting your Letter of Invitation (LOI)

In order to get your visa for Libya, the first thing you need to do is get a Letter of Invitation from an authorized Libya-based company.

Note that Libyan companies won’t issue an LOI unless you book a full tour of Libya with them.

How long do I have to wait to get the LOI?

The problem with Libya is that nothing is official.

They say that LOI are issued in 1 week but sometimes they don’t come until 3 weeks later and sometimes they in just 3 days.

Libya’s bureaucracy is so random.

How long is the LOI valid for?

There’s no official date but rumors say it has a 1-month validity, extendable to 3 months. Again, this is also pretty random.

Step 2 – Getting your actual visa at the embassy

Once your LOI is approved, the next step is visiting the Libyan embassy in your home country or country of residence.

The LOI will come with a 6-digit number, and it’s recommended to call the embassy in advance, telling them about your upcoming visit and the respective number.

I got my visa at the Libyan embassy in Madrid.

They told me to physically go there any day, from Monday to Wednesday, from 10am to 1pm, and these were their requirements:

Once they checked that all my documents were correct, they told me to deposit the amount of 60€ in their bank account – which I did at the nearest bank – and come back with the receipt.

When I gave them the receipt, they told me to come back after two hours to collect my visa, that’s it.

That’s for the embassy in Madrid, what about the rest of the embassies?

Requirements are pretty much the same across most embassies but, while some of them require the applicant to be physically there, others allow you to mail them all docs.

Moreover, like in Madrid, some embassies issue your visa within 2 hours, while others might take a few days.

The best way to find out is by calling your nearest embassy.

What if there’s no embassy in your home country?

Then, you can apply from an embassy of your choice, but you need to tell your local sponsor in advance.

How long is the visa valid for?

Up to September 2023, the visa was valid for 1 month, from the moment you collect it and it can’t be extended.

However, now they say that they will extend it to 3 months.

Visa for Libya
My visa for traveling to Libya

🚑 Travel insurance for Libya

Travel insurance for Libya is a real must, especially in times of pandemic, and I strongly recommend IATI Insurance because:

  • One of the very few that covers travel in Libya
  • They have many different plans, for all budgets.
  • Covers both short-term trips and 1-year long trips.
  • It covers a wide range of COVID-related stuff.
  • It covers senior citizens too
  • Readers of this blog can get a 5% exclusive discount

🧔 Traveling to Libya as an independent traveler: is it allowed?

Not really.

Actually, independent travel in Libya has never been totally allowed, even during Gaddafi’s rule, and the reason is that, in their eyes, foreigners could always be potential spies.

Today, in order to get the above business visa, you’ll have to book a tour with a tour company, so there isn’t a way around, plus here are a few things to keep in mind:

Your local guide must pick you up from immigration

Nowadays, upon arrival at the International Airport of Tripoli, even before getting your entry stamp, the authorities will put you aside, waiting for your sponsor, a representative from the company who issued your LOI – the local guide, in my case. 

This person will have to go through a few formalities and only then, will you be able to enter Libya.

You will be accompanied by a local official

During my trip to Libya, I had always to be accompanied by an official who claimed to be part of the tourist police.

Along with my local guide and driver, this person stuck with us the whole time, eating with us and even staying in our hotels outside of Tripoli.

While spending the whole trip with an official might seem quite annoying – you actually have to pay for his meals and hotels – but that’s included in the total tour package – the truth is that he was a pretty nice guy who basically became one more of us.

He was unarmed, joked all the time and always tried to be helpful.

Some travelers who travel to Libya as gas consultants (fake purpose, of course) claim that they were never accompanied by such an official, but only the local guide.

Your itinerary can’t be flexible

It can’t be changed. Your itinerary will be shared with the security department before your arrival and making changes won’t be allowed.

Can you walk around Tripoli on your own

Officially you can’t but in practice, many travelers do it: this is something you must discuss with your local guide.

how to travel to Libya
Two men from the tourist police who joined us for a few hours

🗺️Tours for Libya

Remember that independent travel in Libya is not possible nowadays, like no way.

Against the Compass, however, has several scheduled expeditions.

Epic 7-day expeditions, where we will explore Roman ruins, caravan cities and learn about everything that happened after the fall of Gaddafi.

Learn more about our Tours for Libya

Do you wish to join a small group, but you can’t travel on any of the above dates?

No problem, just shoot me an email (joan@againstthecompass.com) indicating:

  • How many people you are
  • How many days do you want to spend in Libya
  • Which dates

And we will try to find other travel buddies you may travel with. Otherwise, know that we can also organize private, tailored trips.

⛅ Best time to visit Libya

Best time to travel to Libya: November to March

The weather becomes pleasant during these months but note that temperature can drop to 0ºC in December-January, so do bring warm clothing for the freezing nights, especially in the desert areas.

Worst time to travel to Libya: June to September

In summer, Libya is too hot to enjoy.

I personally came during the last week of May and days were already utterly hot, making sightseeing very difficult. Evenings however, were good.

Best time to visit Libya
The coast of Libya is outstanding, pure Mediterranean

🛫 How to get to Libya

How to travel to Libya by air

The main airport in Libya is Mitiga International Airport, located 11km from the center of Tripoli.

This airport used to have plenty of connections but nowadays, you can only travel from two cities:

I strongly recommend coming from Tunis, since flights are way cheaper.

Which airlines fly to Libya?

Today, the only foreign airline that flies to Tripoli is Tunis Air but the problem is that it doesn’t fly there every day, only 2-3 times a week, so depending on your travel dates, it could be inconvenient.

Alternatively, Libyan Wings flies from Tunis to Tripoli every day but the problem is that you can’t book tickets online, so someone has to go to an actual Libyan Wings office and pay in cash. This is something you’ll need to arrange with your local guide or sponsor.

How to travel to Libya by land:

Libya shares a border with 5 countries.

Traveling to Libya from Tunisia

Travel reports suggest the border is open, and there are actually direct buses from Tunis to Tripoli but, besides the nearly 800km distance, border formalities will take a lot of time if you go on a bus packed with people.

Alternatively, you could head slowly to the border (the one by the coast) and cross on foot. However, if you opt for this choice, your local guide will have to pick you up from there, increasing the overall cost of your trip.

Check my Tunisia travel guide

Traveling to Libya from Egypt

This border used to be open during Gaddafi’s time but not anymore, since the Eastern part of Libya is controlled by a different faction that won’t recognize your business visa.

Check my Egypt travel guide

Traveling to Libya from Algeria, Niger, Chad and Sudan

Those borders are super closed.

How to travel to Libya by land
The Libyan-Algerian border. If you wanted to travel to Libya from Algeria by road, know that this border is closed to foreigners
how to get to libya
Which side am I?

🛖 Top experiences in Libya

Libya has actually a lot of touristic potential; it is no wonder that during the Gaddafi years, many tour groups used to come here.

1 – Visiting first-league Roman ruins

Leptis Magna and Sabratha are exceptional Roman sites, with no reason to envy Palmyra in Syria, or Baalbek in Lebanon, and the best thing about them is that they are built by the sea.

Libya travel tips
An epic amphitheater by the Mediterranean sea, one of the best things to check during your Libya trip

2 – Admiring the Italian Heritage in Tripoli

As in Eritrea, Italians left their footprint in Libya, leaving behind a very strong coffee culture and the most beautiful buildings in the country.

Italian café Tripoli
An Italian café in the center of Tripoli

3 – Experiencing the Libyan desert

Whether you are driving from town to town, or just having tea with the Tuaregs, few countries in the world have such a vast, empty desert.

Libya desert Gadhames
The Libyan desert, less than 1-kilometer away from the Algerian border

4 – Visiting the ancient caravan city of Ghadames

Ghadames is an ancient desert town and oasis, home to an entangled and massive old city composed of hundreds of pathways, which also turns out to be a UNESCO Heritage site.

Trip to Libya
The Old Town of Gadhames

5 – Learning about the current crisis in Misrata

Misrata was one of the most affected cities during the Libyan Civil war, the legacy of which is still very visible. Today, the city features a brand-new museum about the crisis.

Free Libya

💻 Internet and connectivity in Libya

As expected, Wi-Fi isn’t particularly reliable in Libya, but you can easily get a local SIM card at the airport.

I personally bought a SIM card packed with 20GB of data for just 39LYD (around 8 USD), which was more than enough for just 6 days.

Get a VPN for traveling in Libya

You should always use a VPN when you travel, especially when you connect to public Wi-Fi networks.

Your connection will be much safer. 

Moreover, you will be able to access content which is typically censored in Libya. 

I recommend ExpressVPN – Extremely easy to use, fast and cheap. 

If you want to learn more about VPN, check: Why you need a VPN for traveling.

💰 Budget and money: how much does it cost to travel to Libya?

In Libya, they use the Libyan Dinar (LYD) and approximately:

1 USD = 5 LYD

Obviously, the currency in Libya is not very stable, so do check the exact exchange rate before departure.

Can you use credit or debit cards in Libya?

No, you can’t, so do bring all your money in cash.

However, you won’t need much money because you are likely to travel to Libya on a tour, where pretty much everything is included.

In 6 days, I spent the equivalent of 30€, just for a few night meals which weren’t included in Tripoli.

Where can I exchange money?

I believe your local guide will help you with that but the main area for exchange is in a specific place in the old city of Tripoli.

How much does it cost to travel to Libya?

As mentioned, the only way to travel to Libya is by purchasing a tour, which tends to include all expenses but in any case, here’s a summary of the most typical costs:

Money in Libya
The 20-dinar note features one of the buildings from Gadhames

🛺 How to get around Libya

It doesn’t really make sense to add a getting around section since you’ll be traveling from city to city by car, with your local guide but still, here are a few things to keep in mind:

How to travel to Libya by road
Roads in Libya, on the way to Gadhames

🕌 Libya: the country, people and culture

Along with Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia and Algeria, Libya is one of the 5 countries that compose the Maghreb region.

It is the 4th largest country in Africa, and the 16th in the world, but its land is only inhabited by 6 million people, making it one of the least densely populated countries in the world.

People, the Libyans

Unlike other African countries, Libya has a pretty homogenous society.

Arabs: Most Libyans can be classified as Arabs. However, while the western part of Libya has more similarities to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, the eastern part has more resemblance to Egypt. In fact, this cultural difference is what has left the country divided, and dictates the international agenda too, since both Governments are supported by their respective foreign counterpart. 

people in Libya
Having lunch with my team

Berbers: Apparently, 5% of the total Libyan population are Berbers, the indigenous ethnic group in north Africa before the Arabs came. They have their own language and folklore, and usually, they have a darker skin. I found Berbers from Libya had a stronger identity than Berbers in Tunisia or Morocco, since Berber flags were seen everywhere. However, they have absolutely no problem in saying they are Libyans. On the way to Ghadames, you’ll see lots of Berber towns.

Berbers in Libya
The Berber emblem, visible in all predominantly Berber areas

Language

In Libya, they speak Arabic and, like its people, while the dialect spoken in West Libya is similar to Tunisia’s, in East Libya it is similar to Egypt’s.

Do people speak English in Libya?

Not much but again, you are likely to be with a local guide the whole time, so communication shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Religion

Libyans are Sunni Muslims, but in Tripoli, you can find some churches that are frequented by the small Christian community.

Like Bashar al Assad in Syria, Muammar Gaddafi was a secular dictator who always condemned fundamentalist and religious extremists but unlike in Syria, where there’s a very significant secular society, I found the people in Libya to be extremely religious and traditional.

The few women you see in the street always wear hijab and to my surprise, many of them wore the niqab, something rarely seen in North Africa.

Libya travel blog
Local women visiting Leptis and Magna

🍲 Libyan cuisine

Food won’t be the highlight of your trip, but some of their dishes aren’t bad.

I can’t tell what’s food like in East Libya, but in West Libya, food is similar to other countries in the Maghreb.

Cous-cous is their signature meal and what I like about it is that it’s quite juicy, usually tomato-based, like in Tunisia, while in Morocco I always found it to be drier. Grilled meat with white rice is always available in most restaurants and, thanks to the Italian influence, pasta too.

In Tripoli, you can actually find many Italian restaurants, a very popular chain being Caffe di Roma, where you have a wide variety of pastas and pizzas to choose from. It’s not the best pasta ever but after a few days of just eating cous-cous, it wasn’t bad at all.

Another dish I tried was usban, a Libyan sausage filled with rice and meat, too heavy for my taste, but sort of tasty.

Alcohol in Libya

Since Gaddafi came into power in 1969, Libya has been a dry country.

Being such a secular ruler, I wondered why he banned alcohol. Some Libyans believe he banned it so people would not get drunk and start talking about politics, saying bad things about the Government. That’s hard to believe, since not even Kim Jong Un does that.

Coffee in Libya

I am a big coffee drinker, especially in the morning, so whenever I visit a predominantly tea country, I always struggle, and I thought Libya would be one of those, but I was wrong.

Coffee culture in Libya is a big deal and, due to the Italian influence, they prepare it in a pretty sophisticated way, with so much love, and always with the right amount of foam.

What was even more surprising, however, is that you can also have really good coffee in more rural towns, like Ghadames for example, and even in the random villages you find along the road.

Libyan food
Libyan cous-cous

🏨 Where to stay in Libya

There aren’t many hotels in Libya, but there are enough to accommodate the few tourists, business people, and diplomats that visit the country.

Where to stay in Tripoli

Mid-range – Hotel Victoria – This is the preferred hotel for travelers, featuring a rooftop with excellent views to the city.

5 stars – Sheraton Hotel – Better than Victoria, of course.

Top-end – Corinthia Hotel Tripoli – The best hotel in town

Where to stay outside of Tripoli

In Gadhames: we stayed at Ghadamis Hotel, a massive hotel with traditional architecture which opened 1 or 2 years before the beginning of the war but, since it’s government-owned, it has remained open. We stayed there for two nights, and we were literally alone.

where to stay in Libya
Views from Victortia Hoteñ

💃Solo female travel in Libya

Independent travel is not allowed in Libya, so solo women will always go with the local guide and the tourist police, making things much easier for them.

My local guide said he has had many female clients – some of them came alone, while others with a partner or friend – and he said all of them had a great time.

Have you been to Libya (as a solo female) and want to write a guest post for Against the Compass to tell us about the experience?

Then, kindly shoot me an email at joan@againstthecompass.com

❗ More Information for traveling to Libya

📢 In my Travel Resources Page you can find the list of all the sites and services I use to book hotels, tours, travel insurance and more.

Travel guides to other countries in Africa

You will also like our Syria travel guide, Iraq travel guide and Haiti travel guide.

Pinterest Libya Travel Guide

23 comments

I admire your courage for traveling to Libya. Not many think about visiting this country that has been plagued by civil unrest. Even the crime rate in this country is quite high.

Hi Joan,
I’m an American and would like to arrange an independent trip to Libya
for March, 2023. I can’t seem to figure out how to reach you through your contact site here.

Ok….so I’m planning a trip to Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt in March. Is it possible to drive into Libya from Tunisia? Because there are certainly ZERO flights flying INTO Libya from almost anywhere. Unless you know of a way to fly in. I only wish to visit Leptis Magna.

Also, how would I go about obtaining a Visa as a US citizen? Is it still only a business visa? Any other way of entering? A few $100 bills in my pocket? Talk to me.

Hello Anthony, there are several flights a day from Tunis into Tripoli. The airport is called Mitiga. Tunis Air, Libyan Wings and Gadhames Air are the main airlines. You can enter by road, but your fixer would have to wait on the other side, and it’s a long way to Leptis.

As of today, only business visa, and for US citizens little chance to get it.

I would love to make a return trip to Libya especially Tripoli. I worked there in the 60s. I never made it to Ghadames which fascinates me.
You have given so much information and I love the idea that there is still a bit of Italy there even if just in the food!

I am very interested in traveling to Libya. I saw many pictures of Lake Gaberoun in Ubari on the internet and thought they were fantastic. Will that oasis be accessible in 2023?

Hello, I am interested in joining one of your tours to Libya but would like to know if an extension to the south of the country would be possible? I’m thinking of the areas around Waw an Namus and Harat Zuwayyah.

Wait, what??? You can get a Tourist Visa in Libya now? You can get it on arrival and not months in advance??

Why does the FCO (foreign and commonwealth office) recommend not travelling to Libya? They say it is potentially dangerous. I am being offered work at an oil company there soon and am a bit worried about the comments made by the fco not to travel there.

how utterly raciest this journalist is calling the leader and absolute dictator despite the deep respect the people of libya afforded him. just try comming to libya and spouting your opinions out . obviously the person is a westeen tv news addict drinking all the supposed naratives not knowing history or politics of this western destroyed land in their greed for resources and exploitation.

I’m still committed and determined to travel to Libya in 2024. How are the tensions in the Middle East affecting attitudes to foreigners there?

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *