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Day 1 – London/Tripoli
We fly London to Tripoli with Afriqiyah Airways. On arrival we check-in to the comfortable and central Bab el Bahr or similar hotel for one night. We will have an evening city tour before dinner. (D)
Day 2 – Tripoli
A morning tour of Tripoli to include the fortress, National Museum, the old bazaar and the Islamic quarters. We take an afternoon flight to Benghazi and transfer for one night in a city centre hotel. (BLD)
Day 3 – Benghazi
A tour of famous Benghazi, Libya’s second city with a visit to the thought provoking War Cemetery and lively bustling old town. We continue with a scenic drive along the eastern coast to the town of El Bayda where we will check-in to a comfortable hotel for two nights. (BLD) |
Day 4 – Cyrene/Apollonia
A wonderful day to visit Cyrene with its temples of Zeus and Apollo dating from the 5th century. After lunch we continue to the beautifully situated ruins of Apollonia (Sousa) the harbour town for Cyrene. We explore the Roman baths, churches, the huge Byzantine Palace and the theatre overlooking the sea. Back to our hotel in El Bayda for overnight. (BLD)
Day 5 – Jebel Akhdar/Ptolemais
A morning drive takes us through the lovely Jebel Akhdar to Qasr Libya, to visit a museum that houses one of the best collections of Byzantine mosaics in the country. Continue to the nostalgic ruins of Ptolemais which show a clear transition from Greek to Roman occupation. We return to Benghazi airport for a flight back to Tripoli and check-in to our centrally located hotel for three nights. (BLD)
Day 6 – Leptis Magna
A full day trip to Leptis Magna, the magnificent ancient Roman city, and the capital of what once was Rome’s Africa Province. We will wander through the colonnaded streets, forum, basilica, baths, the market and down to the now silted up port with its lighthouse foundations. There will be time to view the circus on the water’s edge, home to chariot races and then on to the colossal amphitheatre. Late afternoon we will drive back to our hotel for dinner. (BLD)
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Day 7 – Sabratha
This morning we drive west along the coast from Tripoli to the city of Sabratha. We visit the evocative Punic, Roman and Byzantine ruins leading down to the shore. Although smaller than Leptis Magna, Sabratha boasts one of antiquity’s finest theatres. Time to view the fine museum before we take lunch at a local restaurant and late afternoon return to our hotel. (BLD)
Day 8 – Tripoli/London
Some free time in the morning before we transfer to the airport for our Afriqiyah Airways flight from Tripoli to London. (B)
Expert: John Ruffle, lecturer, author and widely travelled authority on the ancient world was formerly Keeper of The Oriental Museum at the University of Durham. |