Building Libya as a travel destination is no easy task but one that we (Libyans) must organize around and push for as the pros outweigh the cons for the average Libyan citizen and global traveler.
Libya is a country that few travellers have ever seen up close. For decades, its borders have been closed off to the world, its stories overshadowed by politics and conflict. Yet behind the headlines lies a land of extraordinary depth. Ancient Roman cities still stand against the Mediterranean sky, prehistoric rock art clings to desert cliffs, and oasis towns shimmer like mirages in seas of sand. Libya is a place where history has been layered upon itself for millennia, and where the potential for future tourism is as vast as the Sahara itself.
In this post, I want to explore what makes Libya one of the most intriguing and underappreciated travel frontiers, tracing its archaeological treasures, natural beauty, and living culture. I will also touch on the challenges that currently exist, as well as the immense opportunities that lie ahead if Libya embraces its role as a global travel destination.
Navigating Travel Advisories and Reality
To speak honestly about Libya as a travel destination, one must first acknowledge the reality of travel advisories. Today, most foreign governments still caution against visiting, citing security risks and unstable infrastructure. These warnings are serious, and any traveler must pay attention to them. Yet advisories tell only part of the story.
Along the Mediterranean coast, in cities like Tripoli and Benghazi, life is far more stable than outsiders imagine. People shop in vibrant markets, children play in sunlit courtyards, and university students walk through streets where centuries of architecture stand side by side. Southward, along the road from Sebha to Ghat, stretches of the desert remain open for exploration, offering a safe corridor into the Sahara’s most captivating landscapes.
The truth is this: Libya is not ready yet for mass tourism, but neither is it the blank space that many maps suggest. Just as Cambodia once reemerged from its shadows to reveal Angkor Wat, or Rwanda transformed into a model of eco-tourism, Libya too can find its future in its history.
Archaeology and the Story of Ancient Libya
The Roman and Greek Legacy
Few places in the Mediterranean can rival Libya for the scale and preservation of its classical ruins. Leptis Magna, perched on the coast east of Tripoli, is often described as one of the greatest Roman cities outside Italy. Walking through its stone arches and colonnaded streets, one can imagine the city at its height in the second century CE, when Emperor Septimius Severus—himself a native of Libya—lavished wealth and attention upon his birthplace. The basilica, marketplace, and grand amphitheater still echo with the grandeur of an empire.
Further west lies Sabratha, another jewel of Roman Africa. While smaller than Leptis Magna, it was once a bustling port city that bridged Africa and Europe. Its crowning glory is its theater, with marble columns rising in three tiers, facing the sea. The stage, framed by elaborate backdrops, once hosted performances for thousands of citizens. Standing there today, with the Mediterranean waves breaking just beyond, it is easy to sense the rhythms of Roman life.
In the east, the Greek influence takes center stage. Cyrene, near modern-day Shahat, was founded by settlers from the Aegean in the seventh century BCE. It became one of the great intellectual hubs of the ancient world, a place where philosophy, medicine, and art flourished. The ruins stretch across a vast plateau, with temples dedicated to Apollo and Zeus, an acropolis, and a sprawling necropolis. Among the most striking monuments is the Temple of Zeus, whose columns rise like guardians over the valley below.
Smaller but equally intriguing sites such as Tolmita (Ptolemais), Tocra (Taucheira), and Susa (Apollonia) punctuate the coastline, each with fragments of theaters, baths, and fortifications that whisper of a time when Libya was a crossroads of civilizations. Together, these sites offer not just ruins, but an entire open-air archive of Mediterranean history.
Islamic Libya
The story of Libya did not end with Rome. With the spread of Islam across North Africa, new cultural centers rose in cities such as Tripoli, Benghazi, and the mountain strongholds of the Amazigh people. Medina quarters, with their twisting alleys, mosques, and caravanserais, reveal the vibrancy of medieval Islamic life. Trade routes stretched deep into the Sahara, linking Libya to Timbuktu and beyond. Caravans carried not only salt and gold but also ideas, weaving Libya into the intellectual fabric of the Islamic world.
This Islamic heritage lives on in the mosques of Tripoli’s old city, in the oral traditions of desert tribes, and in the enduring rhythms of everyday prayer and community. To understand Libya fully is to see it not as a frozen Roman relic, but as a land that has continuously reshaped itself across faiths and centuries.
Omar al-Mukhtar and the Modern Identity
No story of Libya is complete without Omar al-Mukhtar, the “Lion of the Desert.” In the early 20th century, when Italy sought to colonize Libya, al-Mukhtar led the resistance from the mountains of Cyrenaica. His guerrilla campaigns and unyielding spirit became symbols of defiance, not only for Libyans but for colonized peoples everywhere. Captured and executed in 1931, he remains a national hero, his memory immortalized in film, poetry, and monuments.
For future visitors, sites connected to al-Mukhtar’s struggle could provide a powerful entry point into Libya’s modern history. His legacy offers a way to connect past resistance with present resilience, grounding Libya’s narrative not just in ancient ruins, but also in living memory.
The Sahara and Natural Wonders
Desert Oases
The Libyan Sahara is a landscape of awe. Amid its seas of golden dunes lie pockets of water that have sustained human life for centuries. Gaberoun is perhaps the most iconic of these oases, a turquoise lake encircled by palms and sand, its surface reflecting the endless desert sky. Nearby lies Um el Ma, another shimmering jewel of the Ubari Sand Sea. Both oases were once critical stops for caravans, offering rest and replenishment for travelers moving across continents. Today, they embody the serenity and majesty of the desert, places where silence feels almost sacred.
Acacus Mountains
Further south rise the Acacus Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here, sandstone cliffs and wind-carved formations create a dramatic landscape unlike any other in the Sahara. Yet it is not only the scenery that matters—the Acacus is also home to prehistoric rock art, some dating back twelve thousand years. Painted in ochre and carved into stone, the images depict hunters, herders, and the animals that once roamed a greener Sahara. These works are not just art; they are records of humanity’s long relationship with the desert.
To wander through the Acacus is to move between worlds: geological, historical, and spiritual. It is one of the most compelling adventure landscapes on earth, waiting for the moment when travelers can return.
Libya’s Cities: Between Past and Future
Tripoli
Tripoli, the capital, is a city where eras overlap. Ottoman mosques stand beside Italian colonial facades, while the medina winds in timeless patterns of commerce and community. In its souks, one can still find spices, gold jewelry, and textiles woven with Amazigh motifs. Along the coastal corniche, the Mediterranean sparkles against modern apartment blocks. Tripoli is at once a gateway and a living museum, embodying Libya’s crossroads identity.
Benghazi
On the eastern side of the country lies Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city and a cultural hub. It has long been a city of trade and education, with theaters, cafes, and universities shaping its identity. From Benghazi, travelers can reach the ruins of Cyrene and Apollonia, making it a strategic base for exploring Cyrenaica. While Benghazi has endured hardship in recent years, it remains central to Libya’s cultural and political life.
Diving into the Mediterranean
Libya’s 1,700 kilometers of coastline remain one of its most underdeveloped tourism assets. Clear waters, sandy beaches, and ancient harbors promise a Mediterranean experience free from crowds. In 2012, plans were even drawn for an Underwater Diving Museum, a visionary project that would showcase submerged Roman ruins and shipwrecks just off the coast. Though never realized, the idea underscores Libya’s potential as a destination not only for history and desert travel but also for marine exploration. With investment and stability, Libya could one day rival Egypt or Greece as a Mediterranean diving hub & travel destination.
Beyond Ruins: Living Culture
What makes Libya compelling is not only its past but also its present. The Amazigh and Tuareg communities of the mountains and deserts preserve oral traditions, music, and crafts that root visitors in a living heritage. In the markets, the aroma of coffee mingles with freshly baked bread. Storytelling and poetry remain vital art forms, passed from one generation to the next. Food, music, and hospitality are not staged performances but daily realities, offering travelers genuine encounters with culture.
The Road Ahead for Libyan Tourism
For Libya to realize its tourism potential as a travel destination, investment is needed in infrastructure—hotels, transport, and visitor facilities. Equally important is training a new generation of guides and cultural ambassadors. International partnerships in archaeology and conservation can help protect sites while opening them to the public.
This is where companies like IntoLibya play a vital role. By curating safe, informed, and respectful tours, they provide travelers with access while ensuring communities benefit from tourism. IntoLibya’s work in arranging visas, planning itineraries, and guiding visitors makes the impossible possible, turning Libya’s vast landscapes into living classrooms of culture and history.
Conclusion
Could Libya be a travel destination? Absolutely.
Libya is not an easy destination today, but it is a necessary one for the traveler who seeks depth, discovery, and meaning. Its Roman theaters and Greek temples, its desert oases and mountain rock art, its medinas and modern cities—all tell stories that deserve to be heard. The legacy of Omar al-Mukhtar reminds us that Libya is more than ruins; it is resilience and pride.
The future of Libyan tourism will require patience and vision. Yet those who journey there, with the guidance of IntoLibya, will discover not just a destination but an entire world waiting to be reintroduced to humanity.
Libya is a frontier of travel. And when its gates open fully, it will take its place as one of the most remarkable destinations on earth.