Reviews (3)

Up and coming place to visit
Libya is not a country yet used to having many visitors from the western world (with the possible exception of Italians) so vistors should not expect too much in terms for five star comforts - or at least not yet as things are already beginning to change. It is a place well worth visiting however and this guide is very helpful in both planning your trip and finding your way around. One of the greatest tourist assests this country has are the remarkable Roman and Greek ruins at various sites throughout the country - in particular the spectular Greek ruins at Cyrene in the east of the country. (These make the acropolis of Athens look pathetic by comparison). The outlines and maps provided by Lonely Planet of these archeological sites proved accurate and helpful and allowed us to get much more out of guided tours than we could have otherwise. I agree with Mr. Giuliano...
Without having read the book, I can fully agree with Mr. Giuliano's review because I've lived in Tripoli for one year. Libya is all that Mr. Giuliano has written about and more. Streets strewn with plastic bags of all sizes and ages (yes, plastic doesn't seem to rot!), Libyans trying and sometimes succeeding in tricking and cheating you, a total lack of any restaurant that resembles a restaurant. The only place I ever ate at was in a foreigners' camp and most of the time I had Yalla (Montezuma's Revenge) shortly thereafter. Unfortunately I have few fond memories that I have taken with me. I have lived in many countries, some comparable to Libya, but none has left me more disgusted and disappointed than Libya and its hypocrisy. Without the plastic bags and rotting cans, I am sure it could be a beautiful place. I just wasn't shown the pretty places.

Far too 'positive' about Libya, and with some inaccuracies
By all means, this Lonely Planet guide is an extremely useful tool for those travelling in Libya, and is probably the best guidebook about the country. The author and editors have put some great work into it, resulting in an excellent achievement in terms of overall coverage and book's presentation. Few other Lonely Planet guides are as interesting and fascinating to read as this one, so filled with thrilling information on history and culture, with great anecdotes and stories about Libya's wonders. But the problem is, exactly, that this guidebook is too filled with Libya's alleged 'wonders', making Libya truly appear a real dream-country for the visitor - which, very arguably, it is not. So, if you have already made your mind about going to Libya, by all means you should take this book with you. But if you are tempted to visit Libya mainly because you have been enchanted by this book, as might indeed happen given the book's excellent prose and contents, then you should think twice. The author seems to have made great friends in Libya and have enjoyed the country greatly, and I am glad for him. But please do note: Libya is far from being a pleasant place filled with "the most pleasant people on Earth" (book's wording). I have so far been to 155 sovereign nations, and to my chagrin I am sorry to say that I have found no other place on Earth as harsh, boring and outright tidious as Libya - I enjoyed Somalia, Sierra Leone and Kosovo far more ! If you are looking for Arabic warmth, Morocco or Tunisia are a much better bet. If you are looking for desert, you have a whole half-continent to consider, including nearby Algeria. If you wish to go somewhere 'new', maybe try Cuba or Iran. And I don't see why would one bother with Libya's ancient Roman ruins, since Italy is just opposite, on the other side of the Mediterranean. And if Libya fascinates you because of its alleged dangers and novelty, plenty of other alternatives exist, from Syria to Yemen. As regards the people too, I have not had the pleasant experiences which the guidebook seems to guarantee: without wishing to stereotype a whole people, I must say that I have found a great deal of arrogant, cheating, rude and inhospitable people among Libyans. Therefore my advice simply is: please take this book's positive words very cautiously. Many inacuraccies or misrepresentations are also contained in the book. The whole range of Tripoli's top-end hotels (allegedly 5-stars), listed very positively in the book, are in reality no more than low 3-stars properties with appallingly low or inexistent customer service. Some of the restaurants listed simply don't exist, or are horribly disappointing compared to the book's description. The whole procedure of getting a visa is described in the book in a way that makes it seem complex and lawyerly, while in reality I was able to get a visa very straight-forward, and was amazed by the lack of bureaucracy encountered along the process. Having said all this, thereby placing this book below the excellent standard usually offered by Lonely Planet, the book is indeed a great achievement in terms of coverage of the whole nation. In a region so hard to get to know, the author has been able to cover small towns and villages, albeit with errors, in a way that is amazing and wonderful. And as mentioned previously, the book is so rich with facts about Libya, that it makes fascinating reading, by all means great for the armchair traveller, and for those wishing to dream of a wonderful Libya. Indeed, I wish Libya were really as the author describes it... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Libya    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (1)

Very Incomplete Coverage; odd spelling of place names
This map is good as far as it goes, but it is totally missing coverage of the southern part of Libya, as well as most of the eastern border with Egypt.If you plan to do any four wheel drive journeys thrugh the desert, the area you will likely be visiting is the area that is missing from this map.In addition, some significant features (see below) are also missing, even in the areas that the map does cover.
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Subjects:  1. Travel    2. Libya    3. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Subjects:  1. Maps    2. Maps & Road Atlases    3. Middle East - General    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. Africa,discovery,geography,guide,book,countries description,travel,stories,proceedings,Association,Cairo,Tripoli,Mesurata,Fezzan,Libya,manners,Niger    2. Science / Geography   

Subjects:  1. Maps    2. Maps & Road Atlases    3. Middle East - General    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. Maps   

Subjects:  1. Egypt    2. Guidebooks    3. Middle East - Egypt    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Libya    7. Travel & holiday guides   

Subjects:  1. Description And Travel    2. General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. Maps & Road Atlases    2. Travel    3. Libya    4. Travel / road maps & atlases   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Exports & Imports    5. International - General    6. Investments & Securities - General    7. Middle East - General    8. International business    9. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY   

Subjects:  1. Americans    2. Biography    3. Description and travel    4. Libya    5. Woodard, Aleen   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel - Foreign    3. Libya    4. Travel & holiday guides    5. Tunisia   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Libya   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Libyan Desert   

Reviews (1)

It may not be Lonely Planet, but it is almost as great.
Libya is a wonderful country yet to be discoveted, which only opened up to foreign tourism in year 2000 amidst a deep economic crisis caused by internal factors as well as a foreign embargo. Finally, Libya is accessible for foreign travelers - and, not less importantly, reasonably safe. Yet, given the relative lack of infrastructure, and as the volume of tourism is still low, travelers are unlikely to really experience Libya unless they are in a group, which may not always be pleasant. In order to truly get to know this wonderful nation, the independent traveler needs some help. And indeed, in this wonderful guidebook is contained plenty of useful, if not invaluable, advice, on what to see in Libya, how to move around, and how to have a great time altogether. The author has clearly put an incredible amount of time and great effort into researching all and any information that can be useful to the traveler, and has done a great job overall. To my knowledge, this is the best travel guide to Libya, and I would strongly recommend to pack it in your luggage before setting off.Yet, one aspect on which this guidebook is rather weak (compared for example to Lonely Planet guides), is on Libyan people and society.This means that the guidebook is a little better suited for those wishing to visit historical sites etc, rather than those wishing to get into Lybian politics, society, culture, and Lybian life in general.Yet, it is still a useful tool in that respect too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Travel    3. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Libyan Desert   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Descriptions et voyages    3. Libyan Desert    4. Libye, Désert de   

Subjects:  1. Description and travel    2. Libya   

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. International - General    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign