Libya
 

My assumption is that since the revolution and breakdown of law and order in Libya, that the country is a no-go for foreigners.

I have not read or heard about anyone visiting in the last few years.

So my assumption is that either security and / or logistics wise, Libya is totally no-go.

What do others think? Has anyone been recently?

Cheers

EO

I just heard this morning on the radio that some army general sent his troups marching on Tripoli, that looks a lot like a coup...Here is some infos : https://www.euronews.com/2019/04/04/...ove-on-tripoli

Doesn't look like a place we traveller will be able to go anytime soon...

I crossed Libya in 2013 (coming from Tunisia and exiting to Egypt), ie after the revolution. I didnt have any problems then. Lots of militias, check points, weapons, etc but everyone was very friendly and very hospitable. That inc,udes both locals as well as the guys with the guns. The biggest problem back then was how to get a visa for a country that does not have a government.

I cant comment on the situation right now, but as always in Africa (or when traveling), so long as you have so common sense and obviously stay away from areas of active fighting, it usually isnt nearly as bad as the media has you believe.

Also it will depend on your experience and appetite for adventure... I’d guess its a better place than Somalia, better than Syria/Northen Mali, but worse than Tanzania et al ... only you can decide :-)

I'm not quite as optimistic about Libya as Sirakor.

I've spent a lot of time over the years in Libya, starting in the late 1990s and lasting until my retirement in 2013. I trained aircraft pilots there.

The Libyans, collectively, are wonderful people. There's no problem with that. The problem is that when men become sufficiently passionate about a cause to start taking up arms to advance that cause, things get dangerous for everyone else nearby.

I'm not saying that lightly - I worked for the ICRC for many years, flying an aircraft in the middle of other people's civil wars. Angola, Mozambique, South Sudan, Somalia, Western Sahara, Liberia, Sierra Leone - I lived in all of those countries while the fighting was going on. Even though it was pretty obvious to everyone (because we were the only Caucasians for miles around) that my colleagues and I were neutral in the conflict and only providing humanitarian assistance, combatants made mistakes, and the 'fog of war' sometimes enveloped the non-combatants. I've been shot down, run over land mines, detained at gunpoint, stuff like that, and all that happened even though all the combatants had explicitly provided prior permission for the delivery of humanitarian services.

Would I go to Libya now? No, not at all, even though I know the country well (certainly well enough to drive around without getting lost in most major cities) and even though I have great experience working in the middle of other people's wars.

There are about 250 different countries in the world. At any given time, there are about a dozen of them that a thoughtful person would put on their "no-go for the time being" list. Right now, Libya is one of them.

Michael

You can get a visa to fly in, usually as a journalist - HUBB poster GVA is stuck in Tripoli now – but I'm pretty sure you won't get in overland.
Last known tourist transit was 2014. Things have got worse since then.

Interestingly (and somewhat unexpectedly), based on Flightradar24 data save for a brief halt last monday Mitiga airport seems to operate normally, even flights between Tripoli and Benghazi. There are five aircraft en-route between Tunis and Tripoli right now.

Regardless, I fully agree with the assessment of PanEuropean.