Destination Libya
Despite the country's demonisation in Western mass media, most travellers who have visited Libya report having a great time. The Libyan people enjoy a well-earned a reputation for kindness and hospitality toward visitors, and, unlike most North African destinations, the country's streets and souqs are free of the hassles of touts and their hard sell.
And Libya's not all date palms and deserts, either. For a country that's been all but swallowed by the Sahara, you'll be surprised to see how pleasantly Mediterranean it can be ... provided you stick to the northern coastal area. There you'll learn that Tripoli is as urbane as any place in Africa and a good deal more than most, while the Jebel Akhdar region to the east is a lot closer to verdant Crete than it is to crunchy and crumbling. Of course, if shifting sand dunes and camel trains are your thing, Libya's got desert for days, and a quick jaunt down into the Fezzan will take you boldly where nomad has gone before. From ancient Greek and Roman ruins to modern art and oil money, Libya's a world unto itself (though with the lifting in 1999 of UN sanctions, things are looking up, and out).
Facts at a Glance
Full country name: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Area: 1,759,540 sq km (679,360 sq mi)
Population: 5.7 million
Capital city: Tripoli (pop 1.5 million)
People: Berber and Arab (97%), plus some Greeks, Maltese, Italians,
Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
Language: Arabic, Italian, English
Religion: Sunni Muslim (97%)
Government: Jamahiriya, or 'state of the masses,' theoretically governed by the people
Chief of State: Colonel Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qaddafi
Premier: Muhammad Ahmad al-Manqush
Economic Profile GDP: US$38 billion
GDP per head: US$6700
Annual growth: .5%
Inflation: 30%
Major industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Major trading partners: Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Tunisia, UK
Environment
In the middle of Mediterranean North Africa, Libya sits surrounded by Chad and Niger to the south, Egypt and the Sudan to the east and Algeria and Tunisia to the west. More than three times the size of France, the country is the fourth largest country in Africa. Within its boundaries, Libya is divided into three main regions: Tripolitania covers the north-western corner of the country, the Fezzan everything south of Tripolitania, and Cyrenaica the entire eastern half. Each of these divisions if further subdivided by several large municipalities. Only a narrow coastal strip receives enough rainfall to be suitable for agriculture, and it's here that you'll find the capital city, Tripoli, 
as well as 90% of the population. North-eastern Libya, the Jebel Akhdar area (also known as the Green Mountains), is, as the name tells you, very green and should be beautiful - but we haven't visited it (so no guarantee).
Its interior, on the other hand, is largely uninhabited desert peppered with small oasis communities - but here we guarantee (!) it is great and worth visiting it. In the extreme south are the Tibesti and Tassili mountains of the central Sahara, while the Calanscio Sand Sea, a vast area of shifting sand dunes, lies on the east near the Egyptian border. The Murzuk and Ubari sand seas lie in the west.
There are no permanent rivers in Libya, only wadis (watercourses), which catch the infrequent runoff from rainfall. The discovery of vast fossil aquifers in the south and south-east has prompted the building of a huge pipeline to bring water to the coastal areas for use in agriculture and industry. The Great Man-Made River project is among the largest, most expensive engineering schemes in history. All over the country you will find information about this project.
Inland, the only vegetation is largely confined to the oases, where the date palm reigns supreme, along with figs and oleander. Outside the oases, the acacia tree can sometimes be found providing the only shade in the middle of a wilderness. On the coast, the usual array of Mediterranean flora thrives, including large areas of olive and citrus cultivation.
In the desert regions, the camel is the most common animal that visitors will come across, but there are still a few herds of gazelle (unfortunately we missed them) in remote areas, and the nocturnal fennec (a small, big-eared fox) can be seen from time to time. Lizards, snakes (some of which are poisonous) and scorpions are also quite common.
Libya's climate is influenced by the massive expanse of desert to the south and by the Mediterranean Sea to the north. The coastal regions enjoy moderate temperatures, averaging 30°C (86°F) in summer and 8°C (46°F) in winter in Tripoli. Some 380mm (15in) of rain falls mainly in winter. Semi-arid conditions predominate in the central plains, while the southern deserts are subject to frequent periods of drought. A hot, dry, sand-laden wind called the ghibli occasionally blows into the usually humid coastal towns in spring and fall.
History
The Romans invaded Tripolitania (the region around Tripoli) in 106 BC, and by 64 BC, Julius Caesar's legions had completed the occupation. As a Roman province, Libya was prosperous, reaching a golden age in the 2nd century AD. The three principal Roman cities of Sabratha, Oea and Leptis Magna provided the empire with grain, oil and a supply of slaves and exotic goods from sub-Saharan Africa.
The decline of the Roman Empire saw the classical cities fall into ruin, a process hastened by the Vandals' destructive sweep though northern Africa in the 5th century AD. When the Byzantines took over in the 6th century, efforts were made to strengthen the old cities, but it was only a last gasp before they collapsed into disuse. Only Oea, which survives today as Tripoli, the nation's capital, remains a living city. The Arab invasion of the 7th century brought Islam to the country, where it remains firmly entrenched to this day. Arab rule was culturally fruitful, and many examples of early Islamic architecture remain, especially in the oases of the south. The Arabs ruled Libya until the Turks conquered the country in the mid-16th century, administrating it through a succession of locally appointed rulers who levied a toll on every Christian fleet using the Mediterranean.
Following the Napoleonic wars, European powers began to colonise northern Africa, and the Turks hastened to strengthen their control of Libya. Their last North African possession, Libya was taken from the Turks by Italy in that country's last-minute bid for colonies in Africa. The ensuing colonial period proved devastating for native Libyans, as the large-scale 'Italianisation' of the country saw half of the indigenous population either exiled or exterminated between 1911 and the end of WWII. The crowning insult came with being a theatre of war in which were laid huge minefields, some of which remain.
In the post-war years, Italy was forced to give up Libya, and the country became independent under King Idris, an aging Senussi leader from Cyrenaica, the region around Benghazi. The king's support was spotty outside Cyrenaica, and tensions in the country mounted, fired by 
growing political discontent and a mood of Pan-Arabism that was sweeping the Arab world. On 1 September 1969, a small group of army officers led by 27-year-old Captain Muammar Qaddafi deposed the old king in a coup. Soon after, British and American troops were ordered to leave the bases they had occupied since WWII, and the 25,000 descendants of the Italian colonists were also forced to pack up and leave promptly.
Qaddafi's regime was committed to a more equitable distribution of Libya's enormous oil income, and billions of dollars were spent on roads, schools, housing, hospitals and agriculture. During the 1970s, Qaddafi penned the Green Book, which he claims is a radical alternative to capitalism and communism. Launching his revolution, he declared Libya to be a Jamahiriya (loosely translated as a 'state of the masses') and set about dismantling the state apparatus and replacing it with People's Committees. In practice, however, Libya's government was and remains a strict military dictatorship.
Almost wholly foreign-owned and controlled at the time of King Idris' overthrow, Libya's oil deposits have been taken over by a government determined to gain control over the country's main natural resource. Oil money funded the US$27 billion Great Man-Made River project, which pumps water from ancient acquifers deep under the desert to the coastal areas, a project intended to make Libya self-sufficient in food production.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Libya adopted a high international profile based on Pan-Arabism, its virulent condemnation of 'western imperialism,' its support of liberation movements around the world and military adventurism in neighbouring African nations. What angered Western countries most was Qaddafi's support of real and so-called liberation movements, and particularly his alleged support of international terrorist organisations. These activities served to isolate Libya further from the international community. The most violent reaction to Libya's politics came from the USA, culminating in the air strike of April 1986 that killed dozens of people, including Qaddafi's adopted baby daughter.
Libya entered a period of isolation following the 1988 bombing of a Pan-Am airliner over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed 259 people on board and 11 on the ground. Libya was accused of planting the bomb, and two Libyans were named as suspects. The US and Britain demanded the suspects be turned over for trial, Libya refused, and the resulting standoff caused the US to force the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Libya. In March 1998, the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands, ruled that it had jurisdiction in the case and rejected British and US arguments over the right to decide where the two Libyans should be tried. In December 1998, the Libyan congress endorsed a plan to send the men for trial in the Netherlands, where they would be tried under Scottish law. The question of where the men would serve prison time if convicted of the bombing remained at issue until February 1999, when Qaddafi agreed to house them in a special UN-monitored jail in Scotland. In return for coming to the party, the UN lifted the sanctions it had imposed on Libya seven years earlier.
Qaddafi's control of Libya remains absolute, despite occasional outbreaks of civil disobedience and several rumoured military coup attempts.
Culture
Libya has a population of over five million, around half of whom are under the age of 15. Most Libyans are Arabs (and nearly all think of themselves as such), although ethnically there is quite a mixture of races, including Turks, Berbers, and sub-Saharan Africans. In the south, especially around Ghat, there are large Tuareg communities, most of whom now live in towns and settlements rather than pursuing a life of desert nomadism. Away from the more cosmopolitan coastal cities, tribalism remains strong, especially affecting family relationships, matrimony and social structures.
Modern Libyans adhere to the traditions of Muslim society, which revolve around family life. Most visitors' overall impressions of Libya are of modest material comforts but with none of the flashy wealth of some oil-rich nations. As a result, there is none of the general hassle toward tourists that you find in other North African countries, such as locals begging for baksheesh or hustling you to buy something. In fact, an offer of payment for a small (or even large) kindness would probably cause offence to a Libyan.
Arabic is the official language of Libya, though English is often spoken by businesspeople in the main centres and some older Libyans speak Italian. Some Berber groups still speak their own language, and Tuaregs in the south speak Tifinagh as well as Arabic. However, all road, shop and other public signs are in Arabic, so it's extremely useful if not requisite to know at least a few words. In religion, Libyans are Sunni Muslims almost across the board; they are, in general, conservative without being fundamentalist in their outlook.
There has recently been something of a revival of the arts in Libya, especially in the field of painting, and private galleries are springing up to provide a showcase for new talent. Conversely, for many years there have been no public theatres and only a few cinemas showing foreign films. The tradition of folk culture is still alive and well, with troupes performing music and dance at frequent festivals, both in Libya and abroad. The lion's share of Libyan TV is devoted to showcasing various styles of traditional Libyan music. Traditional Tuareg music and dance are popular in Ghadhames and the south.
Facts for the Traveller
Visas: Everyone except visitors from most Arab countries and Malta must have a visa to visit Libya. Before applying for a visa, you must have your passport translated into Arabic.
There are rumours, that the in the future the Libyan state will only furnish group visas, but this problem occurred until now only at the embassy in Germany. In Switzerland, the translation of your passport into Arabic will be done at the embassy (in 1999: CHF 50 for the translation and CHF 60 for a 4-weeks visa).
When to Go
The best time to visit Libya is between November and March, when daytime temperatures are relatively mellow ... for a desert country.
Conversely, if you drop by between April and September, don't be surprised to find the mercury pushing 38°C (100°F) on a regular basis.
The coastal atmosphere is generally humid (hovering around 55% in the afternoons year round), while inland the deserts are often dry as dust.
The best periods in which to avoid travel to Libya are late spring (May through June) and early fall (October), when the country's subject to the massive ghibli sandstorms from the south, which tend to last several days and interrupt all outdoor activities.
Getting There & Away
by air
After the lifting of the UN sanctions (in 1999) you will find several international airways flying to Libya.
by car
Coming from Europe the most common way up to now was, to take the ferry 
from Genoa or Livorno (Italy) or from the French harbour Marseille to Tunis. (In '99 we paid around USD 650 for Genoa - Tunis; 1st class; outside cabin; no meals included - for three meals we paid an extra of FRF 120 on the boat). This trip needs around 18 - 20 hours. Once arrived in Tunis you had to drive down the Tunisian coast until the border of Libya.
On the ferry boat you have to fill in an entry card for Tunisia. The driver of the car has to fill in two additional cards, one for the car and one with the information's about the driver. There is no reason, that we explain to you, where you have to go, because it changes every year - just ask around. Actually it is incredibly well organised ... you just need time - one hint: tell your friends to stay in the different cues, so when you arrive you don't have to wait anymore! And don't forget, the procedure at the Libyan border is worse. Once you left the ship in Tunis (La Goulette) you have to buy a stamp (you won't find anyone who gives you a reasonable answer why you have to buy this stamp). Then again, keep cool and take time - the exit of the harbour is only a one line road!
In the future it should be able to take a ferry from Genoa/Livorno or Marseille directly to Tripoli.
As time passes, Tripoli should again develop good connections with most of the Arab capitals and with Europe and the Far East. There are sea connections with Malta every other day, but the fare is a whopping US$170 each way. Although the land border with Chad is open and there are reliable connections by truck, only Libyan and Chadian nationals are allowed to make the crossing. The same story applies at the Sudanese border. If you're heading to or arriving from Egypt or Tunisia, buses and shared taxis are your only options. The fares are low, but the driving can be erratic.
The Libyan border (Ras Ajdir)
First the most important thing: take it easy and stay cool!
The description we give you below is how it happened in 1999, but this could change very soon - please let it us know.
Several things you have to do:
- Changing money
- Car insurance
- Carnet de passage en douane
- Getting Libyan number plates
Changing money
As you are officially not able to get Libyan Dinars outside of Libya the exchange rate in Libya is very bad. So lets take the unofficial way and change your money in Tunisia between Medenine and Ras Ajdir. Our unofficial exchange rate was FRF 300 for LD 100 or DEM 100 for LD 100; the official rate we forgot very quickly because he was to bad.
Then, once left Tunisia, you have to fill in an entry card for Libya. Then you must change LD at the official bank with the official rate. You have to do this because you must show the exchange receipt for getting the carnet de passage, the number plate and the insurance.
Car insurance
About 5min walk east the 'bank' you can buy the car insurance. Nothing special, just that we waited about 45 min. till the guy came back from lunch.
Carnet de passage en douane
In the round building just beside the insurance office. Normally you have to do first the insurance before you can get the carnet.
Getting Libyan number plates
You get them in the huge hangar just beside the 'bank'. But only after you show your insurance and your carnet de passage.
And now you won't believe it, but after about 3 - 4 hours wandering around you are allowed to enter into Libya!! Congratulations - you've made it!!
Getting Around
With the reopening of the international airport, domestic flights appear set to increase also. Until recently, domestic flights used the military airbase east of Tripoli. There's also been no railroad in operation since 1965, and all the systems of yesteryear have since been dismantled.
The road system in Libya is excellent, smooth and fast. Air-con buses and shared taxis are reliable and affordable, while private taxis tend to cost an arm and a leg, especially in Tripoli and Benghazi. If you're driving your own car, petrol is very affordable. There are car hire agencies in Tripoli and Benghazi, although 4WDs are not available and the rates are quite high.
When you drive with your own vehicle, it is wise to travel with a GPS - even when you are not heading for the desert. The roadsigns are all written in Arabic letters and the GPS can help you finding the right way on a crossing.
Useful Guides
in English: Lonely Planet Guides - Africa on a shoestring or North Africa - but just for an overview and not suitable for 4WD-travellers
in French: Jacques Gandini - Lybie est / Lybie ouest - great books with a lot of GPS-routes (our hint: THESE ARE THE BEST and you don't have to speak a good French to understand these books)
in German: G. Göttler - Libyen - background information with GPS-routes.
Useful Maps
Geoprojects: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahariya 1:3,5 Mio. (for a good overview)
For off-road travellers we recommend the Russian Army Maps and for the south-western part the French IGN maps.
TPC and ONC maps are not very useful because they have a lot of faults.
Why Libya? Before going on our big trip from Switzerland to Australia, we wanted to test our equipment and learn how to drive off-road. As Libya is the today's Mecca for every Sahara-lover this was an easy choice.
Everything started in Bellinzona (Switzerland). We worked out a meeting point on the highway down to Italy with the other ones who came with us to Libya.
These were:
- Brigitte Paul and Markus Helmsen from Germany in their Toyota Landcruiser HDJ75
- Rita Feurer from Switzerland, Stefan Gardt and Hans Brauer both from Germany in a Land Rover Defender 130 td5
- Simone Jungi and Cyrill Flückiger from Switzerland in a Land Rover Defender 110 V8
As we had to work several nightshifts to get our Landy ready for Libya, we started from Basel too late for being on time in Bellinzona. When we finally arrived in Bellinzona, the Toyota and the LR 130 had already left for Genoa, we were too tired to continue the road. Thanks to Cyrill (my brother) and his girlfriend Simone we made it safely to the harbour.
The trip on the ferry was very relaxing after the stress we had for getting our car ready. In Tunisia we drove till late in the night for being within the first crossing the border to Libya. We slept just off the main road (N 33° 42' 55.8'' E 010° 13' 42.8'').
After having changed LD money on the black (grey) market in Tunisia we arrived at the border at around 11 o'clock. And as already mentioned we stayed here during about four hours, walking around from office to office.
Then we continued heading southward down to ...
The oasis town of Ghadhames lies 650km south-west of Tripoli, close to the borders of Algeria and Tunisia. If your time in Libya is limited and you plan to see one traditional desert place, this is the one to visit. Famous for its desert architecture, Ghadhames earned the sobriquet 'Pearl of the Desert' back in the 1950s, when it was a popular getaway for Tripoli folk. Since then a new town has sprung up around the old one, and the latter's dark, covered walkways and whitewashed mud-brick walls are a lot less boisterous than they once were.
The old city is a labyrinth, lit only by occasional overhead skylights and open squares - a style unique to this part of the Sahara. It's also small enough to be entirely covered on foot, which is just what you should do when you arrive (bring a torch). Near the western entrance to the old town, the House Museum is an old merchant's house with its original furnishings and decorations kept intact. The square of the Mulberry is the old slave market - many locals are descendants of former slaves - near the D'jmaa al-Kabir mosque, whose minaret can be climbed an excellent view over the town.
About 15km before reaching Ghadhames (before coming on the plateau with the military-airstrip) take the track leaving the road on the right side. In about 5km there's a lake witch is popular for swimming and picnics - at least that is what is written in the travel guides. We don't know in what the Libyan people are swimming but the lake is really disgusting. Think that the Libyans are not only swimming in that lake but also cleaning their cars and in the same instant changing the oil! So one advise, leave this place it's no longer worth visiting it.
In Ghadhames itself we received the triangle stamp. Sort of a stamp you need to have in your passport from the official police and you don't get that stamp at the border. Beside of that, Rita and Markus organised a guide for our journey in the Akkakus region - at least they thought so. We left Ghadhames eastwards in direction of Derj, where we took the track down to Idri. In Ghadhames a French couple joined us for the way down to the Akkakus. Unfortunately after about 50km on the track to Idri they had a motor breakdown. Cyrill and I towed them back to Derj.
After this unwanted pause we continued our way on the Hammada.
The Hammada is a stone desert. A great plane scenery. It took us two days to drive through this moon landscape, then we passed a police station.
Just after the control, you can see on the right hand a water hole - fill up your jerry cans, it's a very good water. A few km later you will find a little mosque, there are several tracks leaving from this mosque. Your track is the one turning left in a little valley. Don't take another one, we tried them nearly all out - because we couldn't read properly our travel guide(!) - and they are definitely not going to Idri.
This valley shows you the way up to a pass where you can see on the right hand stones with the inscription of several adventure tours. You can even find the expedition of the Geoproject.
After that pass we slept at a nice place: N 29° 15' 11.2'' E 012° 52' 29.1''. Here Virginie had her first shower in the desert - and she learned, that you don't have to take a shower in an open area while the wind is blowing!!
Once arrived at Idri, you will get checked at the roundabout near the petrol station. Then we wanted to drive offroad through the dunes to Ubari, but unfortunately we couldn't find the entry because the wind blows the dunes from south to north. So we took the road Idri, Sebbah, Ubari to Ghat. In Ghat we slept in our cars in the back of the only hotel in town.
The next day Rita and Markus went looking for the guide they had organised in Ghadhames - but no message had been transmitted from the booking office in Ghadhames to Ghat. You need a guide to visit the Akkakus region, first because it is a protected area and second it is quite possible, that you have to cross the Libyan/Algerian border and you are only allowed to do it - without papers - with a guide. So, the negotiation started again. After five hours we had our guide. Around two o'clock we started from Ghat into the
Great scenery - the black mountains coming out of the golden sand -
it's just splendid. Beside of this nature spectacle there are a lot of beautiful and interesting prehistorical paintings. Unfortunately our
guide could only speak Arab and therefore it wasn't possible to learn something more about the paintings as it was written in the paper
guides we had with us.
We were in this region for three days and for us it was enough because after three days we had seen the paintings. As you have a guide you are obliged to drive on every day - you can't stay for a day or more at a
place where you love the scenery.
After the Akkakus we went straight on to the
This region is the pure Sand Desert like you dream about! Sand, sand, wherever you are looking. Behind the sand dunes you discover beautiful 
lakes - you are not the first but it is lovely anyway. We visited mainly three lakes: the Mandara lake, the Um-el-Ma lake and the Gabron (or Gabrun) lake. The Mandara lake was dry, but the other two were very beautiful and really worth to visit. When you have enough time take a rest and enjoy the nature it is a very relaxing area.
Normally there is no way to drive from the Um-el-Ma to the Gabron lake - at least that is what the Arab guides told us. The reason why they said that to us is, because between the two lakes is a huge sand dune (aprox. 200 meters high). As you will find in every paper guide the normal way to reach the Gabron lake from the Um-el-Ma is via the Lake of Mandara.
But it is possible. You just have to follow the tracks coming from the Gabron and you will reach the high dune mentioned. Facing the track coming down this dune, the entry to climb the dune is on the right side. There are four plateaux to climb. From the first plateau
you drive still to the right making a wide left turn for reaching the second plateau. On the second plateau you turn right (90°), you climb straight on and on the third plateau 90° left again and straight on. On the fourth plateau you keep on following the tracks coming from the Gabron Lake.
Once arrived at the Gabron Lake, take a little rest at the 'restaurant' near the lake and try to ski down the sand dune on the other side of the dune. If you want you can even take a swim in the lake - but be careful, the lake is very salty and it will hurt your eyes, when you open them underwater.
These were our three weeks in Libya. On the way back to Tunis we visited the roman ruins of Sabbratha on the Mediterranean coast of Libya and the roman amphitheatre in El Jem (Tunisia).
And Libya's not all date palms and deserts, either. For a country that's been all but swallowed by the Sahara, you'll be surprised to see how pleasantly Mediterranean it can be ... provided you stick to the northern coastal area. There you'll learn that Tripoli is as urbane as any place in Africa and a good deal more than most, while the Jebel Akhdar region to the east is a lot closer to verdant Crete than it is to crunchy and crumbling. Of course, if shifting sand dunes and camel trains are your thing, Libya's got desert for days, and a quick jaunt down into the Fezzan will take you boldly where nomad has gone before. From ancient Greek and Roman ruins to modern art and oil money, Libya's a world unto itself (though with the lifting in 1999 of UN sanctions, things are looking up, and out).
as well as 90% of the population. North-eastern Libya, the Jebel Akhdar area (also known as the Green Mountains), is, as the name tells you, very green and should be beautiful - but we haven't visited it (so no guarantee).
growing political discontent and a mood of Pan-Arabism that was sweeping the Arab world. On 1 September 1969, a small group of army officers led by 27-year-old Captain Muammar Qaddafi deposed the old king in a coup. Soon after, British and American troops were ordered to leave the bases they had occupied since WWII, and the 25,000 descendants of the Italian colonists were also forced to pack up and leave promptly.
from Genoa or Livorno (Italy) or from the French harbour Marseille to Tunis. (In '99 we paid around USD 650 for Genoa - Tunis; 1st class; outside cabin; no meals included - for three meals we paid an extra of FRF 120 on the boat). This trip needs around 18 - 20 hours. Once arrived in Tunis you had to drive down the Tunisian coast until the border of Libya.
Just after the control, you can see on the right hand a water hole - fill up your jerry cans, it's a very good water. A few km later you will find a little mosque, there are several tracks leaving from this mosque. Your track is the one turning left in a little valley. Don't take another one, we tried them nearly all out - because we couldn't read properly our travel guide(!) - and they are definitely not going to Idri.
Great scenery - the black mountains coming out of the golden sand -
it's just splendid. Beside of this nature spectacle there are a lot of beautiful and interesting prehistorical paintings. Unfortunately our
lakes - you are not the first but it is lovely anyway. We visited mainly three lakes: the Mandara lake, the Um-el-Ma lake and the Gabron (or Gabrun) lake. The Mandara lake was dry, but the other two were very beautiful and really worth to visit. When you have enough time take a rest and enjoy the nature it is a very relaxing area.
you drive still to the right making a wide left turn for reaching the second plateau. On the second plateau you turn right (90°), you climb straight on and on the third plateau 90° left again and straight on. On the fourth plateau you keep on following the tracks coming from the Gabron Lake.