Driving the Dunes of Libya

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, adventurous Europeans travelled hundreds of miles to spend a couple weeks every year driving the dunes of Libya, Juerg being one of them. Before it became unsafe for travel, Libya was the place overlanders’ dreams were made of.

Imagine, 500 miles of untouched dunes with no tracks to limit your exploration. In just 10 days, overlanders could cover hundreds of miles. Vehicles were stocked with 130 liters of potable water, and 450 liters of petrol carried in homemade suspension tanks crafted from old Mercedes materials, and auxiliary plastic jugs and lorry tanks.

"The best part about venturing into the isolated landscapes of Libya was the peace and quiet," says Juerg. Local Libyans believe, Allah created the Sahara, so there would be one place on Earth with real silence. In the evenings, you could hear nothing else but the blood rushing in your ears. No animals, no plants, no people; absolute nothingness, except the promise of more adventure tomorrow.