North African Arabic countries (hotel, hotel, vacations, European)

[k374]

If anyone has been to Algeria (Oran & Algiers), Tunisia or Libya please post your experience regarding visas, safety, experience etc. and anything else you can share Thanks.

[Cougar31]

Originally Posted by k374

If anyone has been to Algeria (Oran & Algiers), Tunisia or Libya please post your experience regarding visas, safety, experience etc. and anything else you can share Thanks.

Algeria has a high crime rate. Algiers is a pretty nice city but you will definitely need to have someone from the area to show you around...so you don't get "lost".
Transportation system is nothing like in Europe. A very congested place and expensive as well. If you get to venture east or west about 20 miles along the coats...the scenery is nice.
Oran is a smaller city but still congested. I would stay overcrowded.
and crime; pick pockets, stabbing, and even car highjacking is on the rise.

Algeria hasn't built its tourist infrastructure unlike its neighbor Tunisia. Where more and more Europeans spend their summer vacations...and sometimes their winter vacation as well.


Libya has been kind of closed to tourisme for the las few decades. The only people "visiting" it have oil/gas work related.

[k374]

thanks, yes..i heard that getting Visas to Libya is problematic for Americans but supposedly it is a bit easier to get in if you go with a tour company which is the only way to visit Libya anyway.

Was interested in going to Oran because I wanted to catch a Rai music festival there and I heard it is a nice sea port. I wanted to do the train journey from Oran to Algiers.

The Lonely Planet guide seems to have a good deal of information but if I could hear from someone who has been there recently it would be better.

I guess the situation is still very volatile in that region:
http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/destin.../algeria.shtml

which is a damn shame

[juniperbleu]

I remember reading an article a few years ago on Tunisia that was interesting. Unfortunately, I can't really give more info than that, but I'd also be interested to hear from anyone who went there.

[timfountain]

Having been to both Tunisia and Morocco, the only piece of advise I'd give is don't bother. Still, next to Nigeria, they would seem like heaven on earth. There were some things to like, especially if you like ancient monuments, some of the beaches are great (and uncrowded) and some of the hotel complexes are little oasis of sanity.
The downsides:- Constant begging, trash everywhere, really dirty facilities, harrassessment from street traders, attempted pickpocketing, and men touching up my wife! The hotel in Tunisia (Hammamet) was nice, but the water was during the day (and cold when it was on) and the electricity always went off from 10:00 until 4:00 in the afternoon, just when it would be nice to have a siesta after lunch and escape from the heat. Oh, and this wasn't a cheap, low-end hotel.

- Tim