Libya - Secrets of the Shifting Sands

David Johnson, Walks Worldwide tour leader

First impressions count for a lot - they can make or mar a holiday. My first impressions on arrival in Tripoli were pretty positive and any lingering concerns I had about Gaddafi's Libya were soon dispelled. Tripoli at first glance came over as shabby - after all it did endure decades of sanctions - but its pre-war Italianate architecture has a definite charm. The traffic is frenetic but life is generally unhurried and there is certainly nothing to cause the Western traveller any worries. Even Colonel Gaddafi's image that adorns so many lamp posts and buildings is benign. It has to be said that the country is not yet fully geared up for tourism - sanctions again - but in some ways this can be an advantage. Tripoli has the only medina and souk I have been in where I was basically ignored and left to wander at will with no hassle. If anyone even noticed me, I was accepted as just another person.

The narrow coastal strip has the remains of classical civilisation that make the country stand out. The Ancient Greek cities of Cyrene and Apollonia in the east are impressive enough but the Roman city of Sabaratha, and the intact Roman Villa Silene east of Tripoli, are splendid. All, though, fade into the shadows when compared to the Roman site of Leptis Magna, magically preserved by the shifting sands. Only superlatives will do here, and the chances are you will more or less have it to yourselves unless a cruise ship happens to be in port.

Fly south to Sabha and head to the small town of Germa where you enter the heart of the little-known ancient civilisation of the Garamantes who constructed towns, grew a variety of crops and engineered an impressive water supply system deep in the Sahara. Germa is the starting point for exploring the Ubari Dunes. This is where the real adventure begins - honest! The dunes are massive and seemingly endless, and the unmarked 4WD "tracks" are akin to a rollercoaster ride. Hidden within the dunes are two reed-fringed lakes, stereotypical oases, one of which can safely be swum in, if you do not mind the high salt levels.

Head south again to the Acacus Mountains and you will be in the true heart of the Sahara. Basalt plateaus, massive gorges, wadis, sand seas, spectacular rock formations - all unforgettable. Just as impressive, though, are the scores of rock paintings and engravings dating back thousands of years, graphically telling the story of a Sahara populated by elephants, giraffe, cattle and horses.

Libya is not a country for those who need pampering. It is an adventurous destination, away from the tourist hordes ... but it will leave you with lasting memories.

Click here for our Libyan Explorer Tour.