Markets and moonscapes

Libya was until recently a "pariah state", says Martin Fletcher in the Times. It only began accepting tourists a decade ago – and it shows. Facilities remain fairly basic and visitors must be accompanied by a government minder. The country is dauntingly vast, too, eight times the size of Britain: you can drive all day and pass only occasional herds of camels. But such inconveniences are "trifling" when set beside the

thrill of discovering Libya's "little-known wonders". And its 6 million inhabitants – official minders included – are "hospitality personified".

Tripoli itself has a "charming" old town, where you can shop in covered souks and watch weavers, coppersmiths and jewellery-makers practising their crafts in tiny back-alley workshops. Nearby is Leptis Magna, probably the best-preserved Roman city in the world. Visitors can wander, "awestruck", for hours through the markets and bath houses, the forum and amphitheatre of this once thriving metropolis of 100,000 people. The more adventurous, however, should not miss the chance to explore Libya's wilderness, with a camping trip in the Sahara.