www.peregrineadventures.co.uk  The maturing rapprochement between Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi's regime and the rest of the world has seen Libya's tourism profile transform out of all recognition.

Economic sanctions, travel bans and pariah status have all increasingly become phantoms of the past. However, though Libya's future seems very different, its strength still lies in the past. Peregrine Adventures' 9-day Classic Libya tour plunges deep into the desert to the UNESCO World Heritage oasis town of Ghadames, returning to explore the country's remarkable coastal Phoenician, Greek and Roman archaeological sites. Tours depart Tripoli 26th April and 10th May 2008 (other dates too).

Tripoli remains a city surprised by its new-found popularity. For years devoid of tourists save for sporadic Italian tour groups and the occasional Swiss unicyclist, Tripoli's souk must be one of the few in the Arab world where travellers do not attract the enthusiastic attention of eager stallholders.

Peregrine's tour allows time for a visit to the capital's remarkably good museum, an exercise that adds context to the following days of exploration. Driving south, away from the fertile coastal strip, travellers head into the uplands of Jebel Nafusa, an area where Berber traditions are still strongly adhered.

At the village of Ruhaybat Peregrine spend the night in a desert-adapted troglodyte house, carved into the solid rock.

Further south again, the important oasis town of Ghadames (UNESCO World Heritage) with its covered streets and unique desert architecture is investigated.

The return journey to the coast takes in Nalut at the southern end of the Jebel Nafusa, one of the most fascinating old towns in the region. Here, there's an excellent example of an ancient 'kasr', or fortified house, over 300 years old with 400 secure chambers used for storing grain and oil.

Next, a full day is spent amongst the baths, forum, temples and basilica at one of the world's greatest ancient sites, Leptis Magna. Originally a Phoenician trading port, later second only to Rome in the Empire under Emperor Septimus Severus, this vast city remained buried in the sand for over 1300 years until major excavations in the 1920s.

o the west, well-preserved remains at Sabrata continue from the land, disappearing intriguingly into the blue Mediterranean. Following a brief domestic flight to Benghazi, the impressive Graeco-Roman cities of Cyrene and Apollonia are also visited before returning to Tripoli for a final night.