BBC travel magazine offers ‘adventure holiday’ to crisis-struck Libya

LONDON - Even as Libya faces a crisis that has seen more than 1,000 people killed due to clashes between rebels and Colonel Gaddafi’s troops, it has not stopped a BBC travel magazine from offering an “adventure holiday” to the country.

Lonely Planet Magazine’s competition to win a “spectacular” 20-night adventure holiday in Libya, worth 2,000 pounds, left most of the online readers stunned.

The competition, which has been up for the whole of February, is open till the last day of the month, and offers the winner 11 nights of camping and 9 nights in hotels across north Africa.

The prize, which is being offered in conjunction with tour operator Dragoman.com, is worth more than 2,000 pounds.

The trip also includes several nights’ stay in Egypt, where a popular uprising toppled leader President Mubarak just two weeks ago.

“Your journey starts in Tripoli, Libyabs busy capital, before visiting the Sabratha ruins, and then on to the city of Leptis Magna,” the Daily Mail quoted Lonely Planet as promising the lucky winner.

“Returning to the Libyan Mediterranean coast, you’ll have a chance to explore the Greek ruins at Cyrene and Apollonia, and the Tobruk war cemeteries before crossing the border into Egypt.

“Once in Egypt, you’ll also visit the battleground of El Alamein and have two nights to explore Alexandria before ending your trip with a tour of the Pyramids of Giza and the mighty Sphinx,” it stated.

But the Foreign Office has officially advised against travelling to Libya in the current political climate.

“We have been in discussion with Dragoman and will be offering an alternative holiday of the same value,” a Lonely Planet Magazine spokesperson said. (ANI)