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© SAIGA Tours
Start
Apr 21, 2025
Beirut
Beirut
2025-04-21
End
Apr 27, 2025
Beirut
Beirut
2025-04-27
Duration
7 days
Price
US$1495.00
If you like the look of this tour but the dates don't work for you, or you'd like to do part of the tour, please get in touch and let us know. All our tours are able to be split into smaller sections, we're always scheduling new tours and your dates might work for one of them, or we can always organise an independent tour.
Itinerary
Day 1Mon Apr 21
Beirut, Damascus
- Meet in Beirut at 8:00. Meeting point to be advised closer to the time.
- Begin the drive to the Syrian border, which will take about two hours. We’ll stop on the way for a quick breakfast and to buy any Lebanese snacks you might want.
- Cross the border, with a stop at Duty Free in No Man’s Land, for some of the cheapest alcohol you’ve ever experienced.
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The whole border crossing will take around 1.5 hours.
- After clearing Syrian Customs and Immigration, we’ll continue our drive to Damascus, another hour.
- Arriving in the old town, you’ll immediately be intoxicated by the buzz of the old town as we walk towards our hotel. We’ll be staying in a beautifully renovated old Damascene house, complete with a tranquil courtyard surrounding a bubbling fountain, and the distinctive black and white stonework of this part of Syria.
- In the afternoon we’ll explore Damascus’ old town, bazaar, shopping areas and bar/restaurant street. You might like to try some local ice-cream or have a shawarma, and shisha is available just about everywhere.
- We’ll also visit Ananias Church, Damascus’ oldest church which happens to be underground, and Omayad Mosque, the main mosque in the centre of the city.
- Free time in the evening to enjoy Damascus’ vibrant night-life.
Day 2Tue Apr 22
Damascus
- Leaving the centre of town, we’ll drive to the outskirts of the city and you’ll get your first glimpses of the destruction caused by the recent conflict.
- We will head out to the infamous Sednaya Prison, once used as a site by the Assad regime for torture of political prisoners. A stark reminder of the recent dark past of Syria.
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Returning to the centre of town we’ll visit the National Museum in the afternoon, followed by the Souk Al-Hamidiye and El-Azem Palace.
- One of the staples of any Middle Eastern destination, it’s time to experience a hammam. Anyone who doesn’t want to join in can either hang out with a shisha or a cup of tea inside the hammam’s “albrani”, translated into English as the “outside section”, which is the first room of the hammam.
- For sunset we will head to the top of Mount Qasioun, the highest peak over Damascus which offers panoramic views of the city. Previously under the Assad regime, this area was off limits as it was considered a ‘military zone’. Now people can come back here and enjoy this spectacular view.
Day 3Wed Apr 23
Ghouta, Maaloula, Homs, Aleppo
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Today we will begin by heading to the Ghouta neighbourhood of Damascus, which is the main site that was famously attacked with chemical weapons by the Assad regime.
- Our first stop today will be at Maaloula, a small Christian town that was almost completely decimated by ISIS in 2014.
- We will visit a Greek Catholic church which was destroyed but has already largely been rebuilt.
- This will be your first opportunity to properly explore the destruction that is now so commonplace in Syria, at the Safir Hotel. Until 2014 it was a 4 star hotel with plenty of international guests, but is now a shell filled with rubble. There are still “do not disturb” signs, menus, folders of guest information, time sheets, crockery and all sorts of other things amongst the debris.
- We’ll walk through a canyon to the St Sergious and Bakhous Monastery where you’ll have the chance to meet nuns who were kidnapped and held hostage for several years.
- Our next stop will be Homs, another of the worst affected places during the Syrian war. We’ll take a walk through one of the residential areass that was most devastated by the civil war, in the leadup to the establishment of the Assad Regime. Walking around, you can really get a close up look at the damage. A few families have already started moving back in, so kids will come up and want to speak to you.
- We then continue our journey to Aleppo where we will have an amazing dinner at one of Aleppo’s great restaurants.
- Overnight in Aleppo.
Day 4Thu Apr 24
Aleppo
- Aleppo was arguably one of the worst affected cities during the Syrian war. Here you’ll get the chance to see some of the terrible destruction as well as the opportunity to witness the early stages of rebuilding that Syrians are now doing as they slowly return to their homes.
- Our first stop in the morning will be the famous Aleppo Castle. On the way in and out of the castle you’ll also be able to see the destroyed souk.
- There will be time to explore the souk and do some shopping if you like, or if you prefer, you can just enjoy a shisha or a coffee.
- We’ll then drive into the old town, one of the areas that was the worst affected by the war.
- For sunset, we will head to an amazing viewpoint looking out over Aleppo, where we can relax and take it all in with a tea and/or shisha.
- In the evening, we'll have the chance once again to experience the amazing restaurant scene of Aleppo.
- Overnight in Aleppo.
Day 5Fri Apr 25
Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Krak des Chevaliers
- We will begin today by heading to Idlib, which is finally accessible to tourism since the fall of the Assad regime.
- Here we will see the unique economic system distinct from other regions of Syria.
- We will also visit a refugee camp in the area which will allow us to gain an insight into the challenges faced by local families.
- We will then pass through Hama, where we will have a quick stop to look at the UNESCO water wheels.
- Afterwards, we will head to one of the highlights of Syria, Krak des Chevaliers. One of the most famous and also most intact medieval Crusader castles in the world, it was first built by Kurds in the 11 th Century. Since then it has changed hands many times, but most recently was damaged in the Syrian civil war.
- After visiting the castle, we’ll visit a nearby café that has a great view overlooking the castle, to sit down with a coffee or a beer or a shisha, and take in our surroundings.
- Overnight in Mishtaya.
Day 6Sat Apr 26
Krak des Chevaliers, Palmyra, Damascus
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Today we will have an early start for our drive to the ancient site of Palmyra, probably Syria’s most famous site.
- Once a lush city on the Silk Road, Palmyra was even briefly its own empire in the 3 rd Century, stretching from Turkey to Egypt. Although the old city was ruined, it was famously in spectacular condition and exceptionally well preserved. Sadly though in 2015 it fell under the control of ISIS, and a lot of the buildings were razed to the ground.
- We will explore the site of Palmyra including a visit to the temple of Baal which was largely destroyed under the control of ISIS.
- We will also visit the Palmyra Museum which was looted by ISIS. Thankfully many of the artifacts were transferred to Damascus prior to the arrival of the militants.
- We will then drive back to Damascus where we will have our final farewell dinner.
- Overnight in Damascus.
Day 7Sun Apr 27
Damascus, Bosra, Beirut
- In the morning we’ll head down to the south of the country to visit Bosra, which was under the control of the Free Syrian Army, even during the Assad regime. Previously, this was one of the only places in the country you could see the Syrian opposition flag being flown.
- Our first stop will be at the famous amphitheatre. Between its vast size and the fact that it’s still almost completely in-tact, it really is breath-taking.
- We’ll sit down for a manakish or a falafel and have a chance to talk to a Free Syrian Army soldier, who will share his stories, and also a very different perspective on the situation in Syria than what you’ll already have heard.
- Next we’ll take a walk through the old city and get a feel for this town, which has a totally different vibe to any other city in Syria. If we’re lucky, we might even meet some more people on our way who are happy to share their feelings and ideas on the situation with us.
- Sadly this brings the end of our time in Syria and we will head back towards the Lebanese border. Including the border crossing and a few stops, we’ll arrive back in Beirut in the evening.
- Anyone catching a flight this evening can be taken directly to the airport, otherwise we’ll be dropped off back in the centre of Beirut.
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