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Trip report: travelling to Syria in 2022

01/11/2022
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A life changing trip to Syria

Josephine travelled with CultureRoad on a group tour to Syria in 2022. Read her full trip report below.

Because of my work with refugees, many of them Syrian, I became increasingly curious about the country in recent years. Syrians would often tell me proudly about their country and then say, “Come to Syria! Then you will also see the other, beautiful side of the country”. Thanks to CultureRoad, I finally got to visit this special homeland of many. How worthwhile it was!

Arrival in Beirut

From Amsterdam I flew to Beirut, to meet the tour guide and group in a beautiful hotel in the center of the city. In the capital of Lebanon, there was time to enjoy a Lebanese meal and local music and dance. Together with the group we had a drink in the hotel bar and the atmosphere was immediately good.

Crossing the border into Syria

From Beirut we travelled towards Damascus the morning after our first meet-up. At the border we met the helpful and friendly local guides. They helped to arrange our visa. Since everyone was a bit tense about traveling into Syria, it was very nice that the guide was so informed and relaxed. It was no longer than half an hour later that we were all standing outside with our visas in our passports. On our way to Damascus!

Diverse Syria

In Syria, we saw a lot with the group. We traveled from beautiful Damascus to Aleppo, via Homs. We visited Palmyra, Hama and Bosra. The hotels were comfortable, the food was delicious, the Syrians are incredibly friendly and hospitable and (perhaps partly because of that) I never felt unsafe. The CultureRoad tour guide made sure we had time to have a drink together in the evening. The impressions during the day were impressive: a beautiful country, but of course also the many traces of years of war. It was great that we could share our experiences with each other in the evening.

Grateful

I am grateful for this special trip. It is an experience that makes you realize what a luxury freedom and peace is. But I can also say: Syria also has another, beautiful side that may be seen. Thank you CultureRoad for organizing this beautiful trip!

Do you want to discover Syria? Take a look at our independent tours or group tours to Syria. Do you need more information? Get in touch with us now.