Vacation In Syria
When I first told my friends I was going to Syria, they all thought I was joking. But I wasn’t joking.
Syria is a beautiful country with ancient history, rich civilization and great architecture. Syria is ranked among the best tourist destinations of the world. If you have never traveled to Syria, try it out from as soon as possible. It’s interesting to see why this beautiful country has been listed among the top places for vacationing in 2018.
Syria, like other countries around the world, has always been one of the best tourist destinations. Its beautiful sandy beaches are perfect for spending summer there. A large number of tourists visit it to tour and explore the sites. The cultural exhibits are simply astonishing. Syria has a rich historical past and all this is on display in specific sites, museums and other sites that help you know the past.
The group of bloggers from online blog howtobeawriter.co.uk went on a trip to Karakum Desert and Syria. The purpose of traveling was to travel and gain some good experience about travelling and photography.
Vacation In Syria
Can you visit Syria as a tourist? Yes, you can! Many people get surprised when they realize that Syria used to be one of the most popular destinations in the Middle East before the war. Tourists were flocking to the country – not surprisingly, as its home to many historic treasures and incredible people.
Syria has been open for a few years until it got hit with COVID and closed its borders for over a year. I visited Syria in March 2020, right before it reclosed again.
Syria re-opened for tourists once again at the beginning of October 2021. The process to get a tourist visa to Syria is similar to what it used to be before and you are still required to have a local guide. However, there are more ways to visit now, as the airport reopened.
Why Visit Syria?
When it comes to traveling to certain places like Yemen or Syria many people ask questions about the ethical aspects of traveling to Syria. As these places, not so long ago were war zones and many people have been forced to escape in order to save their lives.
Some people call it “dark tourism” and instantly shame those who travel there. I think that people are so focused on places like Chernobyl, Syria, or Yemen as they happened recently, they quickly forget that technically speaking visiting a Colosseum in Rome would be a prime example of dark tourism… especially considering the fact that everyone acts like a goof there and takes cutesy photos. Just saying.
Syria is a place full of history. When you travel there respectfully, you can learn a lot about the recent crisis and the history before and after it. You won’t learn that from the news.
Considering the fact that Syria used to be a prime tourist destination, many people were forced out of their jobs because of the lack of tourists. Many Syrians are simply trying to live their lives. My own guide was a multi-lingual educated man with years of experience in tourism. Nowadays, being a guide is a side job, because there are not many visitors so he drives a school bus. Syrians are very happy to see that tourists are coming back.
Is Syria safe now?
The capital city, Damascus is very safe as any other city in the Middle East. Damascus is a very vibrant city that didn’t get affected by the war like Aleppo or Homs. But the economy isn’t obviously good, so frequent power cuts are a problem in the winter.
I drove around the country and felt like Tartus was a quiet beach town. Aleppo was safe but you had to take precautions just in case. I haven’t spent the night in Homs, just visited during the day so I cannot speak for that. I stayed in Hama and it was completely safe. I was told “there was no fighting there, so not an issue”.
For safety in Palmyra read the section “Visiting Palmyra”.
The fighting is practically done and people want to live their lives. You’ll see children playing football, people selling souvenirs and returning to markets while rebuilding everything, adults enjoying themselves at cafes and restaurants… just like anywhere else in the world.
How to Get a Visa to Syria
In order to visit Syria, you will need to obtain a visa. As you cannot travel completely independently (like you can in Iran) you will currently need a special security clearance that needs to be organized through a travel agency in Syria.
Obtaining a security clearance through your operator takes about 2 weeks, so you must plan in advance. It’s included in your tour cost. With that you can, or should I say your guide, will obtain a visa for you at the border.
You cannot just show up without clearance and hope for the best. Even if you somehow got the visa at the border (but you cannot), you wouldn’t be able to drive anywhere without security clearance – you get stopped multiple times every day and your guide needs to show your paperwork.