Still a little... obscure for most world travelers, Syria is rich in exquisite ancient wonders, extraordinary scenery, and a people renowned for eager and open hospitality. Our travelers roam Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth, a great metropolis bountifully bequeathed with exquisite mosques and mausoleums. We explore Krak des Chevaliers, an imposing Crusader fortress that T. E. Lawrence considered “the finest castle in the world” and one of the most perfect examples of medieval defensive architecture. (Peter Wilshire of the Times of London had a less pragmatic take. He called it the “model for every sandcastle ever built.”) We meander in one of the Middle East’s greatest marketplaces, the souk at Aleppo (where Murder on the Orient Express begins). We admire the Roman and Byzantine wonders of Apamea and the walled city of Resafa (favorite stomping grounds of Harun alRashid of The Thousand and One Nights). And we’re awestruck by one of the grandest ancient sites in the world, the forest of colonnades at Palmyra, which led the great Arabist Gertrude Bell to “wonder if the wide world presents a more singular landscape.”

Private dinners with locals, exclusive visits and tours, and indepth looks at conservation and restoration efforts will be the hallmarks of this passionately led classic, where we’ll not only be impressed by the grand sites but surely be cheered by traditional Arab courtesy and hospitality.

Day 1: Arrive in Damascus, Syria • Days 2 & 3: Damascus • Day 4: excursion to Bosra & Shahba • Day 5: drive to Krak des Chevaliers and Hama • Day 6: drive to Latakia via Apamea • Day 7: drive to Aleppo via Saladin’s castle • Days 8 & 9: Aleppo • Day 10: drive to Palmyra via Resafa • Day 11: Palmyra • Day 12: drive to Damascus via Mar Mousa • Day 13: Damascus • Day 14: depart Damascus.

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