Join My Syria Tour – October 2024

EDIT: Since the Israel/Hamas war, Im waiting to confirm the safety before I confirm this trip. 99% should be fine, but I’ll confirm in March 2024. If you want to pre-register, email me (johnny ‘a’ onestep4ward.com or instagram me .

I’m going back to Syria, so come join my Syria tour in October 2024! Finally, my fixers can now organise visas for EVERYONE (including Americans!), so it’s time to go back and see the giant strides forward this beautiful, historic country has made post-war.

Also, my Syria tour starts in Beirut, one of the coolest cities in the world, and we OVERLAND from Beirut, cross the land border and road trip to Damascus. A very cool travel day and an awesome way to start an adventure like this. Then it’s 4 days in Syria, and we finish up again by driving back to Beirut (where flights are much easier to organise), and you’re free. So, make 2024 the time you stop looking at other people doing epic trips, and join one yourself!

Check out the blog post below to learn about my Syria tour dates, price, itinerary and also I answer questions about the safety and ethics of a tour to Syria too. Hope that all helps.

My Syria Tour Itinerary

The trip starts and finishes in Beirut, Lebanon. The country that neighbours Syria. Why? Beirut airport has a million more flight options for everyone to get in and out from. And also, I like ‘real travel’. And with the itinerary like this, it means we do an epic road-trip from Beirut, Lebanon to Damascus, Syria and enter via the land border (where my fixers organise all the visa stuff for us in advance, pretty cool!). So with that, the Syria itinerary is like this:

Day 1: Arrive in Lebanon, Beirut

Arrive in Beirut anytime. We will have a trip briefing where I’ll discuss any questions and what to expect etc, then we’ll go for a group dinner with delicious Lebanese food, then maybe we’ll even have a few cheeky drinks in Beirut to celebrate all coming together!

NOTE: If you want to come to Beirut a day or 2 earlier to explore Beirut, or Lebanon, by all means you can do that. I’ll also be there a few days early too.

Day 2: Roadtrip from Lebanon to Syria overland

Early start folks. Syria is calling!

We have our private transfers pick us up early in the morning in Beirut city centre and we roll outta there together in convoy. Straight to the Syrian border. Once there, we’ll meet my fixers and they’ll assist us with all the paperwork, visas, brown envelopes (cough cough) and permits. This can take a while!

After we finish with the bureaucracy, it’s a straight shot to Damascus. The oldest city in the world. It’s spectacular, and probably very different to what you expect.

We stay in one of my favourite hotels in the world. A gorgeous, old-world, boutique riad-style hotel where they’ll have prepared a late lunch for us. In the late afternoon, we’ll have a casual walking tour around the old city, and a group dinner. Where people can either go home and soak up the reality that you’re in Syria, one of the least visited countries in the world these days, or you’re welcome to join me at a local Damascus bar for some local brew.

Day 3: Damascus City Tour

Time to explore Damascus properly! Our guides will explain all about the political situation, about ISIS in the north, about the hardships the Syrian people have felt in the last 10 years, and you’ll also hear how happy people are to know that foreigners, and even tourists, are beginning to return.

Highlights today will include the charming Hamidiyah Souq, Ummayad Mosque, Azem Palace, Hanania Church and the National museum. Dinner and overnight in Damascus.

Day 4: Almishtaya and Krak des Chevaliers

A real highlight today. We leave Damascus behind and make our way towards Homs province, home to the most famous Crusader castle in Syria and one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world. Krak Des Chevaliers, a UNESCO world heritage site, has been standing since the thirteenth century and is greatest fortress built by European crusaders in Syria and Palestine

After being wowed there, we drive to Almishtaya village in the Valley of the Christians. After lunch we’ll wander around Almishtaya with a village tour and chill-out in the late afternoon. Overnight in Almishtaya.

Day 5; A visit to the ruins of Homs, and onwards to Aleppo

A tough day today, truth be told. Where Syria has preserved some of ancient history’s most impressive sights, it’s the modern history of Syria that intrigues and scares people today. ISIS, Bashad, the rebels. Syria has had a tough time over the last 10 years, and the scars are sadly hugely visible. Today we’ll visit Homs and see just that. It’s a sombre day.

After that, we’ll head back to Aleppo, where if anything, the aftermath of war is even heavier. We’ll overnight in Aleppo.

Day 6; Aleppo, Hama and back to Damascus

We make the journey from Northern Syria, back to Damascus today.

We have stops at the Hama (the Norias) on the way & Maaloula, if time permits. Where we can focus on the positive side of Syria once more. And the beauty, and history it carries.

Back to Damascus and our GORGEOUS hotel for one last night in Syria.

Day 7; Overland back to Lebanon, and we’re done!

Morning at our gorgeous hotel, and it’s another roadtrip back to happening Beirut. The trip finishes upon arrival in Beirut, so you can either take your evening flight home, or extend for a night to decompress after a wild, fun ride in Syria. See on the next one (we’re off to Pakistani Kashmir in June, join me there!).

Syria Tour Dates

7 days, 6 nights

October 19th to October 25th, 2024

Syria Tour Costs

$2199.

Non-refundable deposit of $250 to secure your spot.

Payment is possible via bank transfer, via revolut, via paypal. Just let me know which works best.

What’s included?

• All accomodation
• All transport
• All entrance fees
• Local guides
• Western guide throughout (me, Johnny!)
• All breakfasts
• All visa help

What’s not included?

• International airfare to/from Beirut, Lebanon
• Travel insurance
• Lunches and dinners
• Tips for local guides
• Visa fee on the border

How about the Syrian Visa process?

Quite tricky BUT… my team will manage all of this. Historically, Americans especially had less than a 10% chance. But with my team, we have a 90+% chance of getting everyone a visa. So don’t worry. I manage all of that.

If you sign-up, and your visa is denied, you will receive a full refund, don’t worry 🙂

How To Sign up to travel to Syria with me

Normally I use a platform called WeTravel for my trips, you can see my trips Skiing in Afghanistan, Pakistani Kashmir, but because the USA has sanctioned Syria (and Yemen, amongst others) that means we can’t process payments through the normal ways.

So, if you want to join my tour to Syria you need to DM me on instagram.com/onestep4ward or email me on johnny@onestep4ward.com. Then, you pay a 10% deposit to me, send me your passport, I organise your visas for Syria, and full payment is due 60 days/2 months before the trip.

So final payment is due February 18th, 2024. Simple as that!

Is it Safe to travel to Syria right now?

I visited Syria once before, back in 2010. Just before the war broke out and the country all-but fell apart. It’s been heartbreaking to watch from the sidelines, but now with Damascus solidifying itself, I’m super excited to get back and see how their recovering is going. Adventure tourism is the first wave of tourism returning to one of the friendliest nations on earth, and I’m proud we’re all going to be part of that.

If you want to come, please email me on johnny@onestep4ward.com with any questions, with a photo of your passport.

Finally, this isn’t a standard G Adventure/tour company trip. I don’t know what to expect as much as you guys. This is as real as travel gets, so lets expect stuff to be a little rough around the edges, perhaps even a little disorganised, but it’ll be the adventure of a lifetime. See you in Beirut, and then Damascus!

And is it ethical to travel to Syria?

Our trip to Syria doesn’t endorse any Government, please understand that. All our Syrian partners and staff are local, small-business owners who have had their livelihoods decimated by the war. Tourism is their way back, for them and their families.

On that note, on our last trip to Syria, our lovely guide had a serious medical condition, and due to the Syrian system had no hope. Our group paid for his surgery, and now he’s all good again. Responsible tourism has the power to make a change, and we’re part of that.

Make it the trip of a lifetime and combine it with my Socotra, Yemen tour! FAQs about tours to Syria

If you’re a hardcore traveler, come and join me on my Socotra tour to Yemen right before this Syria trip. You can do them both back-to-back. I’ll also be doing the same thing! When we land back in Abu Dhabi from Yemen, I’ll fly to Beirut the next day, then 1 day off, then right back onto the Syria tour. Pretty epic couple of weeks!