Syria is a Mediterranean country with a unique position at the cross of three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa.

Occupying almost 200 km of the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean, Syria shares borders with Turkey in the North, Lebanon in the West, Palestine and Jordan in the south, Iraq in the East and has an area of 180.000 square kilometres.

The coastal and Turkish borders are defined by distinct mountain ranges; the Taurus mountains in the North, the Ansaryeh and Eastern Lebanese mountains in the West.

The rest of Syria is mostly flat fertile plains and desert apart from two small chains of hills in the Centre and South.

The Biblical rivers, Euphrates and Orontes flow through the Syrian Plains irrigating vast areas, as do a number of smaller, less famous rivers such as the river Barada which flows through the Capital Damascus and the rivers Khabour and Balikh in the East.

Syria is a land of contrasts; sea, mountains, plains and desert are all to be found within its borders. The Syrian Coast is 185 km long and mostly sandy; Golden sand at Lattakia and black volcanic sand at Ras El Bassit.

The coastal mountains are covered with forests of pine or olive trees and inhabited by wild animals ranging from squirrels to boars. The mountains serve as a cool retreat during the hot summer.

The fertile plains which extend from the Eastern side of coastal mountains for miles into the East and are exceptionally pleasant in the Spring when covered with bright wild flowers and looking like a colourful mosaic. The Desert in the East with its sand and dust and occasional oasis. Inhabited by nomads, camels tents and the odd deer herd on the move seeking a water-hole, it is a place of both harshness and beauty. 

Syria has approximately 17 million inhabitants, and by virtue of its rich history and position as gateway between East and West is an extremely ethnically and religiously diverse country. Ethnically: the features of a "typical Syrian" are usually Mediterranean but European and Asiatic features are often prominent and far from rare. This "Melting pot" results in an extraordinary variety of traditions and lifestyles.

At ICAN Holidays we pride ourselves in the fact that we offer clients what they want - our holidays are all tailor made. Only you know what your ideal holiday should include. Whether you want to concentrate on culture or spend time wildlife watching, sample a city’s hustle and bustle or relax in a secluded beauty spot, ICAN Holidays will assist you discover the joy of designing a unique holiday just for you.

Throughout this website we have provided suggested itineraries for all the regions we visit, and you may wish to base your travels on these. After an initial consultation, one of our Specialists will create a unique itinerary for your holiday, complete with background information, historical notes, colour pictures, etc.   We will not begin to book your holiday until you are completely satisfied with it.

Because our Specialists regularly travel to the regions you will be visiting, they can offer invaluable advice and suggestions for things to see and do while you are there and you can be confident that your unique itinerary has been created by someone who has extensive first-hand knowledge of the places and accommodation it contains.

The country enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cool winters, when the north of the country usually sees fairly significant rainfall.

April, May, September and October are the best months to visit Syria, with low rainfall and temperatures somewhere in the mid to late twenties.

There is some regional variation in the climate throughout the country. Most of Syria has an average temperature of around 5C in December and January, but whereas Deir Ezzor in the dry eastern half of the country only has about 30mm of rain a month at this time, Aleppo has more than twice as much. Damascus falls somewhere between the two.

The higher, western part of the country sees snow through much of the winter. Summers are always dry, with temperatures ranging from the mid-thirties in Damascus and Aleppo to an average of nearly 40C in the east.
 

All our holidays are unique travel experiences, and therefore tailor-made to suit individual requirements. We do not publish prices on our website as they can vary enormously for tailor-made travel.

Prices are generally for private arrangements and are per person using economy class flights based on two people travelling together and sharing a room.

There are a number of factors which will influence the price of your travel arrangements, these include the standard of hotel (we offer a variety of standards from ‘three star’ to the super-luxurious), the season, the duration of your trip, the class of flights and the airline used, the level of private guiding and the complexity of the itinerary. Our specialists will be delighted to discuss the various options in more detail with you.