Does any other country combine so readily the Roman, Medieval and Biblical worlds and what is it about Syria that makes everyone we send there come back so satisfied with their immersion in its culture and with their contact with the Syrian people? It is partly because so much can be seen in such a short time and with very little travelling.

Your independent adventure will start and end in the ancient city of Damascus where historic buildings such as the great Umayad Mosque and the Azem Palace are visited before you disappear into the Old City to be lost in the city's famous souks. Three nights at the very special Beit Am Malouka will also allow a day trip south to Bosra, the Roman capital of the region, but you will soon be keen to be on your way east to Palmyra. An overnight stay here is required to take in one of the world's most famous classical cities with its temples, walls and tombs. Travelling on through the desert allows a detour to the desert castle of Qasr el Hir and the 'dead city' of Ar-Rasafeh but it's the goal of Aleppo that we have in our sights which has to be one of the oldest and most exciting inhabited cities in the world. Based at the 16th century Mansouriya Palace you will discover that it is not just the city itself with its Great Citadel and ten kilometres of souks that demands a three night stay but the access it gives you to such other historical sites as the early cultural centre of Ebla and St Simeon's Monastery. Even the drive back to Damascus risks more cultural overload with Hama's waterwheels, the ruins of Apamea, and that most famous of Crusader castles - Krak des Chevalier.