Slunfeh, the Mountain Resort Above Latakia

A town on the ridge of the coastal mountains, 50 kilometres east of Latakia. It sits 1130 metres above the sea and is one of the best known summer retreats in Syria. While the coast turns heavy and humid in July the air up here stays dry and cool, and that difference is the whole reason the town exists.

Getting there

You turn off at Latakia and drive east towards Haffah; 50 kilometres and roughly an hour. The road climbs quickly and the bends tighten as it goes. Minibuses and shared cars run in summer; in winter the services thin out.

What to see

The town itself is small: one market street, summer apartments and villas, and forested hills all round. You do not come for the town. What you come for is the view — the ridges facing east look over the flat Ghab plain, those facing west over the coastal range. Oak, fir and cedar grow together in the forest. The cedar is the rare one at this latitude.

When to go

From late June to September the town fills up: the streets are crowded, rooms get expensive and the road is busy at weekends. May and October are quieter and the forest is better. In winter it freezes at night and snow covers the hills and the houses; the road can close and most places are shut.

How long it takes

Half a day is enough to come up from Latakia and go back. If you stay overnight, the ridges towards Salma and Doreen fit into the same trip; Doreen is known locally for its plane and pine woods and for its apples.

What most people miss

Look from the ridge road on the way out of town rather than from inside it. The summer blocks are gathered along the asphalt; a few hundred metres higher the building stops and the forest and the plain come into one frame. Most people who came for the view never see it and turn back at the centre.