The mountain road from Latakia to Kessab, and down to a black-sand bay

This day is built around escaping the heat. Latakia in August is heavy going; forty kilometres north and 800 metres up, the pine forest at Kessab is noticeably cooler. The route opens with a museum in town, climbs into the mountains, drops to a dark-sand bay on the north coast and comes back along the sea. The loop is 129 kilometres; about three and a half hours of it is behind the wheel, the rest is walking and stopping.

The route

The National Museum of Latakia faces the port, within walking distance of the city centre. Then north: Kessab is 58 kilometres on, an hour and a half. Ignore the distance, because the road winds into the mountains and the last stretch is one bend after another. From Kessab you turn west and down; Ras al-Basit is 23 kilometres, forty-five minutes, and the forest runs all the way to where the sand starts. The return is along the coast: Latakia is 48 kilometres, an hour and a half. Jebel al-Aqra and the border line are close to the north; ask locally whether the road that way is open before you go on.

Timing

Start with the museum, but ask first. The halls were closed in 2011 and stayed closed for a long stretch; the garden remained open throughout. If the halls are open give them an hour, if not, half an hour for the sarcophagi in the garden. Leave at 10:00 and you are in Kessab around 11:30: spend the middle of the day there, where the forest opens into walking trails and the churches are still standing. Come down at 15:00. Two hours in the bay, and late afternoon is the right hour, because the colour of the sand reads properly as the sun drops into the sea. Start back before dark; the coast road is winding and slow at night.

Take care

This road invites car sickness: the mountain section and the coast section are both bends from end to end. Evenings in Kessab are cool even in summer, so a light layer earns its place. At Ras al-Basit the public strip is free while the organised beach sections may charge separately; the sand darkens and heats up when wet, so keep sandals to hand. Snow falls on Kessab in winter and the road can close, which means this route does not work in that season. Take care with photographs near the border.