Ras al-Bassit

Ras al-Bassit is where the Syrian coast turns wild: dark volcanic sand in long curves under mountains that come down green to the water, with the wooded cape of Ras al-Bassit itself closing the bay. It has been the country's favourite summer escape for generations - family pensions, grilled fish, and the novelty of black sand that holds the afternoon heat. Ancient Posideium lay here, but the draw is entirely the meeting of forest and sea.

What you actually see

• The black sand - the dark volcanic beaches of the north.
• The green mountains - forest running down to the shore.
• The cape - the wooded headland closing the bay.
• The summer scene - Syrian beach life at its most relaxed.

When to go

May to October is the swimming season; July and August are crowded with domestic holidaymakers. June and September are the pleasant shoulder. Winter is quiet and stormy.

Honest expectations

Facilities are simple and high-season crowding is real. The dark sand gets very hot underfoot at midday. Development along the back of the beaches is haphazard.

Nearby

Kessab is up in the hills, and Latakia is south.