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WHEN TO TRAVEL
You will travel preferably between the cold and hot seasons, (lasting respectively, between December-February
and July-August), as winter is rather hard except along the coast where the climate is relatively mild but very
humid. In summer, the excessively hot temperature will make the visit of cities and sites an ordeal, and the humidity
around the sea areas is not very pleasant. Temperatures of 38 degrees C (100.4 degrees F) are commonplace in Aleppo,
reaching 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) in July and August. Similar day temperatures occur in Damascus, but on account
of the high altitude, the evenings are mild: thanks to the nearby desert, differences in temperature of 16-18 degrees
(C) and 60.8-64.4 degrees (F) occur between day and night. If you have the choice, April and May (March can also
be an enchanting month with the orchards in bloom) or mid-September to mid-November are good times to make a visit.
There is some risk of rain in the last fortnight of November.
YOUR HEALTH
In principle, no inoculations are required unless in case of epidemics. No particular precautions need to be
taken except in some (rare) areas infested with malaria. In case of a long stay, you should take chloroquinine
base pills throughout your stay and 45 days following your return. Inoculation against tetanus, polio, and BCG
vaccine are recommended, but only as a precaution. They are not necessary for any sanitary reasons.
Water distributed in the cities and a large number of villages is very suitable for drinking and there is no risk
when drinking or brushing your teeth with it. In other places you are not advised to drink, unless you like to
drink from Bedouin goatskins which have quite a special taste. You will, however, have to be careful, as in other
hot countries, when eating salads and other raw vegetables. Hospital equipment is more than satisfactory in the
large cities of Damascus and Aleppo, and even fairly complicated and delicate surgical operations can be performed.
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