December 2022, London: In its 6th year running trips to Syria, the adventure tour operator Untamed Borders is parting ways with British Syria-specialist tour guide Carly Filis and will be collaborating with local guides going forward.

This is part of an ongoing process to evaluate the value our international guides provide and to empower the local guiding teams.

In 2017, Untamed Borders arranged its first-ever trip to Syria and started working with Carly, who lived in Aleppo before 2011. Carly added value through her knowledge of the region, with credentials from ITN Productions as a researcher for their programs on Syria. With Carly, we travelled to the crusader fort of Krac Des Chevaliers, the ancient site of Palmyra, Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Maloulla and Damascus.

Whilst Carly's expertise is valuable and has allowed Untamed Borders to offer a special experience to its guests, we've decided to place our faith in local teams, and have Syrian guides lead our group trips.

This is part of a wider tourism trend in empowering staff from the countries visited, offering value for money for our guests and reducing the amount of air travel we create. With the world more conscious of Carbon emissions and the increase in air travel costs – it ensures better sustainable practices.

Carly's final trip to Syria with Untamed Borders will be in May, and this cultural itinerary is now available to book for departures in 2023, as well as shorter private itineraries on request. However Carly will still guide for Untamed Borders in Iraq and Afghanistan.

From September we will be working with Syrian guides only in Syria.

Untamed Borders founder James Willcox says: “Syria holds a very special place in my heart. I believe anyone who chooses to travel to the country is in for an unforgettable journey. This will be enhanced with local guides now leading the way, as their insight will be unique in many ways. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Carly, and we thank her for her amazing work thus far.”

Carly Fillis says, "It has been great guiding people in Syria, a country I love. I enjoy working with Untamed Borders and will continue to help them develop their Iraq tours. In Syria I will be developing some new ventures within the country so my expertise and experience within this region will still be of use. "