Challenging
Activity
Transfers
9 Nights
6 - 12
Group size
Leaders
This adventure is a heady combination of must-see sites and exciting hiking opportunities in the stunning Qadisha Valley, experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of this beautiful country on foot.
From the Mediterranean to snowy mountains to the vineyards of the Beqaa, Lebanon awaits the inquisitive traveller, who wishes to scratch a little deeper and explore some more remote areas on a 4 day trek, enjoy traditional Lebanese guest houses, historical and religious iconic sites and of course, the world-famous cuisine.
In a country where French, Arabic and English can be heard in a single sentence and a multitude of faiths reside, history emanates from every stone: The costal village of Byblos (جبيل ‘Jbeil’ in Arabic) is the oldest continuously-inhabited town in the world; the Roman temples at Baalbek are some of the grandest ever built; Lebanon is mentioned 71 times in the Bible; with rule having passed through the hands of Arab Caliphates, Crusaders, Mamluks, Ottomans and more.
Lebanon really does have it all – but perhaps nothing surpasses the openness, charm, glamour and friendliness of its people. Experience this enchanting destination with like-minded fellow travellers, with the assurance that you will find a unique and varied culture quite unlike any you have seen before.
Dinner
3 star hotel
With group members arriving during the afternoon and evening, today is a 'free' day for you to arrive, be transferred to the start hotel, and to shake off any travel fatigue and get your bearings, before the start of your adventure in earnest, tomorrow.
At an appropriate point in your itinerary, in line with our approach of making travel worthwhile, we will be invited to learn about a local charity called FoodBlessed, based in Beirut and tackling hunger among Lebanons poorest. Any visit or opportunity to get involved will be optional.
Breakfast
3 star hotel
After breakfast and a welcome briefing, your adventure begins with a tour of this vibrant city, located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been inhabited for more than 5000 years, and our tour will include the most famous sites: the Green Line (line of demarcation during the Lebanese Civil War from 1975 - 1990), the National Museum displaying the famous Phoenician gilded bronze figurines buried near Byblos, Mohammad Al Amin Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque), ancient churches and Roman Baths.
Enjoy delicious Lebanese cuisine for dinner before your first taster of the nightlife of Beirut!
Transfer
Breakfast
Guest house
We leave bustling Beirut this morning for Niha, a village in the Beqaa valley. Niha Castle, dating back to 975AD is carved into the rock of a cliff, where a cave already existed, overlooking the Bisri and 'Aray valley. It passed hands between the Crusaders and local Muslims several times during the crusades and its position and size has meant it has been used again and again to store goods, as well as shelter soldiers. The fortress is the start point of our walk along Section 21 of the Lebanese Mountain Trail (LMT) towards Jezzine (approx 15kms, 3.5 - 4 hours) through the Chouf Biosphere Region. The full trail, established in 2007 is 470km long.
This afternoon we will visit the 19thC Beiteddine Palace with its delightful arcades, mandaloun balconies, fountains and facades. We stay overnight in nearby picturesque Deir Al Qamar, with its typical stone houses and red tile roofs.
Transfer
Breakfast
Dinner
Guest house
Our destination today, Baalbek (2hr drive), is one of Lebanons most well known treasures; known as Heliopolis during Roman & Greek times. The temple of Bacchus and Temple of Jupiter are two of the largest and grandest Roman temple ruins in the world, earning Baalbek its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The drive here is part of the experience as we pass over the Lebanon Mountains that form a central spine to the country. We will enjoy a visit around the ruins of this Phoenician city to learn about the complex history of the area, as well as enjoy some of the finest examples of Imperial Roman architecture, before transferring to Ehden, nestled in the mountains on the South Western slopes of Mount Makmal. Tonight we stay in a comfortable Guesthouse ahead of the start of our trek tomorrow.
Breakfast
Packed Lunch
Dinner
Monastery
Today's walk is a wonderful introduction and warm up to our trek and we will be hiking for approx 4 hours from Ehden to Qozhaya. The goal of our route and our destination tonight is the beautifully serene Monastery St Antoine of Qozhaya (meaning 'treasure of life') a real highlight of this adventure. A working monastery with a rich history and significance for both Christians and Muslims, the site has been inhabited by several generations of hermits, monks and believers since the 5th Century! In the 17th Century the Lebanese Maronite Order was founded and the existing buildings were constructed on the rocky side of the valley. The Church itself is located in a cave, with a beautiful facade. Expect simply furnished en suite rooms in the guest house attached to the monastery. .
Breakfast
Packed Lunch
Dinner
Guest house
We leave the monastery (950m) in Qozhaya this morning on a stunning walk (13.2km, 5.5hrs) to the town of Bsharre (1450m). With some steep ascents and descents, this is an exciting and at times technical route taking us up to 1845m, with breathtaking views. Also written Bsharri, the mountain town and its adjacent Qadisha Valley, is one of the last vestiges of the extensive Lebanon Cedar forests that used to thrive across Mount Lebanon (Cedars of God or 'Arz al-Rabb'), earning it UNESCO World Heritage site. Famous also, for being the birthplace of poet, painter and sculptor, Khalil Gibran, it honours him with a museum in the town that is well worth a visit. We stay tonight in a simply furnished but comfortable Guesthouse.
Breakfast
Packed Lunch
Dinner
Guest house
We re-join the LMT today for Section 8, from Bsharre to Bazaoun, with a high point at 1955m altitude. Although we have a longer route to cover today (approx 7.5-8hrs of walking), it is a more moderate route than yesterday, and in any case, we have all day to cover the distance to the village of Bazaoun (1399m). The comfortable and welcoming Karam Guesthouse awaits us tonight.
Breakfast
Packed Lunch
Dinner
Guest house
Section 9 of the LMT awaits us today, straight from our guesthouse. We will cover around 21kms, taking our time (expect the route to take approx 8hrs) and enjoying some challenging sections with steep gradients along dirt and paved roads, footpaths and goat trails . It is beautifully scenic and takes us into the Tannourine Cedar Nature Reserve, one of the largest (around 60,000 trees) and densest Cedar forests in Lebanon. Our destination this evening is Tannourine Al-Fawqa, or upper Tannourine (A 'Tannour' is an old stone oven used in ancient times). We will enjoy the hospitality of Eco Dalida guesthouse tonight.
Transfer
Breakfast
3 star hotel
After several days on two feet, this morning we relax and take a transfer (2hrs 15m) to Byblos, also known as Jbeil. Believed to have been first occupied between 8800 and 7000BC it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and absolutely beautiful. We enjoy a saunter around the Old Souk and Citadel before a delicious final meal tonight at the popular Byblos Fishing Club next to the famous ancient harbour (not included). Stay Aleph Boutique Hotel.
Transfer
Breakfast
Take a transfer from Byblos to Beirut airport for your homeward journey.
Carbon Compensation is not the perfect solution, and it is important to first reduce our carbon emissions as much as we can, yet trees remain an excellent natural technology to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to slow global warming.
For every client and guide who attends a YellowWood Adventure, we donate £30 to our partner charity WeForest to plant 15 trees to (over) compensate for the carbon footprint of the tour.
We also invite our clients to match this with an optional additional £30 for another 15 trees to be planted to help compensate for the carbon footprint of their international flights.
WeForest run many tree planting and tree maintenance projects such as this seedling nursery in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil and many other projects in other countries including Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania & India.
Click Here to find out more about their amazing projects around the world.
We fully believe in, and practice Responsible Tourism, using hotels run by locals. We put time and effort into building our relationship with them to ensure you have a a great trip.
We choose hotels based on cleanliness, comfort, safety, proximity to our route (to avoid unnecessary extra travel), and a warm client welcome, as well as reliability in their service to us. Some hotels will be basic, and in modern buildings and or in towns. Wherever we can, we will choose smaller more characterful, individual hotels, but in areas where tourism is still developing, this may not be available.
An aspect of our adventures is to escape the ‘trappings’ of modern Western lifestyles and to experience new things which are exciting and memorable, and reflects the countries we are visiting.
This is adventure travel and on occasion the advertised services at a hotel (eg wifi, or hot showers!) may not be functional on our arrival. This tends to occur in the smaller, more remote hotels. Very rarely a hotel lets us down and we are required to find alternative suitable accommodation that might not be our first choice.
This trip uses hotel and guesthouse accommodation. Options are understandably more limited in more remote areas during the trekking part of the adventure. The list below gives information on our first choice of accommodation for this adventure. Where hotels and guesthouses are fully booked or unavailable, we will use an alternative of a similar standard, and equally well situated. We will provide you with an accurate list of accommodation, with contact information to leave with relatives, prior to departure on your adventure.
Beirut (Day 1 & 2): Le Commodore, Beirut
Dir Al Qamar (Day 3): Deir Al Oumara, Deir Al Qamar
Ehden (Day 4): La Reserve Horch Ehden Guesthouse
Qozhaya (Day 5): Monastery St Antoine, Qozhaya
Bsharre(Day 6): Tiger House Guesthouse
Bazaoun (Day 7): Karam Guesthouse
Tannourine (Day 8): Eco Dalida Guesthouse
Byblos (Day 9): Aleph Boutique Hotel
You will find that the hotels we use in Lebanon are of an international standard and have the facilities you would expect from a developed country. The Guesthouses will have more simple furnishings and facilities and offer shared rooms and shared bathroom facilities.
Unless you have booked a single room (where they are available) and paid the single room supplement for those nights, you will be sharing a twin room with another client (of the same gender). Single rooms are not available during the trekking days due to the small size of the guesthouse we use, and the layout of St Antonio’s Monastery. For these nights we will arrange for you to share a twin room with another client of the same gender.
Supporting you on your holiday will be an experienced, approachable and knowledgeable English speaking guide from our local partner agency, with whom we have worked with since we started running tours in Lebanon. On some days, you may be joined by additional local experts for further information and guidance. This ensures you have information and support on your trip, with your Lebanese guide offering insight into local life, history and customs, as well as routes during walks.
This adventure is a fabulous mix of sightseeing, and trekking along the Lebanon Mountain Trail and in the Qadisha Valley. The level of walking trails is variable but at times is technical and with steep ascents and descents. Terrain will be rough at times, though will also follow marked trails, footpaths and gravel tracks.
To get the most of out of this adventure, you need to be in good physical health, and be experienced hiker . Walking will be at the natural pace of the group, with regular stops, but there is walking on consecutive days, and for up to 7.5 - 8 hours during 2 of those days. You will be carrying a day pack with water, any clothing you require, sun protection and your packed lunch.
You will need to have fully broken in, comfortable walking boots for this adventure.
Please note that you need to have an open mind to adventure travel, and experiencing different cultures to your own, first hand.
Your adventure starts at the airport in Beirut. We understand that arriving into an unfamiliar airport can be very daunting, so we aim to give you as much information here as possible to help you prepare.
Flights are not included in the cost of your holiday, and whilst we are happy to help advise you, responsibility for booking the correct flights rests with you. We recommend that you use a comparison tool such as www.momondo.co.uk or www.skyscanner.net when searching for flights.
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) including security and local laws, plus passport and visa information, check www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. We also receive notifications direct from the FCDO so we are always aware of the ‘status’ in our destination countries.
All adventures can be tailored as private bespoke trips.
Please contact us for more information:
+44 207 846 0197
Select dates: Choose the dates for your adventure and consider adding any extra adventures or add-ons to enhance your experience.
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Make Booking: Click on "Make Booking." If you're booking more than 56 days before your adventure, you'll be redirected to secure WorldPay to make your deposit. If it's 56 days or less before your adventure, you'll need to make full payment. Rest assured, your money is held securely by the Travel Trust Association.
Your booking will show as 'pending' in your YellowWood online account.
Confirmation: We'll be in touch as soon as possible to confirm your booking or discuss any availability limitations. Please refrain from booking transport or flights until we've emailed you to confirm your booking. (Note: Receipt of your booking form is not confirmation.)
Making payment: Once your booking is confirmed, we'll change the status of your final invoice from 'Pending Approval' to 'Outstanding,' indicating that it's ready for payment online.
You will receive a reminder email for your final payment 56 days before the departure date.
Feel free to contact us with any questions about your adventure or booking, we're here to help!
To help you choose the right adventure for you, we have given each itinerary a grading that relates to the level of Walking / Trekking you will experience during the trip. This grading can be found on the Yellow map on the adventure page of the website.
All of our trips involve a level of general activity so are designed for people who are in good health, enjoy the outdoors, and have a taste for adventure and some level of fitness. As will be clear from our destinations, the climate (and altitude) may be different to that which you are used to, so please take this into consideration when choosing the most suitable holiday.
Please read our Adventure Itinerary & Essential Information for more information and don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to chat through whether you have found a suitable adventure for you.
You need to be in good physical health to enjoy your active holiday, but you don’t need to be an experienced hiker. These itineraries offer a mix of sightseeing and easier walking for around 2-4hrs a day, with the emphasis on sights and cultural experiences.
Walks will be well marked or on defined pathways, and often around sites of interest. The expected amount of descent/ascent will depend on the landscapes of the destination, but will not exceed 400m/day, and will often be much less. Walks are at low altitude (below 3000m).
You will not be required to carry more than a day sack with water and essentials. Ensure you are aware of the weather conditions likely in the destination you are visiting and have a pair of comfortable and worn in walking shoes/boots.
You need to have a good level of fitness and be a regular walker for these adventures, with ideally some trekking experience. You can expect to be walking for 3-6 hours per day, not including rest stops, normally on good trail paths but with some uneven surfaces at times.
You will not be required to carry more than a day sack. You may be walking in more challenging temperatures. You will generally be walking at low altitude (below 3000m) but may walk at altitudes up to 4000m. The amount of ascent could be up to 800m in a day but will frequently be less. You may walk on consecutive days.
Ensure you are aware of the weather conditions likely in the destination you are visiting and have suitable clothing for this adventure.
You need to have a good level of fitness with previous experience of trekking. Extra training before your trip will ensure that you get the most out of your adventure. Areas will be remote and terrain uneven.
Expect to walk for 5 – 8 hours a day, not including breaks, with some very steep ascents and descents. You will be walking at altitude (over 3000m but not higher than 5000m).
Ensure you are aware of the weather conditions likely in the destination you are visiting and have suitable equipment/clothing for this adventure (see the packing list for your adventure).
Please check individual itineraries for details of what you will need to be carrying with you.
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