Lebanon
A forest of millennia-old cedars mentioned in the Bible, then a sacred valley carved into the mountain
Lebanon
A journey through mountainous northern Lebanon, far from Beirut and Baalbek: the Cedars of God forest, the last remnant of the cedar forests that once covered all of Mount Lebanon and supplied timber to the temples of ancient Egypt, then the Qadisha Valley, a deep gorge listed by UNESCO where Christian monasteries and hermitages have clung to the rock since the earliest days of Christianity.
When
May to Oct
Price
From 2 100€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
5 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds in the Cedars of God forest, the last protected remnant of the immense cedar forests of Lebanon that once covered the entire mountain and whose wood, famed for resisting rot, was used to build Egyptian temples and the First Temple of Jerusalem. Some trees in this UNESCO-listed grove are over a thousand years old and rise more than thirty-five metres, a national symbol that even appears on the country's flag.
Day 1
A walk among the millennia-old cedars
A walk through the protected grove of the Cedars of God to discover the oldest trees, some said to be over a thousand years old, with views over the surrounding peaks.
Day 2
The mountain village of Bcharré
A visit to Bcharré, the birthplace of poet Khalil Gibran perched facing the Qadisha Valley, and its museum housed in a former cave monastery.
Days 1-2
A descent into the Qadisha Valley, a deep gorge carved into Mount Lebanon whose name means "holy" in Aramaic, a refuge for Christian monastic communities since the earliest centuries of Christianity. Monasteries and hermitages, some still inhabited by monks or hermits, cling to the steep cliffs above a river that carved this landscape, UNESCO-listed for its combined natural and spiritual significance.
Day 1
A hike to Deir Qannoubine Monastery
A hike along the valley's steep trails to Deir Qannoubine Monastery, one of the oldest in Lebanon, once the seat of the Maronite patriarchate.
Day 2
The cave hermitages and the valley floor
A descent to the valley floor to visit cave hermitages carved into the cliff, some still inhabited, along the Qadisha River.
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