Photo by Evan Williams
There is a wide network of hiking trails at the Qadicha Valley – Qadicha means “Holy” in Aramaic. It has sheltered Christian monastic communities for centuries in the cave dwellings. The rugged mountain wilderness slopes here at the foot of Mount al-Makmel and just west of the Forest of the Cedars of God are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Cedars Ski Resort Bsharri is Lebanon’s oldest ski center. People have been recorded backcountry skiing here since the 1920s and the first lift was installed in 1953. It is now a well developed resort just 7km from the town of Bsharri with English-speaking instructors on hand to help – at a price around half of what it costs to ski in Europe.
Under Ottoman rule, Maasser el Chouf was famous for its vineyards, used in wine and Arak distilleries, and mulberry orchards, which were a crucial component of silk worm farming. Its Biosphere reserves will quickly beckon you into the surrounding countryside.
Jezzine, an inland destination in southern Lebanon, is a hub for nature tourism due to its stunning mountain views, plentiful pine forests and refreshing waterfalls
The most visited tourism district in Lebanon, Keserwan stretches from the coast to the mountains and is home to the world-famous Jabal Moussa UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Located 50km north of Beirut, this small ancient city offers simple outdoor pleasures of hiking, rock climbing, and relaxing days at the beach.
First occupied between 8800 and 7000 BC and continuously inhabited since 5000 BC, Byblos is one of the oldest cities in the world. Rich not just in history, this region has coastline, forests, caves, waterfalls and skiing.
Hometown of Kahlil Gibran who wrote The Prophet, Bsharri is also famous for being the town of the only remaining and preserved original Cedars of God (Cedrus libani). It is an inland destination with the highest peak in Lebanon, the Kornet el Sawda summit which offers incredible panoramic mountain views.
Ehden has intense winters perfect for snowshoeing and backcountry skiing and mild summers ideal for hiking or biking through the forests that this area is known for.
This wild and sparsely populated region in the northernmost part of Lebanon has natural landscapes from coastal plains to high mountains.
