Photo by Mark Frangie
The Horsh Ehden Natural Reserve is on the upper northwestern slopes of Mount Lebanon. Ranging in altitude from 1200m to 2000m, the quiet forests here are filled with juniper, fir and the country’s last protected community of wild apple trees, with bordering patches of cedar. During a peaceful hike through the forest, lucky visitors might spot an endangered Eastern Imperial Eagle or Bonelli’s Eagle, a gray wolf, or even a wildcat from afar.
Whether you need a guide and a rental bike, or you bring your own and just want to move around at your own pace, the Horsh Ehden Natural Reserve is very bike-friendly. Cool off after an exhilarating ride on a hot summer’s day at one of many water sources, the most important of which are Ain Al-Naasa, Nabaa Jouït and Ain Al-Baiada. On your ride, keep an eye out for over 1,058 plant species that have been recorded in the reserve – they account for nearly 40% of all the plant species in Lebanon!
While many locals move lower down the mountains for the long winter months, snow bunnies will enjoy taking advantage of snowshoeing and backcountry skiing. Instead of hitting up a busy ski resort, imagine snowshoeing in silence with no one around through a dark green forest of fir with the ground blanketed in white. And a place as wild and snowy as Ehden was seemingly made for backcountry skiing.
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.
