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Highlights Of Lebanon

Lebanon is captivating and full of surprises, with snowy mountain peaks, ancient ruins, Crusader ports and Beirut – its lively capital

5000 years ago, when Sidon was still just a fishing village, Byblos was already well on the way to becoming a major Mediterranean port. The city’s principal Goddess (Baal-lat) was important to the Egyptian pharaohs, who presented her temple with many offerings.

Later, Byblos came under the control of Ramses II, and later still the Phoenicians took control of the area. Greeks, Romans, Crusaders and Arabs all followed and each successive wave of conquerors has left their mark on this small, but fascinating country. We delve right into the beautiful Qadish Valley and marvel at the cedars that helped bring this land its power in ancient times. Driving via the mountains we reach the outstanding Roman site at Baalbek, with its massive acropolis containing the remnants of the Temple of Jupiter and the well-preserved Temple of Bacchus. We also explore the charming 19th century palace of Beit Eddine and visit the Crusader castle in Sidon. Our trip ends in Beirut, where we have ample time to discover elegant shops, delicious food, great coffee and one of the best museums in the Middle East.



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Tour Highlights

  • Beit Eddine Palace in the Chouf Mountains
  • Baalbek's colossal stone block structures
  • Paleolithic Jeitta Grottos
  • Shouf Cedars Forest
  • UNESCO World Heritage-listed Byblos
  • The Phoenician city of Sidon

Inclusions

  • Peregrine tour leader, arrival transfer, private air-conditioned vehicles, sightseeing & entrance fees.

  • Private aircon bus
  • 7 breakfasts

Highlights Of Lebanon

Day 1
Beirut
Meals Privided:
On arrival at Beirut International Airport, you are met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. As this is simply an arrival day you may arrive in Beirut at any time. Note that hotel rooms are generally only available after midday. The balance of the day is free to explore your surroundings, but a Welcome Meeting is normally held in the evening to meet your tour leader and fellow travellers.
Day 2
Beirut – Aanjar - Baalbek
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
We depart Beirut this morning and head to Aanjar, a prominently Armenian town inhabited by refugees. Aanjar is home to the Umayyad city, thought to have been built around 710 AD. Boasting a typically Hellenistic-Roman layout dating from the first centuries of Islam, the city was discovered by accident in the 1940s and now holds great historical significance. We have time to explore the city before heading to visit the Ksara Vineyard. Lebanon is one of the oldest sites of wine production in the world and this is the oldest commercial vineyard in Lebanon, dating from the 18th century. The winery tour includes a visit to underground caves with nearly two kilometres of tunnels and a tasting of the local wine. We head on to Baalbek, one of the most extraordinary and enigmatic holy places of ancient times. Long before the Romans conquered the area and built their enormous temple of Jupiter, and even long before the Phoenicians constructed a temple to the god Baal, Baalbek already existed as the largest stone block construction found in the entire world. We spend time exploring the site before heading back to Beirut for the evening.
Day 3
Bcharre – The Cedars - Qadisha Valley
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
We depart Beirut early for our drive north to Bcharre. We pass through some of the most beautiful scenery in Lebanon as we drive the mountain roads. We can spot Qornet as-Sawda (3090m), Lebanon's highest peak, and get some amazing views of the Qadisha valley below. We arrive in Bcharre, situated at an altitude of around 1950 metres and may have time for a cup of tea before heading off to visit the famous Gibran museum, a 19th century monastery and the burial place of poet and artist Khalil Gibran. Adding to the experience are some outstanding views over the valley below from the museum's terrace. We drive a few kilometres out of Bcharre to the cedars, the remnants of a vast Cedar forest that once covered the area; some of these slow growing trees are thought to be well over 1000 years old. The Cedars of Lebanon were mentioned in the Old Testament and provided a source of wealth for the ancient Phoenicians who traded the wood to Egypt and Palestine. We have the opportunity to hike in the World Heritage listed Qadisha Valley, passing centuries old monasteries, caves and chapels before we head back to Bcharre for the evening.
Day 4
Tripoli - Byblos
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
After breakfast we drive towards the coast to Tripoli, the second-largest city in Lebanon. Founded during the Persian period before eventually being destroyed by the Mamelukes in 1289, Tripoli is famous for its Mamluk architecture and has the best souk in Lebanon. It's a great city to explore for a day. We visit the Citadel, originally a Crusader Castle; it was constructed for Raymond de Saint-Gilles, founder of the County of Tripoli. It has been extensively renovated and remodelled over the years, most recently in the early 19th century. After a visit to the citadel, we spend time exploring the old souks, renowned throughout the region. Tripoli is famous for its Arabic sweets and no trip would be complete without sampling some of these sugary delights. After a fascinating day we drive to nearby Byblos for the night.
Day 5
Byblos – Jeita Grotto - Beirut
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
Byblos is a modern town with an ancient heart and a particularly picturesque port. It gave its name to the Bible and it was here that the first linear alphabet, precursor of our own, was invented. We visit the old Roman medieval port and nearby we see the extensive excavated remains of the city's past which dates back from the Stone Age to the Crusader era. This old part of town with its archaeological areas dominated by the Crusader castle, make Byblos a popular destination. We then drive to visit one of Lebanon highlights, Jeitta Grottos. Few caverns in the world approach the astounding wealth or the extent of those of Jeita. In these caves and galleries which have been known to mankind since Paleolithic times, the action of water has created cathedral-like vaults beneath the wooded hills of Mount Lebanon. We head back to Beirut this evening. Life has returned to normal in downtown Beirut. Once regarded as the 'Paris of the Middle East', it has emerged again as a lively and vibrant city with busy cafes, great restaurants, numerous shops and several up-market shopping malls. Its mix of peoples, religions and cultures gives it a dynamic edge and it is certainly well worth spending some time soaking up its unique atmosphere
Day 6
Beirut – Sidon – Jezzine – Deir Al Qamar
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
Leaving Beirut early, we drive south until we reach the old Phoenician city of Sidon. As we approach, we can see the famous Sea Castle in the distance, a fortress built by the Crusaders in the early 13th century on a small island connected to the mainland by a causeway. Downtown, the busy main street is full of small shops of every variety, including patisseries with oriental delicacies stacked in little pyramids. Sidon is also famous for a variety of local sweets, which you can watch being made in the old bazaar. The particular specialty of Sidon is known as 'senioura', a deliciously crumbly cookie. We continue to Jezzine, famous for its handmade cutlery; we will have the chance to see one of the artists at work in this tranquil setting. We also have time to enjoy the scenery views of Jezzine. We head to Deir Al-Qamar to end a long, but rewarding day.
Day 7
Deir Al-Qamar – Shouf Cedar forest - Beit Eddine- Beirut
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
Deir Al-Qamar is one of the best preserved examples of 17th and 18th century provincial architecture in Lebanon and we spend a few hours this morning exploring this beautiful historic site. We continue to the relatively 'modern' palace at Beit Eddine - a jewel of Ottoman architecture. We explore the midan (public square), a huge rectangular place for visitors, and enjoy a spectacular view from the beautiful gardens. A large section of the Palace's private apartments have been opened to visitors and we see the finely sculpted doors and columns, as well as a unique collection of mosaics in the ancient stablesWe then drive to Shouf Cedars Forest - the largest of Lebanon's nature reserves. Al-Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve stretches from Dahr Al-Baidar in the north to Niha Mountain in the south. Blanketed with oak forests on its north-eastern slopes and juniper and oak forests on its south-eastern slopes, the reserve's most famous attractions are its three magnificent cedar forests of Maasser Al-Shouf, Barouk and Ain Zhalta-Bmohary. These cedar forests account for a quarter of the remaining cedar forests in Lebanon. In the early afternoon we return for the last time to Beirut. There is the opportunity to head out for a meal and the city's famed night life on our last evening together in Lebanon.
Day 8
Beirut
Meals Privided:
Breakfast
Your trip ends today after breakfast. Check-out time is usually around 12 noon and you are free to leave at any time. If you have arranged a private airport transfer you will be advised of the pick-up time. Additional accommodation can be pre-booked if you wish to spend more time exploring Beirut.

IN A NUTSHELL

8 days
$1,590
15

TOUR INFORMATION

Start End Price
24/02/201202/03/2012 $1,590
30/11/201207/12/2012 $1,590
14/12/201221/12/2012 $1,590
28/12/201204/01/2013 $1,590
11/01/201318/01/2013 $1,590
25/01/201301/02/2013 $1,590
08/02/201315/02/2013 $1,590
22/02/201301/03/2013 $1,590
08/03/201315/03/2013 $1,590
22/03/201329/03/2013 $1,590
05/04/201312/04/2013 $1,590
19/04/201326/04/2013 $1,590
03/05/201310/05/2013 $1,590
17/05/201324/05/2013 $1,590
31/05/201307/06/2013 $1,590
14/06/201321/06/2013 $1,590
28/06/201305/07/2013 $1,590
16/11/201223/11/2012 $1,590
02/11/201209/11/2012 $1,590
23/03/201230/03/2012 $1,590
06/04/201213/04/2012 $1,590
20/04/201227/04/2012 $1,590
04/05/201211/05/2012 $1,590
18/05/201225/05/2012 $1,590
01/06/201208/06/2012 $1,590
15/06/201222/06/2012 $1,590
29/06/201206/07/2012 $1,590
13/07/201220/07/2012 $1,590
27/07/201203/08/2012 $1,590
10/08/201217/08/2012 $1,590
24/08/201231/08/2012 $1,590
07/09/201214/09/2012 $1,590
21/09/201228/09/2012 $1,590
05/10/201212/10/2012 $1,590
19/10/201226/10/2012 $1,590
12/07/201319/07/2013 $1,590
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