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Offered languages
- English
he Chouf Mountains offer Lebanon at its most diverse — and this private full-day tour from Beirut captures three of the region's most rewarding experiences in a single, beautifully paced day. Begin with a moderate one-hour hike through the Maaser el Shouf Cedar Reserve — Lebanon's largest nature reserve and home to one of the country's most extensive surviving cedar forests, a UNESCO-recognised landscape of extraordinary ecological richness. Then visit Beiteddine Palace — one of the finest 19th-century palaces in the Arab world — before ending the afternoon in Deir el Qamar, Lebanon's first capital, where honey-stone mansions and centuries of quiet coexistence define one of the most enchanting villages in the country.
Nature, architecture, and history — all within the same mountain range, all in one private day, entirely at your own pace with a knowledgeable English-speaking driver who knows every road and every story in the Chouf.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
We pick up travelers from any Hotel, Airbnb or Residence in Beirut.
Itinerary
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Beirut (Pass by)
9:00 AM — Departure from Beirut Your knowledgeable English-speaking driver collects you from your Beirut hotel and heads southeast into the Chouf Mountains — pine and cedar-forested ridges rising steeply above the coastal plain as you climb toward Maaser el Shouf and the biosphere reserve.
Admission ticket free -
1Shouf Cedars Reserve
Arrive at the Maaser el Shouf Cedar Reserve — the heart of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve, Lebanon's largest nature reserve and one of the most ecologically significant protected landscapes in the Middle East. The reserve protects one of Lebanon's most extensive surviving cedar forests — ancient trees descended from the vast cedar forests that once covered these mountains and whose timber built Phoenician ships, Solomon's Temple, and the palaces of Egypt. A moderate one-hour hike takes you along the marked trail through the grove — terrain that includes some inclines and rocky sections that make it more engaging than a gentle stroll. Ancient cedar trunks tower above you, the mountain air is cool and clear, and the silence of a protected forest at altitude is something that stays with you. Your driver shares the story of the reserve, the conservation efforts that saved these trees, and the remarkable ecology of the Shouf on the drive up and back.
45 minutes • Admission ticket not included -
2
Arrive at one of the most magnificent palaces in the Arab world — built between 1788 and 1840 by Emir Bashir II, the ruler who unified Lebanon's fractured mountain communities under a single authority. Three grand interconnected courtyards decorated with hand-cut geometric tilework, carved cedar-wood ceilings, and elaborately painted reception halls reveal the extraordinary ambition and craftsmanship of this mountain retreat. Beneath the palace, an underground museum preserves Lebanon's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics — floor panels of extraordinary colour and detail. After the natural grandeur of the cedar forest, the human grandeur of Beiteddine feels like a perfect counterpoint — both extraordinary achievements, one by nature and one by hand, both in the same Chouf mountain landscape. Your driver shares the full story of Emir Bashir and his remarkable palace.
1 hour • Admission ticket not included -
3Deir el Qamar
Drive down to Deir el Qamar — meaning "Monastery of the Moon" — one of the most enchanting and best-preserved villages in Lebanon and the country's first capital under the Ma'an dynasty. The central square is framed by honey-stone mansions dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, a Druze palace, and public buildings that speak to the village's former political importance. A mosque and a church stand metres apart in the same square — the quiet, enduring coexistence that defines Lebanon at its most harmonious and its most human.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Fakhreddine's Mosque
Fakhreddine Mosque & Saydet el Tallé Church Visit the 17th-century mosque built by Fakhreddine II — the visionary Druze emir considered one of the founding fathers of modern Lebanon — before climbing to the hilltop Maronite church with sweeping views over the Chouf valleys below. After a day that began in the cedar forest and moved through a presidential palace, ending at two places of worship that have peacefully shared the same hillside for centuries feels like exactly the right conclusion.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5Deir el Qamar
Lunch in Deir el Qamar — optional Settle into one of Deir el Qamar's traditional mountain restaurants for a long, unhurried Lebanese lunch — stone-vaulted dining rooms and shaded terraces serving generous mezze spreads, grilled meats, and fresh mountain bread with Chouf valley views. After a morning hike and an afternoon in a presidential palace, this is the most natural and satisfying way to end a day in the Chouf Mountains.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
Beirut (Pass by)
Return to Beirut — approx. 5:30–6:00 PM Mountain drive back to Beirut with drop-off at your hotel — completing a full day that moved from ancient cedar forest to imperial palace to Lebanon's first capital, all within the extraordinary Chouf Mountains.
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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