Home > Beirut > Cedars of Lebanon, Kozhaya and Besharreh Day Trip from Beirut
USD $85.00
Cedars of Lebanon, Kozhaya and Besharreh Day Trip from Beirut
Beirut, Lebanon
On this Beirut full-day trip, discover the villages of Besharreh and Kozhaya in Lebanon's World Heritage-listed Holy Valley before exploring the Cedars of Lebanon. Besharreh and Kozhaya are famous mainly for their magnificent, excellently preserved sites, such as the Gibran Museum and the Monastery of St Anthony. Explore these northern Lebanon cities with an expert guide before discovering the Cedars of Lebanon, a stunning grove of cedar trees that represent the country.
Leave Beirut in the morning with your professional guide and head to Besharreh -- a pretty, welcoming village in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Qadisha Valley (Lebabon's Holy Valley). On arrival in Besharreh, take a leisurely walking tour around this ancient town, the birthplace of the famous Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran. Here, visit the Gibran Museum and the town’s many ancient churches and monasteries.
Enjoy a relaxing lunch of traditional meze (Middle Eastern small dishes) and tapas at a Lebanese restaurant before continuing your day trip to the town of Kozhaya. After an approximate 1-hour journey by coach, arrive in this beautifully preserved city, part of the Holy Valley, where Maronites once hid during the turbulent Ottoman period. With your expert guide, visit the Monastery of St Anthony, which was built partly into the mountain and boasts beautiful vistas of the forest and valley.
Next, leave Kozhaya and head to the northern Lebanon to discover the Cedars of Lebanon, magnificent cedar trees that stand as a symbol of the country. Go up into Lebanon’s highest mountain range with your guide to see a cedar grove descending from ancient forests. Walk around with your guide and learn about the strong, straight and wonderfully scented wood once prized worldwide, and how these cedar forests were nearly destroyed as a result. Wood from cedar trees was always the first choice for any temple or palace, and top prices were paid for it.
After this excellent photo opportunity, board your comfortable coach for a relaxing drive back to Beirut.
Please note: Though the US Department of State has issued a warning against travel to Lebanon due to safety and security concerns, Viator’s Lebanon tours continue to operate with no disruptions. We are in frequent contact with our local suppliers and guides in Lebanon, and they report that all tours are operating as scheduled. Should the situation change, we will update this information and customers will be notified of alterations or cancellations to tours.
Fabulous day trip! Super guide, fearless coach driver, wonderful traveling companions. Comfortable coach.
Review by: jasonc, March 2018
We had a great day! Our driver was excellent and Elie our guide was informative and entertaining. Really enjoyable day and well worth it.
Review by: Teresa D, February 2018
My favorite trip in Lebanon. Cedars of Lebanon is not a big park. Perfect. Soooooo moving to be there and all the biblical stories of the Cedars of Lebanon! I took gifts for the small children of the workers at the park. Great!
Review by: Cristina T, January 2018
We took 3 tours in Lebanon with Viaotor and they were all a great experience. This one was one of my favorites. The mountain country of Lebanon is not to be missed. The cedar forest was really beautiful as was the Khalil Gibrain museum and the cathedral was incredible. The drive on this tour was beautiful.
Review by: lucyoliver5, June 2017
I really enjoyed this day out to the peace and quiet of the valley of the saints and the peaceful forest of cedars. Lebanon is a stunning country and it didn't feel like a very long drive. Lunch was great too. Our guide Suzanna was ok although a bit unfriendly to the group at times.
Review by: Shaun C, October 2016
Lovely to see the mountains of the north, such clean air. Disappointing it was such a rush only viewing the scenery from the speeding mini-bus!
Review by: Gregory A, October 2016
This was an incredibly fun day. Got picked up frommy hotel at 7:30 and didn't return till 8pm. Saw so much! The cedar forest in the mountains is incredible. It's not a large forest, more like a park, but beautiful. Going to behsharteh was amazing, very religious and beautiful. Ate lunch in the mountains, food was incredible. Good tour guide. Went to a b auotufl art museum in the mountains, tons of great photos of the views. Must see!
Review by: najwa m, June 2016
Vitoria as a company treated me great . I rearte it excellent. the beirute office that Vitor travel deals with I rate it -0 *Because the clerk in beirute office pretend to be answering mashine waisted my time and $ .I called the Lebanese travle police to resolve my prolem .I was scared to go on it
Review by: Ida S, May 2016
This is the tour that you will really enjoy. It will not get you tired, it is not so full of touristic sights. You will really enjoy the cedars while taking a walk through the woods, you will see the Kadisha valley with its monasteries built in the rock, the Gibran Museum. You will have a very tasty lunch in a family run restaurant.
Review by: diamey15oct, June 2015
good trip, car had a good ac, again no good driver for tourism.....susan the guide soso....
Review by: Mauricio A, August 2014
I loved the places we visited. Unfortunately our guide was more interested in texting than the tour itself.
Review by: DELMA C, August 2014
The cedars however are amazing. Its a short yet nice walk through the forest. The Cedars and the Qadisha valley are quite far from the city. So it turned out to be quite long and tiring. However, the view of the Valley is awe inspiring. Additionally we were a large group so it wasn't as personalized. There were a lot of kids and the guide's attention was centered around them. Suggest having smaller groups or atleast more like-minded people grouped together.
Review by: Ruby R, July 2013
I enjoyed going to all these places but our guide wasn't the brst
Review by: Raluca U, June 2013
It is more a cedar park than a forest, still we enjoyed the fresh air, bird song and of course the beautiful trees._br/_
The drive through the Holy Valley made for a very goo trip. _br/_
I would have liked to walk through a village, as the description of the tour promised._br/_
Otherwise professional guide and excellent food for lunch, even if there was no view from the place - you sort of expect that in the Kadisha Valley.
Review by: Sara M, April 2013
Great tour to see the remaining cedars of old! I loved walking around on the snow covered mountains and being in the forest where you could not only see, but smell the cedars as well. A well worth trip up the mountain. The tour guide knew his way around the park and was able to point out the oldest trees remaining in the forest.
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