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The stunning landscapes & culture are closer than every!
Day 1 arrival Beirut Int’l Airport Meet & Assist transfer to hotel in Zahleh/Beqaa Valley. Check-in, freshen-up before a nice dinner! Day 2 the delights of vine & wine of the valley Drive along the countryside road. Visit Aammique Nature Reserve, a wetlands of 100 hectare – 250 acre) and an important staging and wintering area for migratory water birds en route between Europe and Africa, located in midway between Zahleh and Kefrayya where you will arrive to explore the delights of this winery. Harvest begins at Chateau Kefrayya between 25th of August and 1st of September each year. The grape-varieties for this winery age partly in vats and partly in barrels coming from best French oaks. Aging lasts 16 to 18 months before fining, and bottling 18 to 20 months after harvest. Lunch will be served at the Winery’s restaurant. Dinner at the hotel. Walking time: 2hrs-easy. Day 3 where history and wine meet In the heart of the valley lies the KSARA estate, so named because it was the site of a ksar, or fortress, at the time of the Crusades. Ksara’s natural wine cellar was a grotto discovered by the Romans, and enlarged to their present size during WW1. There are 20 hectares of noble varietals such as Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Grenache and Cabernet-Sauvignon. Yields are low from a clay/chalky soil, but the wines it produces are concentrated, aromatic and possess a marked personality. This day will start with a visit to this winery itself where you will watch a documentary film about this property and wine producing, followed by a tour into the wine cellars caves and then enjoy the wine tasting. Ride after then towards the vineyards of Ksara which will give you an opportunity to meet the villagers who gain their living on this industry. Lunch will be served at local restaurant overlooking the Berdawni River valley in town Zahleh. Drive to the Baalbeck. Explore the greatest temple to Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, and of course to visit the other mighty sites of the place. Check-in at nearby Palmyra Hotel. Dinner will be served. Day 4 from Baalbeck to Assi River Drive to the town of Hermel. Walk till Assi River Camp, check-in your cottage. BBQ trout lunch will be served along the river’s banks. Pm- Trek the ancient sites spread in the landscape all-round the place: Kasser el-Bounat (31B.C~50A.C), the Cuneiform writings (650 B.C) and Naboukhad Nassar (650 B.C). Evening- fire circle, cool breeze and villager’s dinner. Overnight. Total walking time: 5hrs easy level. Day 5 Cross back Mount Lebanon Range down the coastal highway towards Byblos, the town of alphabet and the original home of the Phoenicians. Trek its old streets and test tour bargaining efficiency at the bazaars! Visit the Citadel and chat with fishermen who will invite you for a boat trip during which they will uncover part of their secrets concerning how they do fishing with their nets! Have lunch at a local fish restaurant near the old fishermen’s harbor. Drive to Beirut for city tour and enjoy a walk in the old part of the renovated Beirut called Solidere, a best example of domestic architecture and the French/Ottoman influence resembled in the renovated charming buildings.
Day 6 A full day to explore the Phoenician coastal town of Tyre 84km to the south. On the way back, visit another famous Phoenician town, Sidon with its old covered markets where you will watch the handicraftsmen doing many traditional items that are still used- but very limited – which are almost forgotten in the new so-called civilized world! Visit the museum of Soap and learn the old traditional soap hand-made and all related to bathing in old times. Visit the town’s Sea Castle and have a seat at a traditional local street café for a glass of lemonade- a famous traditional drink of Sidon. Day 7 Transfer departure Beirut airport.
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