Qadisha Valley, Cedars & Baalbek Small-Group Tour | May–Oct

5.0 (2 reviews) 8–9 hours Free cancellation

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2 reviews

5.0

Qadisha Valley, Cedars & Baalbek Small-Group Tour | May–Oct — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Qadisha Valley, Cedars & Baalbek Small-Group Tour | May–Oct, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

This is Lebanon's most dramatic one-day journey — and it only exists for six months of the year. Beginning deep in the Qadisha Valley at one of Lebanon's oldest cliff-face monasteries, ascending through UNESCO World Heritage landscapes to the ancient Cedars of God at 2,000 metres, then crossing the high mountain pass into the Bekaa Valley to stand inside the greatest Roman temple complex on earth — all with tickets and lunch included, nothing extra to pay.

The route itself is the experience. The mountain road that opens each May — crossing from the cedar forests of the north directly over the Lebanese mountain range into the Bekaa toward Baalbek — is one of the most spectacular drives in the Middle East, and one that the vast majority of Lebanon visitors never get to take. This small-group tour puts you on it, with a professional guide bringing every stop fully to life.

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At a glance

Duration: 8–9 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 15 people
People per booking: 1–10
Guide: Arabic, English
Operated by: Lebanon Tours & travels

Ages: Adults (0–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Comfortable transportation
Included: Tour Leader
Included: Entry / Admissions to Historical Sites
Included: Taste real Lebanon with a fresh, authentic lunch included.
Included: Hotel pick up and Drop off
Included: Small group sizes
Included: In-vehicle air conditioning: Air-conditioned vehicle
Included: Professional, knowledgeable guides

Not included

Not included: Gratuities

Itinerary

Beirut

Passing by

8:30 AM — Departure from Beirut

Your guide meets you at your Beirut hotel and heads north along the coastal highway before climbing into the northern Lebanese mountains — the landscape shifting from Mediterranean shore to cedar-forested peaks as you gain altitude toward the Qadisha Valley.
Maronite Monastery of St. Anthony The Great

30 min

Begin at the bottom of the Qadisha Valley at one of Lebanon's oldest and most atmospheric monasteries — the Monastery of Saint Anthony of Kozhaya, carved directly into the limestone cliff face of the valley wall in the 12th century. Cave chapels, ancient stone cells, and the sound of the valley echoing around you create a sense of complete remove from the modern world. Inside, two treasures await — a cave sanctuary that has been a place of pilgrimage for over eight centuries, and the first printing press ever used in the Middle East, brought here by Maronite monks in the 16th century to print liturgical texts in Arabic and Syriac. Your guide tells the full story of this extraordinary place before you begin the ascent through the valley above.
Qadisha Valley

Passing by

Ascend to the rim of the Qadisha Valley — one of the most breathtaking viewpoints in Lebanon — and look back down into the gorge you just came from. The sheer limestone walls drop hundreds of metres to the valley floor, with ancient monastery caves visible in the rock face below. Qadisha means "Holy" in Aramaic — a name earned over seventeen centuries of Christian monasticism in this dramatic natural sanctuary. Your guide explains the full spiritual and historical significance of the valley from above before the road climbs on toward the cedars.
The Cedars of God

45 min Admission included

Walk among the Cedars of God — a UNESCO-protected grove of ancient cedar trees at the roof of Lebanon, some over 1,000 years old, their massive trunks measuring more than 14 metres in circumference. These are the descendants of the forests that built Phoenician ships, Solomon's Temple, and Egyptian palaces — and standing among them at 2,000 metres above sea level, with the Bekaa Valley beginning to appear on the other side of the mountain ridge, is one of the most memorable moments in any Lebanon itinerary. A 30-minute guided walk takes you through the grove at your own pace before the mountain road east begins — the road that only opens in May and makes the rest of today possible.
Stop 5

15 min

Before the temples, stop at the ancient Roman quarry to see the Stone of the Pregnant Woman — a single limestone block 21 metres long and weighing an estimated 1,000 tonnes, still lying where it was cut 2,000 years ago and never moved. After the natural scale of the cedars and the valley, this man-made monument sets the extraordinary scale of what awaits at the temple complex.
Baalbek Temple

1 h 30 min Admission included

Enter the greatest Roman temple complex on earth — a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Temple of Jupiter stands on Trilithon stones each weighing over 800 tonnes, and the Temple of Bacchus, larger than the Parthenon and almost entirely intact, is the best-preserved Roman temple in the world. Your guide brings the full story of Baalbek — from Phoenician sacred site to Roman sanctuary to Byzantine church to Arab fortress — to life in one of the most awe-inspiring archaeological sites anywhere on earth.
Stop 7

one hour

Lunch in Baalbek — included

A well-earned lunch at a local Baalbek restaurant — hearty Bekaa Valley mezze, grilled meats, and fresh flatbread in a town that has been feeding travellers for two thousand years. Fully included in your tour price.
Beirut

Passing by

Return to Beirut — approx. 6:00–7:00 PM

Scenic drive back over the Lebanese mountains via the Damascus highway with drop-off at your Beirut hotel — completing a day that began in a cliff-face monastery, rose to the ancient cedars, crossed a mountain pass, and ended inside the greatest Roman temples on earth.