Qadisha Valley, Cedars Hike & Gibran Museum | Small-Group Tour
- 9 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- 2 languages
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
The north of Lebanon is where the country reveals its most ancient and most dramatic self — and this small-group tour takes you deep into it. Begin at the Qadisha Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage gorge where Christian monks have carved their sanctuaries into sheer limestone cliffs since the 4th century. Visit the Khalil Gibran Museum in Bcharre — the intimate hilltop collection of the poet whose book The Prophet has sold over 100 million copies. Walk among the Cedars of God on a gentle 45-minute guided hike through a UNESCO-protected grove of ancient trees, some over 1,000 years old. And end the day at the Monastery of Saint Anthony of Kozhaya — a cliff-face sanctuary housing the first printing press ever used in the Middle East. All tickets and lunch included. Suitable for all fitness levels. A day that gives you the full depth of Lebanon's most extraordinary northern landscape.
Inclusions
What's included
- Comfortable transportation
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Taste real Lebanon with a fresh, authentic lunch included.
- Tickets / Admission to the Sites (if option selected)
- Small group sizes
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Professional, knowledgeable guides
What's not
- Gratuities
Itinerary
8:30 AM — Departure from Beirut Your professional guide meets you at your Beirut hotel and heads north along the coastal highway before climbing into the Lebanese mountains — cedar-forested slopes rising around you as the altitude increases and the temperature drops toward the north.
Arrive at the rim of the Qadisha Valley — one of the most breathtaking viewpoints in Lebanon and the entire Middle East. The sheer limestone walls of the gorge drop hundreds of metres to the valley floor, with ancient monastery caves and hermitages 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 spiritual and historical significance of the valley and points out the cliff-face communities that chose the most inaccessible places they could find to protect their faith. A 15-minute stop that leaves a lasting impression.
Visit the museum dedicated to Khalil Gibran — Lebanon's most celebrated poet, philosopher, and painter, whose book The Prophet has sold over 100 million copies in more than 100 languages. Housed in a former Carmelite monastery carved into the cliff above Bcharre, the museum contains Gibran's original oil paintings, watercolours, drawings, and personal manuscripts — far more than most visitors expect. His tomb is here in the cave chapel at the heart of the monastery, exactly where he asked to be buried — returning in death to the mountain village that shaped everything he wrote. Your guide brings Gibran's extraordinary life and philosophy to life in the place where it began.
Cedars of God — gentle guided hike through the ancient grove Lace up your walking shoes for the highlight of the day — a gentle 45-minute guided hike through the Cedars of God, a UNESCO-protected grove of ancient cedar trees at 2,000 metres above sea level. Some trees are over 1,000 years old, their massive trunks measuring more than 14 metres in circumference — these are the descendants of the vast forests that built Phoenician ships, Solomon's Temple, and Egyptian palaces. The marked trail winds through the grove at a comfortable pace suitable for all fitness levels — no steep climbs, no technical sections, just an unhurried walk among trees of extraordinary scale and silence. Your guide explains the ecology of this protected forest, the centuries of overlogging that nearly destroyed it, and the conservation story behind what remains. One of the most memorable walks in Lebanon.
Lunch in Bcharre — included A well-earned lunch at one of Bcharre's traditional mountain restaurants after the cedar hike — generous Lebanese mountain mezze, grilled meats, and fresh bread served on terraces with sweeping views over the Qadisha Valley below. Fully included in your tour price.
Descend into the Qadisha Valley for the day's most atmospheric final stop — the Monastery of Saint Anthony of Kozhaya, one of Lebanon's oldest monasteries, carved directly into the limestone cliff face of the valley wall in the 12th century. Cave chapels, ancient stone cells, and the deep silence of the gorge create a sense of complete remove from the modern world. Inside, two extraordinary historical treasures await: a cave sanctuary that has been a site 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. A quietly extraordinary end to a day in Lebanon's most ancient landscape.
Return to Beirut — approx. 6:00–7:00 PM Scenic drive back south along the coastal highway with drop-off at your Beirut hotel — completing a full day in the ancient, spiritual, and breathtaking north of Lebanon, with every ticket paid and every meal taken care of.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 536
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Ratings come from 39 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5Amazing Cedars
I traveled to Cedars of God with Lebanon Tours in may 2025. Our group was small which made things easier. The Museum of Khalil Gibran is interesting and the Cedars Forest is impressive as so are the views of the Valley. Our tour guide Albert is very kind and respectful. Just one thing I have to add and that is that they should advise everyone to bring a sweater or a jacket since your are traveling to a place above 2000 meters above sea level
5Fantastic!
Formidable experience, totally recommend it! The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. The tour was exactly as explained in the website. I would definitely book another tour with them.
5Excellent day. Highly recommend
Due to the situation with Israel, Lebanon has very few tourists. I was alone on the trip and it was wonderful.
5Beautiful monastery, Gibran museum, and the unmisserable Cedars of God
I’ve taken five tours with Lebanon tours and travel, and all of them were fantastic. Our guide for this tour was Hassan, and we enjoyed a lot the visits, restaurant and all his explanations. He even dropped us in the Mineral museum as requested in our way back to the hotel!. Don’t have any doubt, Lebanon tours & travel is a serious and reliable company.
5Calm beautiful day in mountains and nature
We decided last minute to the this tour, and boy were we glad we did. Georgette took us on an amazing trip and shared so much of the history of the region and religioun. The museum og Gibran was sth I had not heard of but was so beautiful. Highly recommend as its a beautiful part of the mountainous Lebanon
5Book with Lebanon Tours you won’t be disappointed
Another trip with the amazing Lebanon Tour team- informative, friendly driver and tour guide and a full packed day! It’s so nice to find a tour company where the drivers are passionate, knowledgeable of what we are going to see and are seeing enroute, friendly and drive so safely and every trip we’ve done all the drivers are this! Suzanna was brilliant from the moment she picked us up she gave us facts, and information about life here, before and what we were seeing, absolutely brilliant guide thank you!
Know before you go
- Pickup
- Pickup is included for everyone.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 15 travellers
- Operated by
- Lebanon Tours & travels
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
How it compares in Beirut
- Its from-price is 45% below the median of the 193 day trips we list in Beirut.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 17 of 193.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Beirut
Beirut is Lebanon's capital on a Mediterranean headland, a Phoenician port city with Roman remains and mountains rising close behind.
Beirut juts into the Mediterranean on a rocky headland, with the snow-streaked peaks of Mount Lebanon rising behind. Founded by the Phoenicians, it became the Roman city of Berytus, famed for its school of law, and the remains of Roman baths lie in the city centre. The Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque, with its blue domes, and the nearby churches of St George show the mix of faiths.
Top-ranked sights in Beirut: Jeita Grotto, Our Lady of Lebanon (Notre Dame du Liban), Byblos (Jbeil).
Special offers in Beirut
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
