Beirut: Cedars of God & Qadisha Valley Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.89 (102 reviews) 92% rated it 5 stars

Instant confirmationTravelers' pick

1/9

Duration8h

GroupUp to 15

PickupAt your hotel

Three Hours From Beirut, You're Standing Among Trees That Predate Empires

You get picked up from your hotel and driven north into the mountains to visit the Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great in Qadisha Valley, stop at the Gibran Museum in Bcharre, and hike through the ancient Cedars of God forest. The entrance fee and transport are included, and your English-speaking driver handles the route, so you focus on the trees and the views instead of logistics.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Qadisha Valley and Cedars Forest

Depart Beirut towards mountains
Visit Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great
Stop at Gibran Museum in Bcharre
Hike around Cedars of God Forest
Return to Beirut

The Experience

You've just landed in Beirut or you have a free day between meetings. Either way, the mountains are close enough that by mid-morning you can be stepping out of an air-conditioned vehicle into the Cedars of God forest, where the oldest trees alive in Lebanon are waiting. The drive north takes you out of the city noise and into pine and oak-covered hills, climbing toward Bcharre at around 1,600 meters. Your driver speaks English and knows the route; pickup happens from your hotel, so you don't spend the morning figuring out transport.

The day starts with the Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great, tucked into the Qadisha Valley at 950 meters, where Maronite monks settled centuries ago during the Ottoman period. The valley itself is the real draw — steep, green, layered with history. After that stop, you reach the Gibran Museum in Bcharre, a small detour that takes maybe thirty minutes but matters if you care about the poet and his connection to these mountains. Then comes the hike through the Cedars of God forest. It's not a scramble; it's a walk through the trees themselves, and the scale of them hits you quietly. You'll stand next to the oldest cedar alive and take the photo everyone takes, but the thing that stays is the silence and the weight of how long these trees have been here.

The whole day runs full — you're moving between three main stops, and the hiking portion is moderate, which means you need to be comfortable on your feet for a couple of hours. The entrance fee to the cedar forest is included, as is the vehicle and the driver's time. You return to Beirut in the late afternoon, which gives you the evening to yourself. It's the kind of trip that works if you want the main Cedars of God highlights without arranging your own transport or timing the monastery visits yourself — the fixed schedule handles all three stops in one day.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and return to Beirut, transport in an air-conditioned vehicle with an English or Arabic-speaking driver, entrance fee to the Cedars of God forest, and a guided hike through the ancient cedar trees. You'll also visit the Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great in Qadisha Valley and stop at the Gibran Museum in Bcharre.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availableNot for heart conditions

Operated by Zingy Ride

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the Cedars of God and Qadisha Valley in one day without arranging your own transport or timing the monastery visits — the fixed itinerary and included pickup take the logistics off your hands.