Jeita Grotto & Harissa from Beirut: Private morning tour

Underground caves and a mountaintop shrine in one private morning

A private five-hour tour from Beirut combines Jeita Grotto (a UNESCO tentative World Heritage Site with cave systems reaching 9 kilometres underground), and Harissa, a 650-metre mountaintop crowned by the bronze Our Lady of Lebanon statue. You walk the upper cave past stalactites and stalagmites up to 8 metres tall, ride a silent electric boat through the lower cave along an underground river, then ascend by cable car to panoramic views over the Lebanese coast. Hotel pickup and drop-off included. Back by early afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Jeita Grotto and Harissa

• Hotel pickup in Beirut
• Explore upper Jeita Grotto cave on foot
• Ride electric boat in lower Jeita Grotto cave
• Drive to Jounieh seafront
• Take Harissa cable car to mountaintop
• Visit Our Lady of Lebanon shrine
• Return to Beirut hotel

Stops and time spent at each 2 stops

1. Jeita Grotto 1h 30m
2. Our Lady of Lebanon 30m

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned vehicle for your group.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Beirut.
• Harissa cable car ride.
• Jeita Grotto upper cave walk and lower cave boat ride.
• access to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon.
• knowledgeable English-speaking driver throughout.
• key facts and geological context at every stop.

Times

• Tuesday to Sunday 09:00

Another day? ›

Before you book

Group Private 3 group tours ›

Live guide English and Arabic Another language? ›

Meeting point and pickup Hotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refunds Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Good to know

Low physical effort Infant seats available

Operated by Beirut Daily Tours

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

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Traveler reviews

5.00 ★★★★★ Exceptional 2 verified traveler reviews

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The experience

How do you fit two of Lebanon's most visited landmarks into a single morning without renting a car or joining a group? This private tour leaves your Beirut hotel at 9:00 AM and reaches Jeita Grotto 30 minutes north. The grotto itself is two separate cave systems: the upper cave is a walk through formations that have taken millions of years to form, with stalactites and stalagmites reaching up to 8 metres. The lower cave is a silent electric boat ride along an underground river, where the scale and stillness are the point. Your driver shares the geological context at the entrance, then you move through at your own pace: no group schedule, no rushing. Photography is not permitted inside.

From underground, the tour transitions to mountaintop. You board the Téléférique cable car at Jounieh seafront and ascend 650 metres as Jounieh Bay opens below you. The ride itself is one of the most photographed aerial views in Lebanon. At the top sits the 8.5-metre bronze statue of Our Lady of Lebanon, arms outstretched toward the Mediterranean: a shrine revered by Christians and Muslims alike, surrounded by the Maronite Basilica and neighbouring churches. Spend as long as you want here. The vehicle waits. You're back at your Beirut hotel by 1:30 to 2:00 PM, leaving the whole afternoon free.

Entrance fees for Jeita Grotto and the cable car are payable on site, so you control what you spend. The private vehicle is exclusively yours throughout, and your English-speaking driver handles the route and shares the story of each stop. The lower cave boat may close during high water seasons, and cable car operation is subject to weather.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Arabic.

What is Jeita Grotto actually like inside?

Jeita Grotto is a 9-kilometre limestone cave system with two sections. The upper cave is a walk past stalactites and stalagmites up to 8 metres tall, formed over millions of years into formations photographs cannot capture. The lower cave is explored by silent electric boat along an underground river. The stillness and scale have to be experienced to be understood. Photography is not permitted inside either section.

How much time do I spend at each stop?

You explore Jeita Grotto at your own pace with no group schedule. The time you spend is yours to decide. The cable car ride to Harissa is the ascent itself, and you spend as long as you want at the Our Lady of Lebanon shrine and the surrounding churches. The entire tour is five hours from hotel pickup to drop-off.

What does the cable car ride show you?

The Téléférique ascends 650 metres from Jounieh seafront, and as you rise, Jounieh Bay opens dramatically below you. The aerial view over the Lebanese coast from the top is one of the most photographed in Lebanon. The ride is the experience: the transition from sea level to mountaintop in a single morning.

Does the driver stay with me the whole time?

Your English-speaking driver is with you throughout the tour, sharing key facts and context at every stop. Inside the cave systems and at the shrine, you explore at your own pace, but the driver is there to answer questions and provide the story of each location.

What if I want to skip one of the stops?

The tour is built around both Jeita Grotto and Harissa as a pair: the route connects them as a five-hour private experience. If you have specific preferences about how to spend your time, discuss them with your driver when he picks you up. The vehicle is yours exclusively.