Private Shouf Cedars, Baalbek & Ksara | Local Guide in Baalbek

1. Beirut
   Pass by
   9:00 AM — Departure from Beirut
   Your driver meets the group at your hotel and heads southeast into the Chouf Mountains toward Maasser el Shouf — the gateway to Lebanon's largest nature reserve.
2. Shouf Cedars Reserve
   1h · Admission ticket not included
   Shouf Cedar Reserve — Lebanon's largest nature reserve
   The Shouf Biosphere Reserve covers over 50,000 hectares of the Lebanese mountains — Lebanon's largest protected natural area and a UNESCO-recognised biosphere of exceptional ecological value. The Maasser el Shouf cedar grove at its heart protects ancient trees descended from the forests that once covered the entire Lebanese range — the same cedars that built Phoenician ships, Solomon's Temple, and Egyptian palaces. A one-hour hike through the marked trails at your own pace — open year-round, easy terrain, spectacular mountain scenery in every season. In winter, snow on the cedars. In summer, cool mountain air above the Bekaa plain. Your driver covers the ecology and conservation story of the reserve throughout.
3. 15m
   Stone of the Pregnant Woman — setting the scale
   A stop at the ancient Roman quarry before the temples — 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. Never moved. Your driver explains the engineering logic — and why this unfinished block makes everything at the temple complex make more sense before you enter.
4. Baalbek Temple
   1h 30m · Admission ticket not included
   Baalbek Temple Complex — specialist local guide
   Enter the greatest Roman temple complex ever built — with a specialist local Baalbek guide who knows these structures in depth. The Temple of Jupiter on Trilithon stones each weighing over 800 tonnes. The Temple of Bacchus — larger than the Parthenon, almost entirely intact, the best-preserved Roman temple in the world. The Temple of Venus completing a complex that took three centuries to construct. A local guide delivers the kind of contextual depth — architectural, religious, historical — that transforms a visit from impressive to genuinely unforgettable.
5. Baalbeck
   1h
   Lunch in Baalbek — optional
   Local Bekaa Valley mezze and grilled meats — optional and at your own expense. Your driver knows the best spots in Baalbek.
6. Chateau Ksara
   1h · Admission ticket not included
   Chateau Ksara — Roman caves, Lebanese wine, founded 1857
   Lebanon's oldest winery — founded by Jesuit monks in 1857 — with 2 kilometres of Roman cave cellars discovered beneath it in the 19th century, where wine ages at a naturally constant temperature year-round. The cave tour comes first — ancient tunnels that connect directly to the Roman world you have just seen at Baalbek — then a tasting of Ksara's iconic Cabernet-Syrah blends, crisp Blanc de Blancs, and celebrated Sunset Rosé. Your driver frames the winery's story within the broader Roman and Jesuit history of the Bekaa Valley.
7. Beirut
   Pass by
   Return to Beirut — approx. 6:30–7:30 PM
   Drop-off at your Beirut hotel — Lebanon's largest cedar forest, the world's greatest Roman temples, and 2 kilometres of ancient wine caves. The only version of this combination available in every season.

Pickup details

Pickup is available from any Hotel, Airbnb or Residence in Beirut.

• Specialized infant seats are available
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels