Some places in Lebanon stop you in your tracks. The Qadisha Valley is one of them — a UNESCO World Heritage gorge so deep and so ancient that Christian monks have been hiding in its cliff-face monasteries since the 4th century. The Cedars of God above it are another — a grove of cedar trees so old that some were already ancient when the Phoenicians cut their neighbours to build the ships that founded Carthage.
This private full-day tour from Beirut takes you to both, along with the mountain town of Bcharre — birthplace of Khalil Gibran, Lebanon's most celebrated poet and author of The Prophet — and his intimate hilltop museum, which holds his paintings, manuscripts, and the tomb where he chose to be buried.
With a private vehicle and guide entirely at your disposal, the day moves at your pace — lingering at the valley viewpoint, exploring Bcharre's stone streets, and walking quietly among trees that have stood for over a thousand years.