The Cedars of Lebanon are older than the pyramids, mentioned over a hundred times in scripture, and still standing on a single hillside above Bsharri. This complete guide to visiting Lebanon covers how to get there from Beirut, what the visit actually feels like, and the one mistake most first-timers make.
What are the Cedars of Lebanon and why do they matter?
The Cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) are an ancient grove of roughly 400 surviving trees in the Bsharri district of northern Lebanon, protected as the UNESCO-listed Cedars of God (Horsh Arz el-Rab). The oldest specimens are estimated at 3,000 to 6,000 years old, and the species appears on the Lebanese flag.
For four millennia, this wood was the most prized timber in the Near East. The Phoenicians built their merchant fleets from it, a story you can trace across Lebanon’s layered ancient history. Egypt imported it for ships, palace doors, and the resin used in mummification — the Palermo Stone records cedar shipments under King Sneferu. King Hiram of Tyre sent it to Solomon for the First Temple in Jerusalem, which was almost entirely paneled in cedar. The Epic of Gilgamesh sets one of literature’s earliest battle scenes inside a sacred Cedar Forest guarded by the demigod Humbaba.
By the 1500s, travelers visiting Bsharri counted fewer than thirty ancient trees left. What you see today survived because Maronite monks built a wall around the grove in the 1800s and patrolled it.
Pro Tip: Read the relevant passages of Psalm 92 and 1 Kings 5 on the drive up. The grove hits differently when you can recognize the trees in the texts that named them.
Cedars of Lebanon vs. Cedars of Lebanon State Park (Tennessee)
If you searched “Cedars of Lebanon” and landed on a Tennessee state park, that is a different place. Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Wilson County, Tennessee, was named by early American settlers reminded of the biblical forests, but its trees are Eastern Red Cedars — actually a juniper species, not Cedrus libani. This guide is about the original grove in northern Lebanon, the Middle East.
How do you get to the Cedars of Lebanon from Beirut?
The grove sits about 75 miles (120 km) northeast of Beirut in the Mount Lebanon range, at an elevation of around 6,400 feet (1,950 m). The drive climbs hard in the final 30 minutes — switchbacks, no guardrails in places, and snow on the road from December through March. Plan on 2 to 3 hours each way regardless of which option you pick.
Rental car
- Cost: $30-50 per day plus fuel
- Drive time: 2-3 hours each way
- Best for: Travelers who want to stop in the Qadisha Valley on the way back
- Watch out for: Mountain switchbacks above Hasroun; Google Maps underestimates the final climb by 15-20 minutes. Read up on renting a car in Lebanon before you book — paperwork and insurance vary by agency.
Private taxi
- Cost: $110-140 round trip (negotiate before getting in)
- Drive time: 1.5-2.5 hours each way
- Best for: First-timers who want zero logistics
- Pro tip: Ask the driver to wait at the grove for 2 hours rather than booking a return — it’s usually cheaper than two one-way trips
Bus and shared taxi combo
- Cost: $3-15 total
- Drive time: 4+ hours each way
- Best for: Solo budget travelers with a full day to spare
- Route: Charles Helou Station in Beirut to Tripoli, then a service taxi to Bsharri, then a local taxi up to the grove
Organized day tour
- Cost: $60-150 per person (small-group operators like Explore Lebanon Tours start around $140 for one)
- Drive time: Full day, roughly 12 hours door-to-door
- Best for: First-time visitors who want the Gibran Museum and Qadisha Valley packaged in
- Includes: Usually transport, English-speaking guide, and one or two extra stops
When is the best time to visit the Cedars of Lebanon?
Late May through early October is the sweet spot. The trail is fully open, snow is gone, daytime temperatures sit around 65-75°F (18-24°C) even when Beirut is baking at 95°F (35°C), and the resin smell from the trees is strongest in warm weather. Avoid January and February unless you specifically want to ski next door — the trail is often buried. For a month-by-month breakdown across the country, see our guide to the best time to visit Lebanon.
- Spring (April-May): Wildflowers, snowmelt streams, cool air around 50-65°F (10-18°C). Best for hiking the Qadisha Valley below.
- Summer (June-September): Warm and dry. The grove is a natural escape from coastal heat. Weekends get busy with Lebanese day-trippers — go on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning.
- Autumn (October-November): Crisp air, fewer crowds, the surrounding slopes turn russet. My favorite window for photography.
- Winter (December-March): Snow can close the trail entirely. The Cedars Ski Resort 3 miles (5 km) up the road operates when conditions allow.
How much does it cost to enter the Cedars of God?
Entry to the Cedars of God grove is donation-based — there is no fixed ticket price. A contribution of $5-10 USD per person is customary and goes toward reforestation and trail upkeep. You’ll typically receive a postcard as a thank-you. Cash only, in either US dollars or Lebanese pounds.
Pro Tip: Bring small US bills. Lebanon’s currency situation makes change difficult, and the donation box at the entrance is run by local caretakers, not a ticket office.
What is the visit actually like?
The grove is smaller than most people expect — about 250 acres on a single south-facing slope. The main loop trail runs roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) and takes 30 to 45 minutes at a slow pace. The path is packed earth and gravel, mostly flat, with a few short rises. Wear closed shoes; thin rubber soles will feel every root.
The first thing you notice is the smell — a sharp, peppery resin that gets stronger when the sun hits the bark. The second is the silence. The trees absorb sound, and even on a busy weekend, twenty steps off the parking lot you can hear your own breath.
Along the path you’ll pass a small Maronite chapel cut into the slope and several enormous fallen trunks that the artist Rudy Rahme has carved into figures and faces. The oldest standing trees — gnarled, leaning, with trunks 40 feet (12 m) around — are clustered in the upper third of the loop. Skip the souvenir stalls at the entrance on the way in; do them after, when you’ve earned the cedar-wood keychain.
Honest friction point: there is almost no interpretive signage. If you don’t read up beforehand, you’ll walk past a 5,000-year-old tree without knowing it’s any different from its neighbors. Hire a local guide at the entrance for $15-20 if context matters to you.
What else should you see in the area?
The Qadisha Valley (Holy Valley)
The valley below Bsharri is part of the same UNESCO listing and is, in my opinion, the more rewarding half of the trip. Cliffs drop 1,500 feet (460 m) to a river, with cave hermitages and Maronite monasteries — Deir Qannoubin, the Monastery of St. Anthony of Qozhaya — built into the rock. Our Qadisha Valley hiking guide maps the full route, but the short version: the hike from Bsharri down to Deir Qannoubin and back takes about 4 hours and is steep on the return.
Gibran Museum, Bsharri
Housed in a former hermitage carved into the cliff, the Gibran Khalil Gibran Museum holds 440 paintings and drawings by Kahlil Gibran (author of The Prophet) along with his manuscripts and personal effects. Entry is around $4. Allow an hour. It’s a 10-minute drive from the Cedars grove.
Cedars Ski Resort
Lebanon’s oldest ski area, 3 miles (5 km) above the grove at over 9,000 feet (2,750 m). Day passes run roughly $30-40 in season (typically December to early April). It’s modest by Alpine standards but the only place in the world you can ski in Lebanon with a view of 5,000-year-old cedars below you.
Where should you stay near the Cedars of Lebanon?
Bsharri is the natural base — 15 minutes from the grove, with mountain views and walking access to the Gibran Museum. Don’t try to day-trip from Beirut and then drive back at night; the mountain roads are punishing in the dark.
1. Tiger House Guest House — best budget pick in Bsharri
A family-run guesthouse with about a dozen rooms, run by a host who treats arrivals like cousins he hasn’t seen in a while. Breakfast is homemade labneh, olives, and saj bread on a terrace facing the valley. Walls are thin and the wifi is patchy, but for the price you stop caring.
- Location: Central Bsharri, 10-minute drive to the Cedars of God
- Cost: From $40/night
- Best for: Solo travelers and couples who want local contact over polish
- Time needed: 1-2 nights
2. Bayt Wadad — restored stone house
A traditional Lebanese mountain house renovated into a small guesthouse, the kind featured in our roundup of guesthouses in the Lebanese mountains. Stone walls, wooden ceilings, a fireplace in the common room. The owner cooks dinner on request — usually a $15 set menu of mountain dishes.
- Location: Hadchit, about 15 minutes from Bsharri
- Cost: From $70/night
- Best for: Couples wanting character over hotel amenities
- Time needed: 2 nights
3. Hotel L’Aiglon — best valley views
A mid-range hotel with the best balcony views in town — straight down the Qadisha Valley. Rooms are dated but clean, and the on-site restaurant is reliable. Ask for a valley-facing room when you book; the back rooms face the parking lot.
- Location: Bsharri, on the road toward the Cedars
- Cost: From $75/night
- Best for: First-time visitors who want a real hotel
- Time needed: 1-2 nights
Where should you eat in Bsharri?
Mountain Lebanese food is heavier and more rustic than the mezze scene in Beirut — expect lamb, bulgur, dairy, and bread baked on a saj dome. Two reliable spots:
- Al Zaytouni — Sit-down restaurant with mountain specialties like kibbeh nayyeh and shish barak. Mains $8-15. The terrace fills up on weekend lunches.
- Makhlouf Bakery — Walk-up counter near the town square for manakish (flatbread with za’atar or cheese) at $2-3. Best breakfast in town.
If you only try one thing, make it freshly baked manakish bi zaatar with a glass of strong black tea. It costs less than $3 and beats anything you’ll eat at a hotel buffet.
Before you book
TL;DR: The Cedars of Lebanon are best visited as an overnight from Beirut, not a day trip. Stay in Bsharri, see the grove early in the morning before tour buses arrive around 11 a.m., spend the afternoon hiking down into the Qadisha Valley, and eat manakish for breakfast. May, June, September, and October are the ideal months. Bring cash for the donation, wear real shoes, and read a few Bible passages on the drive up so the trees mean something when you stand under them.
What’s the one place that gave you that “older than history” feeling on your travels — and would you put the Cedars on the same list? Drop a comment below.
