The Chouf Cedar Reserve

The Chouf reserve protects around five per cent of Lebanon's land area and holds a substantial share of the country's surviving cedar forest, spread across the Barouk, Maasser and Ain Zhalta massifs at altitudes where the trees still regenerate. Some individual cedars here are estimated at well over a thousand years old. Trails run through the forest from several entrances, and the reserve has built an unusual model around them, with village guesthouses, local guides and a long-distance route linking communities. Below the cedars, Beiteddine Palace, a nineteenth-century emir's residence of carved stone, courtyards and mosaics, is one of the finest buildings in the country and holds a summer festival.

What you actually see

• Barouk cedar forest - the most accessible entrance, with graded trails among old trees.
• Maasser and Ain Zhalta - quieter forest entrances with longer routes.
• Beiteddine Palace - a carved nineteenth-century palace with courtyards and mosaics.
• Village guesthouses - the reserve's community accommodation model.

When to go

April to November for walking, with autumn colour in the deciduous understorey and spring flowers on the slopes. Winter brings snow and snowshoeing, and the higher entrances close. Summer is pleasantly cool compared with the coast.

Honest expectations

The forest entrances are some way apart and public transport is minimal, so a car or arranged driver is needed. Trails are marked but signage is uneven. The cedars are impressive but the forest is fragmented rather than continuous, which is precisely the conservation story. Beiteddine's opening hours can change around the festival season.

Nearby

Deir el Qamar's old town is minutes from Beiteddine; Beirut is an hour north.