Lebanon Mountain Trail hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Lebanon Mountain Trail (LMT) is Lebanon's long-distance hiking trail. It runs about 470 km along the Mount Lebanon range, from Andqet in the far north to Marjayoun in the south, through more than 75 villages, cedar forests, gorges and high limestone plateaus. It is waymarked in white and purple and is managed by the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association (LMTA), which divides it into numbered sections of 10 to 25 km, each one day's walk from village to village.

This guide covers the best-known northern and central part of the trail: official sections 5 to 19, from Bqaa Safrine in Danniyeh to Maasser el Chouf in the Shouf cedar reserve. It is about 230 km long, climbs about 10,000 m in total and is split here into 15 stages, about 15.3 km each, following the LMTA's section ends. The far north (sections 1A-4 in Akkar) and the south (sections 20-26) are left out because of the 2026 security situation; see Safety below.

Security in 2026

Read this first. The UK FCDO travel advice for Lebanon (updated 10 August 2026) advises against all travel to the south, eastern Beqaa, most of Baalbek-Hermel and northern Akkar, and against all but essential travel to Mount Lebanon south of the Moukhtara - Maasser el Chouf road. Sections 5 to 19 lie outside those zones, but Maasser el Chouf, the end of this guide, is on that boundary road, and strikes have also hit Mount Lebanon in 2026. Check your government's advice and the LMTA before you book and again each day on the trail.

The route

The trail starts above Bqaa Safrine and crosses oak and juniper slopes to the Horsh Ehden nature reserve, then drops through Ehden into the Qadisha valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site of rock-cut monasteries and hermitages. From the Monastery of St Anthony of Qozhaya it follows the valley floor past Our Lady of Qannoubine and climbs on a steep, chained path to Bsharri, the home town of Khalil Gibran. The next day passes the Cedars of God and follows old water canals to Bazaoun and Hasroun.

South of Bsharri the trail goes through the Tannourine cedar reserve to Tannourine el Faouqa, past the Baatara gorge sinkhole and over the highest point of this part of the trail, about 2,070 m near the Saydet el Qarn saddle, to Aaqoura. It follows the cliffs above Aaqoura to Afqa, where the Adonis (Nahr Ibrahim) river rises from a cave, and continues to Faraya, Kfardebian with the Faqra ruins and natural bridge, and Baskinta, the village of the writer Mikhail Naimy. After Mtein and Falougha it enters the Shouf Biosphere Reserve at Ain Zhalta and walks the cedar ridge to Barouk and Maasser el Chouf.

Highlights

• Qadisha valley: monasteries, chapels and hermitages cut into the cliffs between Qozhaya and Bsharri
• Cedars of God and the Tannourine cedar reserve: Lebanon's best-known cedar forests
• Baatara gorge: a waterfall dropping through three natural rock bridges into a sinkhole
• Afqa: the cave spring of the Adonis river and old juniper woods
• Faqra and the Kfardebian natural bridge: Roman temple ruins and a stone arch over a stream
• The Shouf cedars: the cedar forests of Ain Zhalta, Barouk and Maasser el Chouf

When to walk the Lebanon Mountain Trail

The LMTA recommends spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November). Days are usually sunny and mild and nights cool, but rain and hail storms are possible. From December to March snow covers the high sections between Tannourine, Aaqoura and Faraya and above Baskinta and Falougha, and these sections are then not walkable for most hikers. Summer is hot and dry and water is scarce on the ridges; forest fires are a risk in late summer and autumn. The LMTA runs group hikes in April and in the autumn.

How hard is it?

The LMTA calls the trail difficult. Most sections climb and descend 500 to 1,200 m on rocky footpaths, goat trails, dirt roads and some paved village roads, with stream crossings, narrow paths along irrigation canals and a few exposed or chained passages, for example on the climb from the Qadisha valley to Bsharri. Walking times are 4 to 8 hours a day. You need good fitness and some mountain experience. Blazes are missing in places and sections 18 and 19 in the Shouf reserve are not waymarked, so carry the GPS track (the LMTA sends it on request) or hire a local guide.

How many days do you need?

The 15 stages follow the official sections 5 to 19 and take 15 days at one section a day. Some stages are short, so fit walkers often combine Horsh Ehden to Qozhaya with Qozhaya to Bsharri, or Ain Zhalta to Barouk with Barouk to Maasser el Chouf, and finish in 12 to 13 days. With a week, the most popular choices are Bqaa Safrine or Ehden to Tannourine (Qadisha valley and the cedars) or Baskinta to Maasser el Chouf.

Permits, booking and money

No permit or registration is needed for these sections. The LMTA asks hikers walking alone to email their dates to info@lebanontrail.org. The Shouf Biosphere Reserve charges an entry fee of 10 USD for foreigners and its gates are staffed from 10:00 to 18:00 in summer and to 16:00 in winter; check in and out with the rangers.

Nights are in family guesthouses, small hotels and convent guesthouses, most with dinner and breakfast. The LMTA keeps a list of guesthouses for each section; book a few days ahead and confirm by phone. Several section ends (Horsh Ehden, Bazaoun, Aaqoura, Ain Zhalta, Barouk) are 1 to 3 km from the village, so ask your host about a lift. Lebanon is in a long economic crisis: US dollars in cash are the main currency and cards are often refused, so carry enough cash for several days. Mobile signal is good in most villages but patchy on the ridges and in the Qadisha valley.

Getting there and away

Beirut Rafic Hariri airport is the only international airport. Public transport to the mountains is limited: minibuses run from Beirut and Tripoli to the bigger towns (Ehden, Bsharri, Faraya, Baskinta), but most hikers use taxis or private drivers to reach the trailhead and to move between section ends and villages. Bqaa Safrine is reached from Tripoli via Sir ed Danniyeh; Maasser el Chouf is reached from Beirut via Damour and Beiteddine.

What to pack

Sturdy boots with ankle support, poles for the steep descents, a waterproof jacket and warm layers for cold nights, sun protection, 2 litres of water (springs are not always reliable or safe; carry a filter or tablets), a first-aid kit, a headlamp for power cuts, and the GPS track on your phone with a power bank. Dress modestly in the villages.

Safety

In 2026 the UK FCDO advises against all travel to the south and parts of the north and east of Lebanon after the conflict that escalated on 2 March 2026; a cessation of hostilities was announced in June but strikes have continued, mainly in the south. The sections in this guide are outside the zones where it advises against travel, but the situation can change quickly: check your government's advice and the LMTA before you go and again during the walk. For an ambulance call 140 (Lebanese Red Cross); police 112, Civil Defence 125, fire 175. There is no specialised mountain rescue service. Stay on the trail: landmines and unexploded weapons remain in parts of Lebanon. Do not walk alone, and keep away from shepherds' dogs.