Lebanon Mountain Trail emergency & health guide: hospitals, rescue numbers and safety

Emergency numbers

Lebanon has no specialised mountain rescue service. A rescue is organised by the Red Cross and the Civil Defence and can take hours; the nearest hospitals are 15 minutes to 1 hour by road from most section ends. Hospitals often ask for a cash deposit before treatment, so carry travel insurance that covers hiking, medical treatment and evacuation, and do not walk alone.

Rules to know

• Security: in 2026 the UK FCDO advises against all travel to the South and Nabatieh governorates, 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 in this guide are outside these zones, but the situation can change quickly: check your government's advice and the LMTA before you go and during the walk, and have a plan to leave.
• No permit or registration is needed for sections 5 to 19. The LMTA asks hikers walking alone to email their dates to info@lebanontrail.org and to ask for the GPS track.
• Shouf Biosphere Reserve (Ain Zhalta, Barouk, Maasser el Chouf): entry fee 10 USD for foreigners, gates staffed 10:00-18:00 in summer and 10:00-16:00 in winter. Check in and out with the rangers. No hunting, fires or 4x4s; dogs only on a leash.
• Landmines and unexploded weapons remain in parts of Lebanon and are not always marked. Stay on the marked trail and well-used tracks, and keep out of abandoned buildings.
• Much of the trail crosses private land, orchards and village water canals. Do not trespass, close gates behind you, and camp only at campsites or with the landowner's permission.
• Follow the white-and-purple LMT blazes; other trails use red-and-white, blue or yellow-and-white marks. Sections 18 and 19 in the Shouf reserve are not waymarked, so carry the GPS track.
• Shepherds keep dogs with their flocks. Call to the shepherd from a distance before you pass the animals, and do not run.
• Season: spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are best. In winter snow closes the high sections between Tannourine and Faraya and above Baskinta; in summer water is scarce and forest fires are a risk.

Before you set off, the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association (info@lebanontrail.org) answers questions about the sections and guesthouses; the Horsh Ehden reserve (+961 70 601 601) and the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (+961 5 350 250) help with their parts of the trail. Signal is patchy on the ridges: carry the GPS track, a headlamp and a first-aid kit, and tell your next guesthouse when you expect to arrive.

Nearest hospital for each stage

Hospitals

Clinics and doctors

These dispensaries and clinics treat minor injuries and illness during their opening hours. They are not hospital emergency departments, and most mountain villages have none.

Pharmacies, cash and supplies

• Pharmacies:
• ATMs: Bsharri
• Shops: Qozhaya, Bsharri, Kfardebian, Mtein
• Bus stops: Bsharri

There are pharmacies in the larger villages and towns: Ehden, Bsharri, Tannourine, Faraya, Kfardebian, Baskinta, Falougha, Barouk and Maasser el Chouf. The small villages and high sections have none, so carry a first-aid kit, blister care and your own medicines; some medicines are short in Lebanon. Carry cash for the whole walk: US dollars are the main currency and cards are often refused. ATMs are only in the larger towns and can be unreliable.

Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.