Lebanon hidden treasures

The Baatara Sinkhole in Tanourine Beirut - Arabstoday A tour of Lebanon typically includes stops at the main tourist attractions, such as the Roman ruins of Baalbek, Byblos and Tyre, and the downtown shopping and restaurant district in Beirut. But far away from the country’s grand sites are a wealth of hidden treasures – from enchanted forests to lesser-known places in Tripoli and even Beirut. “My personal favorite is Quornet Sawda (Black Corner), in the north above the cedars,” says Ronnie Chattah, who has been leading walking tours of Beirut for the past five years. “You literally feel like you’re on top of Lebanon, the view of both the Mediterranean and Bekaa Valley is fantastic. It’s the only place I can think of in Lebanon that you’ll still see a patch of snow even in July.” Hana Hibri, also based in Beirut, whose book, “A Million Steps,” documents her 30-day hiking journey along the Lebanon Mountain Trail, says that some of the most beautiful spots she has come across have yet to be discovered by most tourists – or even Lebanese. During her hike, she was taken aback by the Baatara Sink Hole in Tanourine, a green mountain area with three superimposed natural bridges and a majestic waterfall. “You’re walking toward it, and all of a sudden it’s there,” she says. “It’s really breathtaking, especially in the spring.” Another place that has stayed with Hibri since her hike is the Niha Fortress, located near the southern town of Jezzine. “There’s a 400-meter drop to the valley. This is where [the prince] Fakhreddine took refuge. There’s dramatic history and scenery,” Hibri says. Anissa Helou, a Lebanese food writer based in London, says that when she returns to her home country she likes going to the unspoiled parts of the Chouf Mountains and driving to the Mir Amin Palace Hotel. For the evening, to avoid the hustle and bustle of Beirut, and get a taste of the old city life, she likes to go to the old parts of Mina in Tripoli, visit the souk, and then, in warm weather, stop at Jammal restaurant, “watching the sea while eating super fish at the silver shore in Tripoli.” Blogger and author Nasri Atallah, who writes on Lebanese youth culture for his blog “Our Man in Beirut” and has published a book by the same name, also found a favorite spot in Tripoli – but not of the typical “old world” charm tourist site. There, in the northern capital, he discovered the International Fair in Tripoli designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. “It was his first project outside Brazil and no one knows about it – 15 modernist structures in the heart of Tripoli,” he says. “When [the fairgrounds were] built in 1975, Tripoli was a very different place, but today it’s cool because it’s like a spaceship in the middle of a sprawling city. It’s pretty surreal,” Atallah adds. His other favorite spot in Lebanon is his father’s village of Bteddine el-Loukche, just outside of Jezzine. “It’s just three houses on a hill, and you’re submerged in pine trees. It would make Tuscany jealous ... The area is pretty pristine,” he says, adding jokingly, “No one has heard of it, and I don’t want them to visit.” For Ghenwa Sannouh, incoming manager at Wild Discovery travel agency, the best spots in Lebanon are those combining culture and scenery – such as the old souks of Byblos and Sidon, 1 hour north and south of the capital respectively. “There, you can have lunch and enjoy the restaurants and culture,” Sannouh says, adding: “These places are still romantic.” In a country known for its fondness of luxury cars, resorts and expensive nightclubs, some of those who know it best appear to be favoring the areas accessible by foot, a possible sign of changing times. “One of the reasons I really like walking is it give you a sense of pace,” Hibri says. “You can experience everything in an intimate way, and you can take the time to talk to people. It makes you notice the little things.”