Snowshoeing in Lebanon has become a very popular activity for people  seeking an active winter sport away from the crowded ski slopes.

 … In that same order… A great night out doing the unusual! You can already tell that it’s not going to be boring.

The place is beautiful and the night chill will add to the spirit of adventure. Moreover by night you get the luxury of seeing an unpolluted version of our beloved country, that is the shadows hiding aesthetically all what we don’t want to expose, similarly to a woman glowing in candle light – whatever the age although the bigger the number the better the candle light!-

But joke aside maybe we should promote Lebanon by night more than we do by day for the same reason. Hundreds of tourists having visited said that the country was as beautiful as they imagined but thousands have added that the country was filthy, the nature overtaxed by manmade construction –and not all that pretty- and mainly lack of civility on the roads, etc.

Maybe “Adventures in Lebanon” should set the trend to more night time events, where the beauty of the country is perceived through the filter of the night shadows and the sleepy hours… Beautiful scenery is guaranteed because you just can see what is made visible and civility is guaranteed because you’re not driving on the busy roads….

One of the best show seen on television lately were the promotional spots for Lebanese Jeita Grotto that aired on OTV. Comedians, politicians, stars and socialites joined hands to promote Jeita Grotto to be voted in on of the New 7 Wonders of the world.

Without any doubt Jeita deserves the acclaim for its majestic beauty: A cavern sculpted by water and time, a walk down fairy land and a close up with heaven… these are the feelings once you come out in the daylight after the 30-minute visit or so deep down inside the earth. www.goinleb.com for Jeita’s descriptions and pictures. The place deserves to be acclaimed as a world’s wonder.

But what is another wonder (maybe the 5th) is to get Lebanese people from all backgrounds, various religions, different political parties, many beliefs… come together to haul this small piece of Lebanon onto the world map.

Voting ends on 11/11/11… So all hands entwined until then… Let Jeita wins and let all the Lebanese mentioned above share the dance for that successful vote… They can go back to killing each others on 12/11/11. Long live Jeita, long live Lebanon

Few caverns in the world approach the astounding wealth or the extent of those of Jeita. In these caves and galleries, known to man since Paleolithic times, the action of water has created cathedral-like vaults beneath the wooded hills of Mount Lebanon. Geologically, the caves provide a tunnel or escape route for the underground river, which is the principal source of the Nar el-Kalb (Dog River). Located some 20 kilometers along the highway North of Beirut, a large sign indicates the right turn from Zouk Mickael village, just beyond the tunnel. The caverns are on two levels. The lower galleries, discovered in 1836 and opened to the public in 1958, are visited by boat. The upper galleries, opened in January 1969, can be seen on foot.  Jeita remained a popular attraction until the recent Lebanese conflict forced it to close in the mid 1970’s. On July 6, 1995 and after years of refurbishment and renovation works, this natural wonder was again open to the public.

JEITA’s  History The modern discovery of the underground river of Jeita dates to 1836 and is attributed to Reverend William Thomson, an American missionary who ventured some 50 meters into the cave. Reaching the underground river, he fired a shot from his gun and the resulting echoes convinced him that he had found a cavern of major importance. In 1873 W.J. Maxwell and H.G. Huxley, engineers with the Beirut Water Company, and their friend Reverend Daniel Bliss, president of the Syrian Protestant College (later the American University of Beirut) explored these caverns. In two expeditions carried out in 1873 and 1874 they penetrated 1,060 meters into the grotto-principal source of the Nahr el-Kalb that supplies Beirut with water. They were finally stopped by “Hell’s Rapids”, where the river flows in torrents over razor sharp rocks. Like explorers everywhere, Dr. Bliss, Mr. Maxwell and the other engineers could not resist recording their names and the year on “Maxwell’s Column”, a great limestone pillar some 625 meters from the entrance. About 200 meters further on, in the so-called “Pantheon’, they wrote their names and details of the expedition on paper, sealed it in a bottle and placed it on top of a stalagmite. The action of the lime impregnated water has since covered the bottle with a thin white film, permanently fixing it to the stone. Between 1892 and 1940 further expeditions were carried out, mostly by English, American and French explorers. These efforts brought them to a depth of 1,750 meters. Since the 1940′s, Lebanese explorers, notably the members of the Speleo-Club of Lebanon founded by the first Lebanese speleologist Lionel Ghorra, have pushed even deeper into the Jeita grotto. Their methodical exploration revealed the great underground system of the upper and lower galleries which is now known to a depth approaching 9 kilometers. The upper galleries, discovered in August 1958 by Lebanese speleologists, required a hazardous climb to 650 meters above the entrance of the underground river. Altogether, 2,130 meters of this gallery have been explored.

INSIDE THE CAVERNS In summer you can visit both the upper and lower galleries while enjoying the refreshingly cool temperature inside the caves. The lower section is sometimes closed in winter when the water level is high, but the extensive upper galleries are open all year round. Plan on about two hours for the tour, which includes a boat ride through the lower galleries, the visit to the upper galleries on foot and a film presentation.

The Lower Galleries: This part of the cavern takes you to a beautiful underworld millions of years in the making. The 600-meter boat trip on a subterranean lake is only a sampling of the system that has been explored for almost 6,910 meters. The first impression is the sound of rushing water and a sensation of clean cold. But the roar of the waterfall at the entrance gives way to profound silence as you glide deeper into the cave. An effective new lighting system illuminates expert rock climbers-and marvel at the columns and sculptures fashioned by those great architects-water and time.

The Upper Galleries: The approach to these dry galleries through a 120-meter-long concrete tunnel does little to prepare you for the surprising world beyond. Formed several million years before the lower caverns, this section shows what the entire cave system was like before geological conditions displaced the subterranean river to its present level. For 650 meters you wind your way through different levels of the caverns, contemplating the flowing stone draperies and other formations. Perhaps the most dramatic sight is the yawning canyons and sink holes, some seen at a drop of over a hundred meters.

Getting Around Jeita:  Leave your car in the parking area and buy your entry ticket at the entrance booth. From here the fun begins: a short ride up the mountain in one of four Austrian cable cars or, if you prefer land transportation, a Disney-like “train” pulled by a small replica of a steam engine shuttles up and down the hill, between the parking area and the upper galleries. Near the entrance to the upper galleries is a theater that has scheduled showings of a film about Jeita. The ticket you have bought double as access card and is nserted at the entry gates of the upper and lower galleries and for the cable car. Also keep it handy for the train ride and the theater entrance. The facility has several restaurants, snack bars and restrooms as well as souvenir shops selling Lebanese handicrafts.

Open Tuesday through Thursday from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm and Friday through Sunday from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm. Closed on Mondays, unless it is a national holiday.

On Sunday 9^th October, Adventures in Lebanon takes you on another wonderful hiking trip where high endurance has no match except for the beautiful natural area you will be visiting.

 Ouyoune al samak (literally translated into the eyes of fish is located in Donnieh in North Lebanon. The region is dramatically beautiful with high mountains covered in pine and oak trees sliding down to a beautiful lake surrounded by greenery, bushes, cacti and multicoloured flora.

The hiking trip is of 3 hours and at medium level. You will be invited to walk on paths that have been hardly visited before. During the walk, photography stops are a must.

Lunch break is scheduled at one of the local cafes, nearest to the waterfalls. That is going to be a splashy affair so get your jackets out!

See you on Sunday, departure at 9.00 a.m for a return at 7.00 p.m.

For more infos, costs, registration please log on www.adventuresinlebanon.com or call 71-443323

 Join Adventures in Lebanon to an exceptional week-end at Mzaar InterContinental Hotel, full of luxury, fun and activities

Itinerary:
Saturday September 17th:
* 2:00 pm- We will all gather in Sin El Fil, Futuroscope parking – facing Habtoor Hotel and will leave by cars towards Mzaar Kfarzebiane.
* 3:30 pm- Check-in and drop of luggage at hotel – time to rest before we proceed to our hike.
*4:00 pm -6:30 pm: Our hike starts from Faraya, the Jonction towards the top of the hill to contemplate the splendid panoramic views of Kesserwan and the North Lebanon area, we will have the opportunity to watch the beautiful sunset!
Level of hike is medium.

* 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm: back to hotel to rest before dinner
* 9:00 pm: Dinner is served in the traditional setting of Khaymet el Horr, premium Lebanese food and open soft drinks.
Sunday September 18th:

* 8:00 am – 10:00 am: Open premium Buffet Breakfast is served . Meanwhile a complimentary access to the swimming pool is granted.
* 10:30 am – 11:30 am: ATV ride trip in Faraya area escorted by instructors
* 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Back to the hotel, free time, perfect for relaxation at the outdoor poolside.
* 2:30 pm: Check out from hotel and head back to Beirut

On our way back we will pass by a local Saj bakery for those who wish to have a snack before we head back to Beirut. * 5:00 pm: Arriving to Beirut

Price: 165$ TTC per person including:

 Mouneh (or as it means in Arabic: keeping stocks of food for winter days) is a tradition in rural Lebanon and more of a heritage that needs to be rediscovered and revived.

Making mouneh used to be a social chore involving all villagers: they would work together to harvest, select and preserve, be it the olive, the fruits, the dairies and even the meat. Families would feed all winter on their summer harvest and for many selling mouneh items was source of major income. And when you look closely at the typical Lebanese breakfast you realise that it’s all made of mouneh ingredients eaten with saj bread (markouk) : the zaatar in the mankousheh, the Labneh in balls kept in jars of olive oil, the labneh bel jarra – as in goat cheese preserved in clay jars that gives it its sour taste- the olives that Lebanese people have to include in all three daily meals, the jams and marmalade made of sun-kissed fruits, -the fig jam being a national favourite!- the delicious traditional kishek made of yogurt and wheat that had been air-dried all summer on village houses rooftop. Vegetable preserves like Kabiss of cucumber and eggplant that can lift the simplest meal…  And all the lovely syrups that we serve as welcome drinks: the refreshing rose petals one, the spritzy lemon one, the orange blossom elixir, the rich dark mulberry concoction, etc. and last but not least our traditional Arak drink and the making of it that used to be a festive event in traditional Lebanon. How can we not love our traditions and try to keep them alive? If the need is no longer there to preserve and store food for the cold months, well at least let’s share the beauty and importance of the mouneh tradition… It’s part and parcel of what makes Lebanon the beautiful country wowed by millions of people around the world. We owe it to them!

 Adventures in Lebanon Team is pleased to take you for the last rafting event of the season on Sunday 11th September.
Get ready to experience an extreme sports at Nahr El Assi: 7 km long ride through breathtaking scenery and 5 waterfalls! 2 hours full of adventure and challenges. Book Now.