I took several day tours from Beirut to outlying locations in Lebanon. All of the tours were through Viator/their local operator: Nakhal.
Why go?
- They are pretty much the only large-scale game in town.
What you need to know:
- Viator tours are handled through the local branch of the international Nakhal tour company in Beirut.
- Nakhal seems to have the process of picking up and dropping off from the various hotels down pat. They note on the website that tours start at 7:45am, with hotel pickup prior to that, but when I got my confirmation it stated that the hotel pickup was at 7:45 (with a later tour start time), and this was the case for all of my tours. The pickup was with a van, which brought me to their main office on Sami El Solh street where I transferred to the vehicle used for the tour. If you prefer, you can get to their main office on your own (and perhaps sleep a little later?)
- My tours did not start on time, but they were only a little late. Good news, it meant a later departure from my hotel.
- I booked most of my tours before leaving home through the Viator website. I booked one tour from the Nakhal office directly the day before the tour commenced. The price for me was the same either way.
- I booked several tours through the website, and when I received the confirmation emails, the tour destinations were re-arranged. I was still booked for the same three tours and the same three days, but the destinations per day were different. For me, this did not matter.
- The tour guides were nice, but more superficially knowledgeable. This is not a major criticism, just a point of fact. They were able to relay dates and general knowledge, and were honest enough to say they did not know the answer when deeper questions were posed.
- The buses / vans were comfortable and driven well.
- Of all the tours I took (Grotto, Baalbek, Sidon & Tyre, Byblos), I found Baalbek to be the most interesting. The scale and amount of remaining structures were extraordinary.
- Lunch was included with each day tour and was quite nice. I happen to love Lebanese Mezze, and I found there to be plenty provided of good quality. All tours provided free soft drinks, and two of the tours I took also provided free beer.
My Thoughts (your experience may differ):
- I booked them to pick me up from the airport upon my arrival. They were late.. Since they are more expensive than other transportation options (including pre-arranged pickups), I would have expected better. The guy with my name on the sign, who finally showed up, spoke about three words to me, then led me outside, where we waited for a car to arrive. When my bags were loaded into the car, he silently walked away leaving me alone with the driver who spoke very little English. It all worked out, and the driver did know which hotel to bring me to, but a little more communication would have been appreciated.
- Typical experience with one of the guides: She was knowledgeable and sharing, but not that interested in interacting with the guests. While driving she spent much time chatting with the driver, with semi-frequent interruptions during which she picks up the microphone and imparts some information related with the current location. One thing I appreciated was that she would describe some items before we got to them. Other guides I’ve had (from other companies) would tell you about the site as we were passing, with most of the description occurring after it was gone.
