This was part of a Viator tour I took which piced me up from my hotel in Beirut.
The Jeita Grotto is a series of two interconnected karstic limestone caves which cover nearly 9 kilometers. The tour divides them into an upper and lower cave, with separate entrances.
Why go?
- While there are other such cave systems around the world, you can’t find them everywhere.
- The lower cave features an underground lake which you can traverse by boat, giving you an experience rarely available.
- This tour gives you three modes of transportation: cable car, train and boat.
- If you are traveling to Lebanon to visit ancient ruin sites, then this makes a great compliment by adding a nature-made wonder.
What you need to know:
- It’s a cave system located about 18 km north of Beirut.
- It consists of two major, separate systems (an upper and a lower cave).
- The lower cave has a subterranean lake and you tour it by boat.
- It is a nice example of such a cave system, but not very different from many others, including the Luray Caverns system near my home in Washington, DC.
- From the parking lot, you take a cable car to the upper cave. After leaving the upper cave, a train (like those in many theme parks) takes you to the lower cave. So there is no climbing necessary to reach either cave.
- Walking inside the caves is easy, and the pathways are mostly flat with some stairs.
Site Plan below is from Jeita Grotto Lebanon. Click to enlarge.
