Lebanon tour, Beirut and beyond

Planet

We spend a significant proportion of this trip exploring the natural landscapes of Lebanon, including nature reserves and the Qadisha Valley. When visiting these areas on foot we take care to stick to the trails (where they exist!) and not to damage any of the flora, in order to preserve the unspoilt beauty of these places. We operate a strict no litter policy on our tours, including drivers, and ensure that any rubbish is taken back to the city in order to be disposed of properly.

We visit a number of historical sites and monuments on this tour that do not necessarily receive much funding from other sources; the entrance fees that we include help to maintain the heritage of this country for future generations – not just western travellers but more importantly to local people to whom they have far more cultural and historical significance.

The nature reserves that we visit on this tour, such as the Aammiq Wetlands, are a haven for wildlife and lie on an important migratory route for birds. The entrance fees that we include contribute to the conservation of these areas and fund ongoing research to ensure that the ecosystem continues to thrive.

People

Using local guides also ensures money stays within local economies and means we will be treated to such valuable, in-depth and honest knowledge which you perhaps wouldn’t get from a western guide. It also means we are keeping carbon emissions down.

Where possible we encourage our travellers to spend their money with local businesses; for this reason we do not include meals where it is feasible to eat outside of the hotels. On this particular tour we only include breakfast, in order that local restaurants are able to benefit from the presence of tourism, rather than the income being channelled just to the hotel.

On all of tours we strive to include a strong focus on local communities and we are firm believers that tourism should have a positive impact on the places visited. On this tour we try to allow our travellers to gain a real insight into the traditional customs of the country; a good example of this is when we visit a family of farmers in Qaa and have lunch with them. Not only is this a great experience for travellers but it means that small scale community based tourism projects, often ignored by mainstream tourism, are able to benefit from our visit.