How to Visit the Qadisha Grotto

With our morning spent hiking through the ancient Cedars of God, we now turned our attention and thoughts further down the Qadisha Valley. Our short stay in Lebanon only gave us a few days to spend in the mountain village of Bcharre and we wanted to make the best of it. As much as would have liked to explore the deep recesses of the gorge, extenuating circumstances – due to a mishap in Sri Lanka a few days prior – prevented us from renting a car or hiring a driver to take us down. However, we were in a position to visit the incredibly cool Qadisha Grotto.

How to Visit the Qadisha Grotto

We had begun our day bright and early with all intent of hiking our way from Bayt Nawal Guest House through Bcharre and up, up, up to the Cedars of God, but we would soon discover this would not be all that easy a task for our weary feet. A seasoned hiker can certainly make it, but we were ill-prepared for it. Luckily, a local tour guide happened to be passing by in his car and offered to take us up. While we don’t typically recommend accepting rides from complete strangers, he did have a tour operator license with him, so we obliged.

Our guide waited for us outside the cedars to take us to our next destination – the Qadisha Grotto. But we didn’t make it very far. For whatever reason, there was some road construction taking place and it was blocking the car’s way to the entrance. The alternate route would take us back down into Bcharre and then return up the other side of the road but would cost us additional money we didn’t have. However, we knew the way and had anticipated hiking the route anyway – so we paid our driver for his services and began our walk down.

So The Hike Begins

While the sun was hot and the air dry, we were lucky in that it was all downhill. The trail down also provided us spectacular views of the Qadisha Valley the whole way. A few switchbacks on a paved road eventually brought us to our first landmark: Hotel L’Aignon. Regardless of which way you approach, from the top or bottom, the Hotel L’Aignon is the landmark of where your hike to the Qadisha Grotto really begins.

Around the hotel, we found signs in both Arabic and English pointing to the trail. This was lucky for us because most of the signs we saw in town were in French and we didn’t know any French at the time. The path began at the crook of the switchback and quickly disappeared into the scraggly brush and mountain pines.

The path weaved its way through rocks, tunnels, and narrow passes. The cliffside trail was also in full bloom of beautiful yellow flowers that would spring up anywhere a bit of shade was provided. Despite the dryness of the region, the abundance of these plants told us that we were nearing our spring.

When we reached a gate going into a cave, we thought we had made it, but not quite – the entrance would not actually present itself for roughly another half mile. The entrance to this area was filled with noisy flies so we ran through, worried they might try to bite. We exited the cave, walked further, and found another little cave to walk through. Then, we found a third tunnel! We were beginning to think we’d never get to the grotto, and just push through endless tunnels, but finally, we made it.

Entering the Qadisha Grotto

Eventually, we came to what appeared to be the actual entrance to Qadisha Grotto. Once we reached it, it was plainly obvious. The rocks opened up and we could hear the roar of water flowing. The water that springs from here serves many of the nearby villages and also produces electricity for Tripoli City. It looked like there was a small restaurant just outside of the caves, but it didn’t seem to be operating at the time.

A man asked us for our tickets but we didn’t have any so we bought them. We are not sure where you are supposed to purchase the tickets beforehand, perhaps from a vendor in a hostel or hotel in Bcharre, but rest assured you can purchase them on the spot. He told us the tickets cost 10,000LBP/person even though we read that they cost 5,000 online.

His English wasn’t good, and I wasn’t positive if that was what I had read so we didn’t feel like trying to negotiate. We also didn’t weren’t about to turn around at that point so we decided to pay the 20,000LBP ($13.20). He asked us if we had a light because the electricity inside the caves sometimes would go out. We didn’t have a regular flashlight with us, but luckily Kyle’s phone did have a flashlight app that worked well enough.

I have always liked caves – the smell, the chill and sweet relief in summer, the dampness – they make me so happy. One of my favorite park attractions, Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney has it down and it always made me want to live in a cave. And let me tell you, Qadisha Grotto does not disappoint. While it may not be as large as the Jeita Grotto near Beirut, there is something magical about this quaint cave.

We made our way through and were able to explore it pretty much by ourselves. We passed by only one other couple who were exiting as we were making our way inward, but that was it. The rest of the time we were on our own and we easily spent an hour exploring.

While most caves and caverns like this are carefully curated, with guides who coral you and a group of others from one spot to the next, the Qadisha Grotto is an ‘explore at your own pace’ kind of cave. There really is something special to that in my opinion. We have never gotten the chance to just take our time wandering through the dark, weaving between the pillars of stone and skipping over pools of cool water. All the while, the distant rush of water and echoes of dripping water fill the misty air.

It is almost as if you are discovering the cave for the first time. Of course, for those who are worried about getting lost, or slipping into the raging water – rest assured that there are guard rails in all the right places and the cave is no network of maze-like passages. You really can’t get lost.

We admired the limestone formations in the cave and took our time. Really, we could have stayed for hours, but we knew we needed to make it back down eventually. We took what pictures we could, but I think it was all a bit more dazzling (and sparkly!) in person.

The Long Walk Down

Exiting the caves, we were nearly blinded by the intense sun. After such a long time in the dark, it took a while for our eyes to adjust back to the cloudless skies. Luckily, we had a fair bit of time walking along the shaded cliffside path to readjust. The chill from the caves also stayed with us for a fair bit, so the heat of the day didn’t bother us for a good long while either.

And so, with that, we continued walking down the – long – road back to Bcharre. The views were beautiful and took us past many different residences, giving us a glimpse into the local Lebanese life. Our walk left us very tired by the time we reached our place and happy to rest our feet. We were also thankful that we had run into the taxi earlier that morning I really don’t know if we would have made the hike up and back down, considering we had forgotten to bring any water with us for the whole day.

Qadisha Grotto Need to Know

Hours:

The caves are closed from mid-December to mid-May. That would be because the valley will generally be covered in snow and inaccessible to most people – so you should totally go skiing instead. The rest of the time, the Qadisha Grotto is open from 9:30 am until sunset – though you should expect the hours to be a little irregular.

Cost:

Officially, the cost is supposed to be 5,000 LBP/person, but they may try to charge you more as they did for us. We’ll leave it up to you to argue if they try to give you “tourist prices”. Children are supposed to receive a discount as well.

How to get there:

The easiest way is to simply hire a taxi to get you there. However, for those who want to get there on their own, follow the signs to L’Aiglon Hotel and you will see signs directing you to the grotto from there. From Bcharre, follow the main road Ehden-Ariz Road until you get to Tawk Centre hotel, and take a right onto that street. The street will take you all the way up the Grotto, or if you go even further – to the Cedars of God.

Prepare for your visit!

While I wouldn’t call Bcharre remote by any means – Lebanon is not really large enough for any place to be truly remote – it is still far enough from major cities that you want to be sure you brought everything you want with you. Since the Bcharre is at a higher elevation in a rather arid zone and Qadisha Grotto is even higher up, you’re definitely going to want to be prepared if you plan to do pretty much anything here.

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• Travel Pack – Carrying the right pack can make a huge difference when out and about. Our ultimate guide to choosing a travel pack will help ensure you get off on the right foot.
• Water Bottles – Collapsible Water Bottles – These are some of our favorite items to bring with us. They’re really light-weight and you can also roll them up so you can store them away easily. If there is one item that is most important to bring with you, it is water.
• Hiking Clothes – It can be really tempting to just throw on your regular day clothes and wander through the mountains and valleys but more and more, we’re finding that putting some thought into what you wear on the trail can really improve your experience. The Kadisha Valley is completely exposed and you are very vulnerable to the elements. But with the proper gear, you can hike in comfort. A recent addition to my wardrobe has made a big difference so that I can be protected and comfortable. For him | For her
• Headlamps –  Bcharre gets dark at night, so if you are wandering around after dark or caught on a trail in the evening, these will show you the way and keep your hands free. Plus, what better way to explore the caves? Foxelli Headlamp Flashlight
• Sun Screen – We got burned a little here. We got caught out longer than intended and couldn’t do anything about it. If you don’t cover up with clothes, then you should wear sunscreen. We’ve since used these and we haven’t been burned since, plus they are allowed in carry-on luggage. TSA Approved Sunscreen
• Water Filter – One of the stupidest things we’ve ever done is head out into the mountains here, with no water at all! We were so thirsty and there was nowhere to grab a drink and no one to ask for help. In desperation, I found a little mountain spring running across the trail that I drank from. It tasted fine, but that is very dangerous to do. In emergencies, you want to be safe with your water. These drinking straws allow you to drink straight from (almost) any source of water and be safe. LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
• First-aid Kit – You really need to be prepared for anything when hiking, which means you need to be prepared for injury. We don’t often get hurt, but we have. You never know what could happen so you should always carry a basic first aid kit to be able to patch up whatever may happen. First-Aid Kit

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