UWE- Germany

Review of: cedars of God, bcharri

Tripadvisor review: Explore Lebanon Tours

Elie, thanks again for a fantastic day. You did a great job showing me around and I appreciated having a man of faith with me today. Many blessings and all the best! 👊 Uwe

Ross - USA

Review of: 4 day Lebanon tours

Was glad to find the company. Four good tours!

Mirjam and Jihad - the Netherlands

Review of: Hike St Lichaa Monastery to Qannoubine Monastery - Qadisha Valley

Tripadvisor review: Explore Lebanon Tours

During our visit to family in Lebanon we booked a hiking trip in qadisha valley. Everything was as we wanted it to be. Our wonderful guide was André. Down the mountain in to the valley and up again. In between we visited two beautiful ancient monestries and a the cave of a hermit where also an ancient school used to be. What a beautiful vieuws on our hike ... really incredible!!! After the hike we where suprised with a visit to the ceder park... so peaceful and beautiful
We really want to thank our guide André, you good feel that he enjoyed what he was doing, so passioned about the ancient history of the mountain/valley and the monestries. Thank you again André!
Greetings Mirjam and Jihad from the Netherlands

J Ha

Review of: hike & tour day

Google review: Explore Lebanon Tours

Totaly rock,n roll..🤙🤙🤙

Lauretta - Italy

Excellent

Review of: 8 day Lebanon tours

Google review: Explore Lebanon Tours

I had the most remarkable tour with Elie. Not only everything was perfect, but I felt, in every instance, that he truly cared about us, and did his best to make this trip memorable.
Elie runs a highly professional organization. During all the trip his attention to detail and his consideration for his clients is superb. Excellent.

Elaha - Germany

Best Lebanon experience

Review of: Cedars, Bsharre & Kozhaya Day Tour

Tripadvisor review: Explore Lebanon Tours

We had an amazing time in Lebanon thanks to Luka and Elie from Explore Lebanon Tours! They organized a perfect trip for us and took great care of us! We had a wonderful time - thank you both!!

Herbet - Austria

Excellent in all categories

Tripadvisor review: Explore Lebanon Tours

Personal guided Tour. Excellent Knowledge. Great places all over the week. Every day a perfect mix of archeological, cultural and ecological Sites. The best of Lebanon.

Kathleen - USA

Awesome experience, highly recommend!!!!

Tripadvisor review: Explore Lebanon Tours

My friend and I ended up going on 4 tours with Luka and each day was excellent. We managed to see most of the country and I absolutely recommend seeing Lebanon with him! He is incredibly knowledgeable and will tell you all kinds of stories, facts and history. He's reliable, communicative, professional, accommodating and also super fun to be around. He goes out of his way to make you feel welcome and I honestly cannot recommend him enough.

Julia - Croatia

to read full experience:

https://www.juliastravels.com/destinations/the-pearl-of-the-middle-east-lebanon/

“I was certainly glad to be in Lebanon now, although December/January is not the best time to visit. It’s cold, rainy and it snows in the mountains. I bundled up; didn’t mind cold, and on rainy days my clever guide, Luka, found a solution: he changed the itinerary according to weather conditions.”

Nico - Argentina

The best ever !

I did 2 tour with explore lebanon and both were great. Luka was a great guide and also a wonderful human Being. He was always looking for us and he was always trying to show us not only the tourist sites but also hidden places. We had lunch at a wonderful local bakery that was wonderful!! Lebanon is an amazing destinaron. If you want to have a wonderful trip do not hesisate and contact explore lebanon!

Gabo - Brazil

Amazing experience and tours

Me and a friend traveled 2 times around Lebanon with Explore Lebanon Tours. Luka and his brother are two great, extremely reliable people. With them we saved money and specially a lot of time, doing so much more than the expected, visiting really unforgettable sites. I really recommend them!

Tamsin - Canada

Amazing tour with Luka! He was super knowledgeable about the history of Lebanon. He catered the tour to our interests. He was very insightful with the socio-political climate and was able to paint an accurate representation of the people of Lebanon. Would highly recommend!

Robert - Canada

Fantastic tour of Jeita Grotto, Harissa and Byblos. Luka is a fantastic guide and really made our trip here in Lebanon. He is very knowledgeable about Lebanese history, and was able to give us a local context on the political climate here. The price was also very reasonable for 3 of us. Highly recommend!

Matteo - Italy

Great custom tour with great company!

An extremely positive experience: Tour owner Luka is prepared, friendly, customer-oriented, and moreover passionate about his job.

I had only one day to spend in Lebanon and wanted to maximize my stay, so I asked for a custom private tour featuring Baalbek, the Cedars of God and Byblos. Luka was happy to accommodate that. It was supposed to be a private your, but then a second traveler asked to join. I didn’t have any problem with that, and Luka offered to split the price we had originally agreed between me and the other participant – when he could have easily charged both of us more! Even before arriving to Lebanon, I was whatsapping with Luka and he was glad to offer me some advice on logistics, food etc. The day before the tour, we had a small problem as petrol stations were on strike and we risked not having enough petrol to do the tour. Luka and the two of us were in contact the full day, and even if the strike was revoked only at 11.30 PM, Luka was still happy to confirm the tour with the agreed itinerary.

We left at 6.30 AM and managed to do everything we had planned despite getting stuck in traffic at some point. Luka and my travel mate were great buddies, and Luka obviously had much to share about the history and current situation of Lebanon. On the way from Baalbeck to the Cedars forest, we made a couple of additional stops to enjoy some breathtaking views of the Bekaa and Qadisha valleys. Byblos was the last stop and we were a little bit in a time constraint – due to days being very short in this period of the year. Still, we managed to get there just in time to enjoy sunset from the crusaders castle and the port. At the end of the tour, and despite being quite late already, Luka also offered to take us to visit the Our Lady of Lebanon sanctuary for free. That shows how passionate he is about is job and how happy he is to show the marvels of his Country to visitors! All in all – a very pleasant experience.

I couldn’t have asked for anything better to see as much as possible of Lebanon in one day only.

Prince - Zimbabwee

Day Well Spent with Luka and Mateo!!!

Much appreciation for tailor making this private tour, I had an awesome time getting to see the beautiful Balbeck, Beqaa Valley, Cedar Forests, Byblos and the Our Lady of Harissa. Since day one of the inquiry Luka, was prompt in his responses. Upon meeting him not only is he professional but also a very wonderful,jovial person. I didn't have to carry my guidebook at all as the guy really knows his stuff well. Thank you once again and certainly look forward to my next trip with you!

John - Ireland

We booked the Jeita caves and Chouwen (shoe in!) hike with Nicola.
Initial communications were promptly answered and the tour arranged seamlessly..
Nicola confirmed things again when we arrived in Beirut and picked us up as agreed in a vehicle with AC. The tour itself was excellent. The caves are up there with any we’ve seen before and the views in Chouwen are amazing.
As Nicola suggests you need to be up early to beat the traffic in Lebanon. Heed her advice on this! Driving wise you’re in safe hands with Nicola.
Thanks again we really enjoyed the tour and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Explore Lebanon to others.

Mark - Australia

I had seven days planned for Lebanon, and a few months ago approached Explore Lebanon Tours for some ideas. After some back and forth via email we worked out an itinerary which provided five days of travel in the south, southeast, northeast and north, and which gave me two nights outside Beirut - in Baalbek and Byblos

This proved a great plan as it allowed a closer look at this great country, less time travelling out from - and back to - Beirut each day, and gave some flexibility to explore some ‘spur of the moment’ options along the way

I really enjoyed my time with ELT. Thanks Nicola and Fawzi!

Despina - Cyprus

Such a nice lady , trustworthy and friendly .We had a lovely chat in the long car rides about Lebanon etc. We took the trip to Chouwen and had local snacks at the end of the trip. Even though we have similar hiking trails and nature beauties like these back in our country, it was still a lovely experience and a nice get away from the city centre during our holidays in Lebanon. I highly recommend her and Explore Lebanon tours guides. Thank you Nicola I hope we will be back for more trips soon!

Eirini Mastoraki - Greece

We booked two private tours for our short trip to Lebanon: "CEDARS, BSHARRE & KOZHAYA" and "BAALBEK & ANJAR". As we were two families (7people) we used a mini van and it worked perfect. Nicola, in charge of bookings, was very responsive. Booking arrangements were very quick, easy, smooth, clear and -as we happily discovered later - absolutely reliable! We were punctually picked up by Fawzi who was our driver, guide and companion for two days. He is a very competent, careful and safe driver, passionate about his home country and personal beliefs, communicative, efficient, problem solver, humorous, flexible and very patient with us and our teens! We would definitely come back again to discover more Lebanese sites with Fawzi and Nicola! A la prochaine, as we said for good-bye!

Camille - australia

I did a day trip with Nicola off the beaten track in Mount Lebanon. We stopped at a lovely waterfall and interesting lookout points. The scenery itself along the drive was beautiful, apple trees lining the roads. Nicola is so friendly and professional and will give you the best advice. Highly recommend!

Cherine - Singapore

My friends and I booked a private day trip to South Lebanon with Nicola. She was very prompt in replying to emails and answer all our questions during the booking process. She got in touch with me a day before to confirm the pick-up time. Fawzi came on time in the morning. We had a great ride to the south as he fill us with the history and interesting facts of Sidon and Tyre. With his travelling and work experience in the past, he was able to relate in a professional way. His service was lovely and personal, very patient when we asked for photos to be taken. Fawzi takes pride to show us around and explain in details of the sights visited. We really love the old souks in both towns and enjoyed walking in the many alleys. He took us to a simple, delicious shawarma stall for lunch and we also ended with an ice cream stop on the way back. It is one of the most memorable trips we had.

Emma - UK

We are so glad we booked a tour with Nicola! We were in Lebanon for a wedding but wanted to also see some of the country & the tour allowed us to see just what a beautiful country it is. From start to finish everything went smoothly. Nicola responded to my email query very promptly & shared her WhatsApp number which made communication easy. We were picked up from our hotel at 9:30 & out all day until 17:30. We some amazing views as we drove, stopping along the way to take photos. The valley & monasteries are just stunning. We also stopped for a bite to eat & a wander round the stalls at Cedars of God. & on the way home at a little lemonade van, a business which has been going since 1888! Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to explore the beauty of Lebanon. Nicola was friendly & professional & we had a great day.

Salloum family- Australia

We didn’t know where to start with booking tours...who to trust, what to see or how much to pay!! After coming across EXPLORE LEBANON on Instagram I found out that it is a small business ran by a couple, one partner being a Fellow Australian. I had long communication with Nicola before booking to make sure we took the right step. We had a group of 5 most private tours were only 4 people (to fit in a car). Once mentioned to Nicola which tours we were interested in she altered her usual arrangements and some locations (yes she will customise your tour) she sent through a price list and it was smooth sailing from there. We did 4 tours..yes 4. We covered a lot of area with EXPLORE LEBANON and wouldn’t change it. We even did a first time tour with Nicola and Fawzi which is now on offer. They hired a Van to suit us(there was 5 us my family) and charged accordingly which was more than reasonable for the service and attitude of both Nicola and Fawzi. Fawzi is Lebanese, speaks a lot of different languages 7 I think (8 now he can speak Australian slang), he is also very very intelligent when it comes to the things you see during the tour, best driver we have had in Lebanon both safety wise and he can actually drive a vehicle properly. Nicola definitely shows more interest and knowledge than other guides you may look at...after all she is an Australian showing people what’s to love and see in Lebanon, its not just ‘her job’. So if you want heart and interest in your tours, some humour yet a lot of knowledge...I wouldn’t recommend anyone else. They even pulled over multiple times so we could get fruit and veggies on the side of the road haha you won’t get that on your cheaper bus load tours. We now have more family in Lebanon, Yalla P.s dirrrrrrectly book with Nicola with ease.

Gonzalo- spain/uk

Stop looking for a tour and go with Nicola and Fawzi! Nicola arranged everything and was extremely accommodating, waiting for our emails as we went on an off wifi. I would have not been so patient! Then Fawzi picked us up and and made my trip to Lebanon one of a kind experience. Fawzi is a special person, very well versed in Lebanese cultures, speaks +7 languages, and has travelled the world. Not only are you in for a fantastic country (Lebanon) but also for great conversation. As an engineer, he looks at the ruins and gives you a perspective no other guide will give you. In the evening, more than a guide it felt like I met my old friend from Lebanon who took the day off to drive me around. He even negotiated a Sisha for me which cost me peanuts! If you factor the savings into what I paid Fawzi and Nicola for the tour it comes to a very low number. Look I don't typically leave reviews but for Nicola and Fawzi I just have to. They deserve it. I came in with a tour guide and left with a friend.. You cant go wrong!

jeffrey- Hong kong

I am happy to have Nicola and Fawzi with me for four days in Lebanon. Nicola responded to my e-mails and Whatsapp swiftly. I felt very secure and relaxed when travelling with them as a solo traveler in Lebanon for the first time. Throughout the 4-day trip the couple brought me to most part of the country (the South, the East and the North), plus some off-the-beaten-track spots where other travel companies won’t do. Although we were not able to get to the top of the mountain to see the cedars of Lebanon, the national trees due to heavy snow, they had done their best to help me getting there and accommodated most of my requests. It’s a shame but this “unexpected” experience would give me another good reason to come back. I really appreciated their flexibility and effort that made this trip successful. Thank you again Nicola and Fawzi. Nice to have met you and I felt honoured to be one of your guests here in Lebanon.

Nyachomba - uk

My Husband, Myself and our 1.5 year old took a chance on Lebanon and booked a 5 day trip. In an effort to see more than Beirut, I quickly googled tours and found Explore Lebanon Tours. Nicola was quick to respond and suggest trips that we could take bearing in mind we had a toddler. We decided on two day trips to Baalbek and the Cedars after her recommendation. She went above and beyond and even managed to get a car seat for my son. The trips were absolutely spectacular and Fawzi was such a great guide and one of the warmest people I've ever met. He organised everything and even took our son for a walk during our wine tasting after he threw a massive toddler tantrum. We are definitely going back to Lebanon and seeing more of the country all hopefully organised by Nicola and Fawzi. I could not recommend them more! They are a fantastic team.

Anne - Canada

Right from the start when I was communicating with Nicola I knew we would have a successful tour. She is so efficient at responding and answering all inquiries giving clear details. Six stars for this! Our group of five travelled with Nicola and Fawzi for two days. We visited Anjar, Baalbek, Ksara Winery, Byblos, Harissa and Jeita Grotto. They are both very pleasant, knowledgeable and easy going people. They went out of their way to please us and show us a good time by throwing in a few extras. Our pick up at the hotel was on time. We did not feel rushed while touring as we were told that we were not on a tight schedule and if needed we could have more time at a site or stops for photos - very accommodating. We felt totally safe as Fawzi is an excellent and well skilled driver. The prices for the day tours were very reasonable. Do not hesitate to travel with Explore Lebanon. You will not be disappointed.

Maria - USa

I stumbled upon Explore Lebanon Tours on a blog post and am so glad that I did! The tours were affordable, we were able to customize them based on our interests and suggestions from the company and they were led by a native English speaker. We went on two tours with Nicola and enjoyed both of them immensely. While the scenery was stunning, honestly one of the best parts for me was meeting Nicola! She was incredibly knowledgeable, not just about the area but also about Lebanese culture. She gave great suggestions, was very laid back and a lot of fun. On a more personal note, she is also incredibly kind and thoughtful, bringing us water and coconut kitkats! I would not hesitate to recommend Explore Lebanon Tours to anyone and would certainly use them again should I return to Lebanon one day.

Simona - Italy

All my life I wanted to see Lebanon and when I finally managed to book tickets, my first though, as a solo female traveler, was to be safe once there without renouncing visiting the most beautiful but uncommon spots; so I started contacting lots of tour companies, but most of them weren’t willing to change their tours only for one person or If they were, they wanted lot of money! Luckily I found Explore Lebanon and since the first chat via email I understood I would have had a great time in Lebanon with them! Nicola and Fawzi are really friendly, funny and outgoing! I really enjoyed the days spent with them! They brought me to all the sites I wanted to see without spending a fortune! They also know lots of good places where to eat and drink! I really recommend them! They are passionate about their job and they will make you fall in love with Lebanon!

Ann & Terence - Australia

We organised 3 tours with Explore Lebanon Tours- we tried one tour first - the Anjar, Baalbek and winery tour and this was an excellent experience, so we ended up organising two further day trip tours with Nicola and Fawzi. Nicola is an excellent driver, very well informed about all of the tourist sites and the day trips were well paced and she was able to provide flexibility and small changes as required. Our second day trip was to the Qadisha valley, the cedars and the Maronite cave monasteries.. our final trip was with Fawzi through the Bcharre valley and snow fields onto Tripoli. 😍 We would highly recommend this new tour company option in Lebanon - Nicola is very accessible to contact and quick to respond, we communicated easily through WhatsApp, all pick up were timely from our accommodation in Beirut and very sensitive to our needs - both Fawzi and Nicola are great communicators and very well informed and went the extra distance to make sure we felt that we were getting what we wanted from our day trips. Could not recommend more highly.. they were great.

Claudia & Peter - Austria

We emailed Nicola and asked for a tour in the mountains where we hoped to see the cedars, monasteries and lots of scenic views. On the day of the tour (mid March) the weather turned ugly: We did get our monasteries, cedars and waterfalls, but also a good quantity of snow and fog (killing our chance for many -normally- scenic views). Nicola suggested alternatives and we switched for the coast line, visiting dreamy Batroun and enjoying (among others) famous Hilmi lemonade. Nicola is full of stories covering just about every aspect a tourist may get in touch with during the stay in Lebanon. Just ask, you are guaranteed to have a fun day!

Parminder - England

Loved the tour to Anjar, Baalbek & Ksara Winery with Nicola. I especially liked the fact that there was no rush, I could spend as much time looking around as I wanted, which is not true of other organised tours. Nicola has convinced me to visit Lebanon again when it’s not winter - The mountains, cedars and hiking possibilities sound amazing!

brad & Jane - australia

My partner and I undertook 3 tours with Nicola all of which were outstanding, her easy going nature and knowledge of the country really make her tours 5 stars. The trip to Baalbek was one for me the highlight, on the way through we stopped by at the ruins of Anjar through to the magnificent Roman era ruins of Baalbek, lunch at a local restaurant and a final pit stop at Ksara winery. Highly recommend her company to anyone interested.

joe - china

I went on two tours with Nicola, one to Tripoli and Batroun, the other to Cedars, Bsharri and Kozhaya. Nicola is good at listening and arrange the tours to my taste. She was very easy to communicate with, and the tours are very personalised. Hopefully I will be visiting Lebanon again next year, and I already know who I will contact for explore more beautiful known and unknown places! If you are looking for private tours or personalised experience, I honestly recommend Nicola's Explore Lebanon Tours.

david - ireland

This was probably the most relaxing tour guide I have had the pleasure of being brought around the beautiful country of Lebanon. From the moment that Nicola picked me up at my hotel on both days to telling me the history of each place we visited to walking around with me in the rain in Byblos and introducing me to fantastic Lebanese food nothing was a bother to this wonderful lady. I can 100% recommend Explore Lebanon Tours for a completely hassle free way to see the country

Sarah - New Zealand

I had the most amazing time exploring Lebanon with Nicola. I highly, highly recommend this company. It is very professional, friendly and knowledgeable. Nicola was also fantastic with taking photos and showing me all aspects of Lebanon over the two days. I also felt incredibly safe with her at the wheel of the car and she knows all of the ‘spots’ to go to! Thank you Nicola for such an amazing and eye opening trip into Lebanon!

anna & andreas - abu dhabi

Thank you for very much for these wonderful days we spent with you. We really enjoyed Exploring Lebanon with you!

keeley - australia

In my personal opinion Explore Lebanon Tours is the only tour group you should consider when it comes to your travels in Lebanon. I was fortunate enough to spend four days in this magnificent country and Nicola catered fantastically for everything. Her passion for this country and her ever growing knowledge is incredible, what she doesn’t know she will find out for you. All tours are adapted to meet the needs of the travellers and in my experience these tours go above and beyond. While travelling in Lebanon I was fortunate enough to visit Byblos, Cedars, The Holy Valley, Down Town Beirut, Jeita Grotto, Baalbek valley and temples and so much more. These tours show you the real Lebanon!

Katie & Jenny - Isle of man

We had an amazing day seeing a completely different side of Lebanon. Breathtaking scenery, great food, great wine and incredible company. We learnt so much about the country and St Charbel. Thank you Explore Lebanon for an incredible day!

Stephanie -Big world small pockets

I throughly Enjoyed my trip and will be strongly recommending your company both on and offline.

To read full experience www.bigworldsmallpockets.com/explore-lebanon-tours/

cristine - dubai

My experience, a 3 day tour of Lebanon was Superb! I saw not only the usual tourist sites but several that were certainly off the beaten track. It was all one could hope for when travelling. Been to 20 countries and Explore Lebanon headed by Nicola by far is the best tour company I have traveled with. Highly recommended!

Ellie - the wandering quinn

I had such a good day with Explore Lebanon Tours. I went on a day trip to Chouwen which was incredible! Nicola is so nice, she knows all the good spots in Lebanon and very knowledgable on the country. I 100% recommend them!

To read full experience https://thewanderingquinn.com/2018/10/explore-lebanon-tours/

See YouTube Video -
https://youtu.be/ftirsqpvQSQ

All the above reviews are from TripAdvisor & Facebook