4 independent reviews for Small group tour of Lebanon
Reviews for Small group tour of Lebanon
Susan Eve review 31 Jul 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Hard to choose between the natural wonder of the Jeita Caves and the amazing scale of the roman temples at Baalbek.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Do as much background reading as you can.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I think that my vacation benefited local business and that visitors to the cedar parks help support their conservation.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
A brilliant vacation - great diversity, friendly people, and amazing food.Suzanne Gray review 6 Jun 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Spectacular Roman ruins and drives through the mountains. Discovering Beirut and its turbulent history. Delicious food.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Take lots of US dollars in small denominations, changing to LBP as needed. There are exchange places everywhere. We only used cash and were warned not use credit cards because of the official exchange rate. Walk as much as you can in Beirut to see beautiful Ottoman houses, sadly many crumbling away, and the restored 1920/30s buildings in among shiny new apartment blocks and blast damage.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, all our interactions were with local people which felt as if it could help the ailing economy.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Very good. Its a beautiful and fascinating country unfortunately going through some hard times. It was very interesting to have the perspective of our driver and guide. The guide was very knowledgeable but also entertaining.Kevin Brodsky review 11 Mar 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The most memorable site was by far the temples in Baalbek. I was already familiar with a variety of Roman ruins, but this was something else entirely. Absolutely a must see if one is interested in the Roman and Byzantine periods. Talking to our guide Tony and our driver Mitri was at least as enjoyable to me as visiting the various sites. Tony is extremely knowledgeable thanks to his archaeology background and his experience as a guide, and is more than happy to discuss and explain any topic. Both him and Mitri are extraordinarily kind and friendly, and it is probably them I will miss the most.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
If you can, absolutely visit the National Museum in Beirut *after* your tour. This is what I did, and it made the visit extremely interesting as I was then already familiar with the various sites, and our guide Tony made many references to pieces in the museum during the tour. While in Beirut, make sure to spend some time in Gemmayzeh, much nicer than Hamra in my opinion. Having dollars with you is by far the most convenient, as you can directly pay in dollars in most places. If you run out of cash, it is very easy to transfer yourself some money via Western Union and get cash (dollars) from any OMT shop, which can be found everywhere. In fact the WU fee turned out to be lower than getting travel money in my case.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It certainly benefited our guide Tony and driver Mitri (both truly locals), which felt great. The environmental impact was probably as small as possible, as the van matched the size of our group (4) and there is no alternative to driving to travel inside Lebanon. Tony is also very knowledgeable about conservation efforts and he made sure to highlight them.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent vacation, it certainly made me feel like I must come back to Lebanon! The local staff was also very helpful and arranged to move me to a different hotel in Beirut on a simple request.Jeff Rowell review 8 May 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Seeing the Cedars of Lebanon and visiting famous sites such as Baalbek, Byblos etc.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Stay a few extra days at the end of the tour to see more of Beirut and other places where more time could have been spent. In the case of our tour we visited Sidon on a Friday and the souk was closed, so it was nice to go back after the tour and see it again when it was open.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Certainly we benefited local businesses, restaurants, hotels, etc.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Overall it was a great tour. We had an excellent guide, and the tour took us to most of the locations that travelers would be interested in. Although the tour is billed as an 8 day tour, it really is a 6 day tour with the fist and last days being airport transfers... ideally the tour would have been a few days longer with a bit better scheduling (e..g, not visiting Sidon on Friday when the souk is closed) and perhaps with inclusion of Tripoli in the north and Balfour castle in the south.Holiday Reviews
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