08 Mar 2023
We wanted to combine two day trips into an overnight in the Qadisha Valley, and Lebanon Tours and Travels was happy to accommodate our request with a prompt response with a fair price. On the first morning of our tour we were picked up at our hotel by our driver/guide Hassan, who skilfully navigated the Beirut traffic to get us out of the city in short order. On our way north, we learned about his family, the 2020 Port explosion, the massive Lebanese diaspora abroad, ethnic groups, religious groups, local adaptation to the collapse of the national power grid, and last month's devaluation of the official currency exchange rate... and that was just in the first hour of driving. Although Hassan's knowledge of the en route sights was also comprehensive, it was his attentiveness and casual conversation that really made the trip memorable. He introduced us to Lebanese coffee and za'atar manouche at a roadside stand, explained things as we saw them, and was always ready to pull off onto the shoulder for a photo of the wonderful scenery. On Day 2 he picked us up at our accommodation in the hills, navigated to the day's sights, and delivered us safely back to our Beirut hotel. All in all, the entire experience from start to finish was professionally handled and very much enjoyed. Our thanks go to Lebanon Tours and Travels, and our driver/guide Hassan.