Six nautical miles north west of Tripoli lies the Palm Islands Reserve, which consists of three islands and covers a rough area of 5 sq km of land and sea. Declared a protected site by Unesco in 1992 and dedicated as a nature reserve in 1993, the islands are a haven for endangered loggerhead turtles, rabbits, rare monk seals and over 300 species of migratory birds that stop here to rest and nest. Of these, seven are considered threatened worldwide, while 11 are rare in Europe.
The largest of the islands, Nakheel (Palm Island), supports most of the turtles and contains some 2,500 palm trees, with paths laid out for visitors. There are beaches from which you can swim between the islands, or picnic whilst watching the wildlife - though barbeques are forbidden.
Tragically, the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah disturbed the delicate ecosystem maintained of the islands. A large-scale oil spill in Beirut, caused by the Israeli bombing of the Jiyyeh power plant, blackened the coast's beaches. Oil coated the Palm Islands' rocky shorelines, killing bacteria and algae, which are crucial food for marine life and turtles. Oil also spread across the surface of the water, presenting a danger to both turtles and migrating birds. Large quantities of oil, having sunk down to the sea bed, endangered bottom-living aquatic life.
Clean-up and monitoring programmes undertaken by a World Conservation Union mission to Lebanon have sought to minimise the damage to the Palm Islands, but the long-term impact is still hard to assess and efforts to restore the reserve's shores to their former pristine condition are still ongoing.
Currently the islands are only open to the public between July and September, though they may be closed during this period if environmental work or studies are being undertaken. You can pick up a free permit at the tourist office, and will need to negotiate a fare from one of the boat owners at Al-Mina port.
