One of the Middle East's greatest natural wonders, the stunning Jeita Grotto Cave System extends around 6km into the mountains 18km northeast of Beirut. Discovered in 1836 and opened as a tourist attraction in 1969, the caves were used as an ammunition store during the civil war despite the fact that their lower strata are flooded each winter due to the rising levels of the Nahr-el-Kalb (or Dog River) for which they form the source. These lower caves are always explored by small boat, and are closed when the flood levels rise too high; during these periods the ticket price drops to adult/child LL11,550/6875.
The simply extraordinary upper cavern stays open all year and is explored on foot. Accessed via a cable car from the ticket office, it has strategically positioned coloured lights that showcase the stalactites and stalagmites in all their crystalline glory. And despite all kinds of tatty side attractions – including a toy train ride between the ticket office and lower caves – the site remains a spectacular day trip from Beirut. Bear in mind that there’s no photography allowed: you can stow your camera in lockers at the mouth of the caverns. The ticket price includes the toy train and cable-car rides, grotto entrance and a 20-minute video presentation about the caves (screened at different times of the day in English, French and Arabic). Allow 90 minutes to two hours for your visit.
To get to the grotto, take a minibus (LL1500) or LCC bus 6 (LL1500) from Dawra and ask the driver to drop you at the Jeita turn-off on the Beirut-Jounieh Hwy. From here, negotiate a return price with a waiting taxi for the 5km journey (around US$15 to US$20, according to demand), and make sure to figure in waiting time. Alternatively, a return taxi trip from Beirut should cost around US$60 including waiting time.
