Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve

About this place

Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve is a mountain forest on the north-western slopes of Mount Lebanon, holding Lebanon cedars as part of the country's natural and cultural heritage. It receives heavy rainfall, which sustains many rare and endemic plants. It is a place for walking and quiet in summer, when people climb here from the heat of Tripoli and the coast. More than 1,058 plant species have been identified here, nearly 40 percent of Lebanon's native plants. Its forests combine cedar, juniper and fir, along with the country's last protected community of wild apple trees. Eastern imperial eagles, grey wolves, wildcats and red foxes live here, and its valleys hold wild orchids and salamanders. The path begins at a timber and stone entrance covered with coloured leaves in autumn, then enters tall dark trees covering the mountain. In open ground white and yellow flowers bloom in late spring, with rocks scattered through the grass. Cloud may suddenly drop over the slope, creating a completely different scene. It is about 19 km in a straight line from Tripoli and about 9 km from Bsharri. You reach it by car via Ehden, and the altitude ranges from roughly 1,200 to 2,000 m. Bring a jacket, water and walking shoes, keep to the marked paths and do not pick plants. Snow makes it hard to visit in the cold months, so May to October is the best time.