Nour Farra-Haddad gives her family-friendly tourism tips around Tannourine and Douma. Spend a leisurely day trip in either, or enjoy a weekend taking in the two neighboring towns at once.
Tannourine
Tannourine, located in the Batroun region, is a rocky and mountainous area with sharp slopes and a deep valley, famed in the Fairouz song “Aala Hadir El Bosta.” 75km from Beirut, at an altitude of 1,500m, Tannourine village shares its name with a cedar forest of some 60,000 trees, the second largest reserve in Lebanon. Tannourine hosts numerous archeological sites dating from the Roman-era onwards and is well known for its ancient monasteries.
SLEEP
Tranquility at The Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great. Rooms under renovation, dormitories available (+961 6 500 220, Houb, Tannourine) or green sleeping at Eco Dalida, Cedar Forest (Ecolodge +961 71 679 055, +961 3 679 055.)
EAT
Eat at Eco-Dalida Lodge at the entrance of Tannourine Forest (+961 3 679 005) and Lebanese mezze on the riverside terraces of Wadi el Deir restaurant (+961 6 520 918 ; +961 3 523 563, Tannourine Tahta).
WHAT TO SEE
Take local guides Georges Sarkis Harb (+961 3 679 055) or Challita Tanios Harb (+961 3 223 428) for a local perspective on the area. The Tannourine Cedars Forest Nature Reserve (+961 6 500 550) is unmissable. The stunning mountainous landscape, with cedars seemingly defying gravity and growing on vertical slopes, is impressive. Tannourine hosts a remarkably large number of archeological sites dating from the Roman-era onwards.
Douma
Douma is full of traditional red-roof houses, and sits 1,050m above sea level. The town has been inhabited since at least the time of the Romans, in 317AD. The majority of the housing was built between 1881 and 1914, the golden age of life of Douma, financed by money sent from emigrants. Its ground is rich and welcomes cultures such as olive trees and grapevines.
SLEEP
Try the mythical round-shaped, Hotel Douma (+961 6 520 202, +96 3 611 406, hoteldouma.com), Mar Yaacoub El Hosn Convent (+961 6 740 030, +961 3 723 755) or sleep under the stars at Camping Douma (+961 70 520 060, +961 3 697 738, Camping Douma مخيم دوما | Facebook)
EAT
Don’t miss out on tasting Zahlawi ice cream in the old souks, Hotel Douma organize great brunches on Sundays during the summer season.
Travel a little further and stop at Chalalat Nahr el Joz restaurant in Kfarhelda (+961 3 289 970) for delicious Lebanese mezze with a waterfall view.
WHAT TO SEE
Stop by Kamel Farm (+961 3 749 286; kamelfarms.com) in Douma, a family business specializing in agriculture and organic farming selling products certified by LibanCert, and guaranteed without pesticides, GMOs, antibiotics and other chemicals.
Douma Village and its old streets are also worth an afternoon’s exploration. See remains from different eras of Greeks and Romans and the Ottomans. This village is a living architectural museum of the Ottoman era, with a gated old souk and terracotta roof-tiled houses.
Article edited on October 28, 2021
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