Jeita Grotto is one of the most impressive underground caverns in the world. Situated under Mount Lebanon in the Nahr el Kalb (Dog River) Valley, these caves, which have been known to man since Paleolithic times, consist of a lower and upper gallery. The caves were rediscovered by the American missionary Reverend William Thomson in 1836, who ventured 50 metres (164ft) underground. In 1873 engineers working for the Beirut Water Company explored a further 1000 metres (3281ft) into the caves. Today, visitors can explore the 6200-metre deep (20,341ft) lower gallery by boat, whilst the upper gallery, which was not discovered until 1958, can be visited on foot by travelling down a 120-metre (394ft) tunnel. There are numerous multicoloured stalactites and stalagmites, and a huge underground lake in what is one of the world’s most impressive natural wonders.
Air: Beirut International Airport. Road: Coach: Many tourists visit the sites as part of an organised tour. Taxi: Taxis can be hired in Beirut to take visitors to the site.

For more information on Jeita Grotto, contact the Ministry of Tourism (see Tourist Information above).
Website: www.jeitagrotto.com

Wzart al Siaha (Ministry of Tourism)
PO Box 11-5344, Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: (01) 340 940-4. Fax: (01) 340 945. E-mail: mot@Lebanon-Tourism.gov.lb
Website: www.lebanon-tourism.gov.lb
Embassy of the Republic of Lebanon
15 Palace Gardens Mews, London W8 4RA, UK
Tel: (020) 7727 6696 or 7229 7265 (consular section). Fax: (020) 7243 1699.
E-mail: emb.leb@btinternet.com

Lebanon