{"id":6448,"date":"2026-10-27T14:52:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T19:52:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.madeinliban.com\/barouk-cedars-cedars-of-lebanon\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T14:37:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T19:37:03","slug":"barouk-cedars-cedars-of-lebanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.madeinliban.com\/es\/barouk-cedars-cedars-of-lebanon\/","title":{"rendered":"Barouk Cedars Guide: Hiking the Cedars of Lebanon in the Shouf"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than 400 hectares of cedars on the Chouf ridge, some of them around 2,000 years old. This is where to walk among Lebanon’s national tree.<\/em><\/p>\n

Place Information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Region<\/th>\nShouf, Mount Lebanon<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Best time to visit<\/th>\nMay to October; snowshoeing in winter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Time needed<\/th>\nHalf a day to a full day<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Good for<\/th>\nHikers, families, birdwatchers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Getting there<\/th>\nAbout 1.5 hours by car from Beirut<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Barouk cedar forest is the largest of the three cedar forests protected by the Shouf Biosphere Reserve, Lebanon’s biggest nature reserve, on the high ridge of the Chouf mountains southeast of Beirut. Its entrance, about 2 km from the centre of Barouk village, opens onto more than 400 hectares of cedars of Lebanon (Cedrus libani), the tree on the national flag.<\/p>\n

Together with the forests of Maasser el Shouf and Ain Zhalta and Bmohray, Barouk holds about a quarter of the cedar forest left in Lebanon, and some trees in the reserve are estimated to be around 2,000 years old. Unlike the small grove at the Cedars of God in the north, this is a real forest you can walk through for hours, with wildlife, snow in winter and views on clear days down to the Mediterranean and across to the Bekaa.<\/p>\n

What to see<\/h2>\n

The cedar forest<\/h3>\n

Cedars here grow on the upper slopes at around 1,800 metres, their flat layered branches spreading wide above a floor of rock and needles. Older trees have huge, twisted trunks, while younger stands planted in reforestation programmes fill gaps left by centuries of logging. Walk slowly and look at the shapes: no two old cedars grow the same way.<\/p>\n

Hill Lake and the bird blind<\/h3>\n

Above the entrance, a stone wildlife viewing blind overlooks a small hill lake. It is the best spot in the forest to sit quietly with binoculars. The Shouf lies on a major bird migration route, and the reserve is home to medium sized mammals such as the wolf and the jungle cat, though you are far more likely to see birds and tracks than animals.<\/p>\n

Adopt a cedar<\/h3>\n

At the Barouk entrance you can adopt a cedar to support the reserve’s reforestation work. It is a good way to involve children and leave something behind.<\/p>\n

Hiking trails<\/h2>\n

Several marked and unmarked routes start or pass through Barouk. Choose one that matches your fitness and the season.<\/p>\n