9:00 AM — Departure from Beirut Your driver meets the group at your hotel and heads southeast into the Chouf Mountains — pine-forested ridges rising above the Lebanese coast as you climb toward Beiteddine.

Beiteddine Palace — the presidential palace of Lebanon Built between 1788 and 1840 by Emir Bashir II — the ruler who unified Lebanon's mountain communities and whose legacy defines the Chouf to this day. Three interconnected courtyards with hand-cut geometric tilework and elaborately carved cedar-wood ceilings. Beneath the palace: Lebanon's finest collection of Byzantine mosaics — floor panels of extraordinary colour and detail housed in an underground museum that the majority of visitors walk straight past. Today the official summer residence of the Lebanese President. Your driver covers the full story of Emir Bashir and the palace's history throughout the visit.

Moussa Castle — sixty years, one man, one extraordinary idea Just minutes from Beiteddine — and completely unlike anything else in Lebanon. Moussa Maamari spent sixty years building a full-scale medieval castle by hand after a teacher mocked him as a schoolboy. The result is a multi-storey fortress filled with hundreds of life-size wax figures depicting scenes from Lebanese history, village life, and Ottoman-era traditions. An entirely unexpected and genuinely delightful stop that surprises virtually every visitor regardless of what they were expecting. Your driver shares the full story of Moussa and his castle — one of the most remarkable acts of personal determination in Lebanese cultural history.

Deir el Qamar — Lebanon's first capital Meaning "Monastery of the Moon" — a honey-stone Ottoman village that served as Lebanon's first capital under the Ma'an dynasty and remains one of the most perfectly preserved historic villages in the country. The cobblestone central square is framed by 17th and 18th-century mansions, a Druze palace, and public buildings unchanged for three centuries. Your driver explains the village's history and its enduring significance to Lebanese mountain culture.

Fakhreddine Mosque & Saydet el Tallé Church The 17th-century mosque of Emir Fakhreddine II — the Druze ruler who built an empire stretching from the Bekaa to the Sinai — and the hilltop Maronite church with panoramic views over the Chouf valleys. A mosque and a church metres apart, four centuries of coexistence in a single hillside view.

Lunch in Deir el Qamar — optional Lebanese mountain mezze at a local Deir el Qamar restaurant — grilled meats, fresh bread, Chouf valley views. Optional and at your own expense. Your driver recommends the best local options.

Return to Beirut — approx. 3:30–4:30 PM Drop-off at your Beirut hotel — the Chouf's three finest stops covered in a private half-day, afternoon completely free.