Baatara Gorge Waterfall – My Lebanese Bucketlist

by Mike Still
Baatara Gorge Waterfall – My Lebanese Bucketlist

Have you ever planned a trip based off of a random photo you saw on the internet?  That’s how I ended up exploring Mount Bromo in Indonesia and ever since I saw a picture of the Baatara gorge waterfall I knew that Lebanon would be on my bucketlist too!

Lebanon’s Beautiful Baatara Gorge Waterfall drops 255 meters through a sinkhole.

The Baatara Gorge Waterfall drops 255 meters through a sinkhole in a magnificent display of natural beauty.  The surrounding gorge is filled with Jurrasic limestone and from the photos makes me think dinosaurs might be lurking around any corner. 

Photo by Serge Melki made available on WikiCommons

Getting to Baatara Gorge Waterfall

The waterfall is only about 70 kilometers outside of Beirut and Eithad airways is one of the best ways to fly into Lebanon.  From Beirut you head to the Three Bridges Trail and only have to hike about 1 km to get to this beautiful cave.  

Is Lebanon Safe?

Like I said, I’m still in the bucketlist stages of a trip to Baatara Gorge and might wait for the Syrian conflict to die down a bit before I actually start planning my trip there.  The US government says to reconsider traveling to Lebanon and warns specifically against the borders with Israel and Syria due to high potential for armed conflicts or terrorism.  Tourist locations can be targets but then again, the US also was just listed as dangerous to travel to because of our mass shootings which also target popular destinations and events.  Personally I’ll probably wait a few years before planning my trip to the Baatara gorge waterfall and keep exploring Alaska in hopes that the region gets safer soon.

Photo by Eli+ made available by Creative Commons licensing under WikiMedia

Photo by Eli+ made available by Creative Commons licensing under WikiMedia

Until then I can always brush up on my Arabic and look at other things to do in Lebanon.  With almost 200 km of Medeterenian coastline I’m sure there are plenty of beach resorts to relax in.  Perhaps I could try surfing in this paradise.  

In case you were curious about the photo that created this inception you can find it here.  I saw it on Reddit a while back and put it in my bucketlist for the future.

Arabic Phrases that might help your trip to Lebanon

 Hello =marhabaan ,مرحبا
thank you = shukran jazilan شكرا جزيلا
beer = bayra بيرة
cheapest flights = arkhas tayaran ارخص طيران
bathroom = hamam حمام 

Photo by Serge Melki made available on WikiCommons

Photo by Serge Melki made available on WikiCommons

I’m always a fan of UNESCO sites and Lebanon has no shortage of these cultural hotspots.  You might want to learn some Arabic before heading to Lebanon though. Remember that the language reads right to left and uses a completely different set of characters.  Google Translate will definitely be your friend but don’t worry, many Lebanese speak English and French too!

Do I need to know Arabic before going to Lebanon?

You might want to learn some Arabic before heading to Lebanon though.  Remember that the language reads right to left and uses a completely different set of characters.  Google Translate will definitely be your friend but don’t worry, many Lebanese speak English and French too!

Things  I want to do in Lebanon

Hiking the Three Bridges trail toBaatara Gorge waterfall is just the thing that got me interested in Lebanon.  After doing a bit of research I found there’s lots more to do in Lebanon. The Jeita Grotto looks stunning and reminiscent of some of my favorite caves in Vietnam.  

There’s lots of natural beauty in this country but I’m also very intrigued by their take on my favorite middle eastern cuisines.  I love all kinds of hummus and kofta. I don’t think I would have to be very daring to try just about everything on the Lebanese menu and kibbeh looks particularly delicious.  

Have you been to Lebanon?  Comment below and know of any other destinations you recommend in Lebanon.

Photos from my other adventures can be found on the @LiveTravelTeach Instagram Account and don’t forget to follow www.LiveTravelTeach.com by adding your email at the top of this page to make sure you don’t miss any of these amazing adventures!

Disclaimer:  This is the internet and It is safe to assume that links and content contained on this webpage provide compensation to the website’s owner.  The opinions here are my own and the information here is accurate as of October 2019.  Unless otherwise labeled, all photos were taken by Mike Still.

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Mike Still
Mike is a travel enthusiast, photographer and teacher. He loves adventure travel, meeting the locals and exploring new culture. As an outdoor enthusiast you can often find him hiking mountains or exploring forests trying to capture the beauty of mother nature. In 2013 he founded www.LiveTravelTeach.com as he left his home in America and has been teaching or traveling around the world ever since!

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