Beirut

Since the Jaita Grotto is a must-see when visiting Lebanon. We decided to go there early on the 6th day to escape the traffic at midday.

Unfortunately, only half of the cave was accessible because the upper passages were already flooded with water and would have been too slippery. Not all the pictures are sharp, as I had to take them quickly because photography in the cave is actually forbidden.

Even without the cave, a trip to Jaita is worthwhile because the nature and the mountains around are very beautiful.

Info:
The Jeita Grotto is a stalactite cave in Lebanon. It is located about 20 km north of Beirut in the valley of the Nahr al-Kalb (Dog River). The cave was already inhabited in prehistoric times.

The total length of the cave is 9000 metres. One of the largest halls measures 108 metres from the ceiling to the river. The area accessible to tourists today is divided into the Upper and Lower Galleries. In the 600-metre-long Upper Gallery, a multitude of dazzling stalactites, bizarre rock formations and stone curtains can be seen. At 8.2 metres long, one of the largest stalactites in the world can also be found here. The Nahr al-Kalb flows in the Lower Gallery. In total, the underground course of the river measures 6230 metres. The cave was created by this river. Over the course of time, the river has dug its bed into the rock and created the cave system.

In the online competition "New 7 Wonders of Nature", in which 440 places from over 220 countries took part, the Jeita Cave made it to the round of 28 finalists in 2011.En savoir plus