The Chouf is one of the districts of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, with Beiteddine as its administrative capital. It rises from the Mediterranean coast south-east of Beirut up to the high cedar ridges of Barouk and Niha, taking in close to a hundred towns and villages along the way. This guide covers what the Chouf is — its history and communities, its nature and food, what to see, and how to get there.
capital Beiteddine · area ~495 km² · part of Mount Lebanon Governorate
The Chouf district sits on the western slopes of the Mount Lebanon range, south-east of Beirut. It stretches from the coastline near Damour and Naameh inland up to the high ridges around the Barouk and Niha mountains. The district groups together close to a hundred towns and villages, from coastal towns like Jiyeh and Damour to mountain villages like Maasser el-Chouf and Niha. It is best known for its cedar reserve, its Ottoman-era palaces, its mixed communities, and the terraced olive groves and vineyards that cover its hillsides.
The Chouf climbs in steps from the sea to the summit. Along the coast are the beaches and banana and citrus plantations around Damour and Jiyeh; above them, terraced slopes of olives, fruit trees and vines rise through the mid-mountain towns; higher still are pine and oak woods and, at the top, the cedar ridges of Barouk and Niha, which stand well above the tree line. Rivers and springs — including the Damour River, which rises in these mountains and reaches the sea — cut the valleys that separate one town from the next. The high mountains hold snow through winter and into spring, while summers stay mild at altitude, which is why the Chouf's mountain towns have long been a warm-season retreat.
The Chouf is best known nationally for the Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve, the largest nature reserve in Lebanon. It protects a long stretch of the Barouk–Niha range and a large share of the country's surviving cedar forest, centred on three ancient groves — the cedars of Barouk, Maasser el-Chouf and Ain Zhalta — each with its own entrance and trails. Its signature tree is Cedrus libani, the Lebanon cedar, some of the reserve's specimens centuries old. The reserve is part of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve, designated under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme, and it sits on the bird-migration route between Europe and Africa, so birds of prey pass through in season; its mammals include wolves, wild boar and gazelles.
Marked trails range from short walks near the entrances to long climbs up to the ridgelines, where the reward is a view east over the Bekaa Valley — the longer routes are a demanding uphill hike. The reserve is a managed protected area, so entrances and full-trail access are arranged through it; it is worth checking access before you set out, especially for the ridge trails, and the high trails are usually walkable from spring through autumn. Guesthouses and campsites sit near the forests, such as Cedars Ground Campsite just outside the Barouk grove; a former riverside eco-camp in Dmit is now closed.
The Chouf was the heartland of the Emirate of Mount Lebanon for several centuries. Deir el-Qamar served as the capital of the emirate from the 16th to the 18th century, and its Ottoman-era square and stone-built old town still stand. Beiteddine — whose palace was built in the early 19th century under Emir Bashir Shihab II — later took over the role and still gives its name to the modern district capital. The Moukhtara palace is the historic seat of the Jumblatt family. The region remained politically central through the Mutasarrifate of Mount Lebanon and into the modern Lebanese state.
The Chouf is socially mixed: it is home to the largest Druze community in Lebanon, alongside long-established Maronite, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Sunni Muslim communities. Many towns are themselves mixed, and the district's civic and political life has long reflected that. Visitors often remark on how calm the old streets feel and how welcoming people are. To understand local custom, read our guide to Druze marriage traditions in the Chouf.
The Chouf's economy mixes farming, small trades and a growing hospitality scene. Its terraced hillsides produce olives and olive oil, grapes for wine and arak, seasonal fruit and honey. Households and small producers make mouneh — the preserved foods that carry a mountain household through the year, from jams and pickles to kishk and dried herbs — and the area keeps up a tradition of olive-oil soap and handmade crafts. These local products are exactly what the Chouf App shopping surface helps you order from Chouf-area stores, so everyday goods reach you without a trip out of the mountains.
The Chouf lies south-east of Beirut. The common approach from the capital runs down the coast to Damour and then climbs into the mountains toward Deir el-Qamar and Beiteddine; other roads reach the district from the Aley side and cross from the Bekaa over the Barouk pass. Within the Chouf, a spine of mountain road links the main towns — Deir el-Qamar, Beiteddine, Baaqline and Moukhtara — and branches up to the cedar villages of Barouk, Maasser el-Chouf and Ain Zhalta. Public transport is limited, so most people drive.
Like much of Lebanon, mains electricity runs only part of the day, and homes, shops and guesthouses rely on a mix of private generators and solar power, which is now widespread; mobile and home internet can be patchy in the higher villages. Saving residents the long round trip out of the mountains for everyday shopping is a big part of why Chouf App exists, and why it is built to stay usable on a weak connection.
Every town and village the Chouf district takes in, each with its own guide page.
The Chouf is best known for the Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve — Lebanon's largest nature reserve — and for its Ottoman-era palaces at Beiteddine and Deir el-Qamar. It is the heartland of Lebanon's Druze community and a producer of olive oil, wine and mouneh (traditional preserved foods).
Beiteddine is the administrative capital of the Chouf district. The nearby town of Deir el-Qamar served as the capital of the Emirate of Mount Lebanon in earlier centuries.
The common route runs south down the coast to Damour, then climbs into the mountains toward Deir el-Qamar and Beiteddine. Other roads reach the Chouf from the Aley side and across the Barouk pass from the Bekaa. Public transport is limited, so most visitors drive.
The main draws are Beiteddine Palace, the old town of Deir el-Qamar, Moussa Castle, the Moukhtara palace, and the cedar forests of Barouk, Maasser el-Chouf and Ain Zhalta inside the Al-Shouf Cedar Reserve, which has marked walking and hiking trails.
Yes. Its mountain towns stay mild through the summer and have long been a warm-season retreat. The high cedar trails are usually walkable from spring through autumn; it is worth checking reserve access before setting out.
The Chouf takes in close to a hundred towns and villages, from coastal Damour and Jiyeh to mountain villages such as Baaqline, Moukhtara, Barouk, Maasser el-Chouf and Niha.