LMT 14 Kfardebian - Baskinta el Chakhroub

Trail length 16,5 km

North to South
From Kfardebian to Baskinta el Chakhroub
Total ascent 750m
Total descent 480m
Level of difficulty Moderate (4h30)

South to North
From Baskinta el Chakhroub to Kfardebian 
Total ascent 480m
Total descent 750m
Level of difficulty Challenging (4h30)

Use the connecting trail from the Mar Ephrem church to reach the head of the trail of section 14. Walk downhill and cross the river on a locally-made wooden bridge and climb up the other side until you reach a dirt road that later becomes a paved road. Turn right and follow the marks until you reach the BLT (Baskinta Literary Trail) sign. Then walk towards the Monastery of Saydet el Niyah and cross the main street, continue until you reach the water canal. Then follow it past the ancient tombs beside the main trail and continue walking along it. Go through a small umbrella pine forest and then walk downhill on a dirt road to reach the Sannine water factory. Pass by in front of it and cross the bridge flowing from some springs to other side of the valley, taking a partially-concealed path. When you reach the dirt road, continue walking until you arrive at the paved road which is the main Bakich – Baskinta road. Turn left and continue until you reach the BLT signs from where you take the dirt road as far as the Sannine – Baskinta main road. Walk downhill towards Mikhael Naimi tomb at which point you have three options:

Option 1:
Continue along the main paved road to Baskinta.

Option 2:
Walk along the BLT-LMT trail towards el Mtain and section 15. Take the same main road but leave it after 500 m, going down the dirt road on the left from where you follow the three-color blazing to reach the official LMT blazes. Continue to el Mtain.

Option 3: The BLT (from Mikhael Naimi’s tomb to Baskinta)
Retrace your steps on foot or by vehicle to the point near Michael Naimi’s tomb. Then take the dirt road (like option 2) and follow the three-color blazing, walking down to the bottom of Ouadi el Delb. Pass the hill lake on the left-hand side before reaching the end of the agriculture road. Continue downhill to the paved road which you approach from the Sannine side. Walk one hundred meters along it before turning right to reach the riverbed after the HAD information panel and then continue on the same path across the small bridge. From there, you start an easy ascent, counting 830m from the bridge before you take another un-cleared path which leads to an agriculture road on the left.

Important to know
- There is a difficult passage along this section; the trail consists of dirt and paved roads, a water canal and goat trails.
- This section is completely marked. 
- If you plan to walk alone, please inform the LMTA about the dates of your trip at info@lebanontrail.org and ask for the GPS track.
- For your stay and hike, contact the guesthouse or the guide few days before you start your trip.

Getting there
From Beirut, take the coastal highway to Nahr el Kalb. 500 meters after the tunnel, go right on the road that leads to Faraya via Hrajel. At the Faraya roundabout, take the right turn and continue until you reach Kfardebiane. The trail’s head is next to the Mar Ephrem church. To reach Baskinta from Beirut, take the coastal highway to Antelias and then join the main road up to Bikfaya. After passing through Bikfaya, turn right onto the road to Kenchara, Bteghrine and Ouadi el Jamajem. Once you enter Baskinta, go over the roundabout and continue to Chakhroub until you reach the BLT signs.

Source: Lebanon Mountain Trail Association