When the Akkar Trail (Darb Akkar) group announced its 50 km hike challenge they had no idea they’d get so many requests from people interested in participating.
To put it into perspective, the trail is the distance between Beirut and Batroun, and that’s just out of 350 km of the walking trails in Akkar.
When it was time for the hike, 25 adventurers were up for the challenge to complete the 50 km journey in a single day.
Starting in the early morning, they passed through the changing landscape (even by snowy patches) of the gorgeous northern governorate, a region that is still highly underrated.
They hiked between the ups and downs of Fneideq to Mishmish and finished their 50 km hike in less than 12 hours.
The Akkar Trail hike organizers attributed the success to the team spirit and solidarity between the members, saying it was the main reason why everyone was able to travel the distance without any significant injuries.
And of course, the diverse scenic trail, from dense forests to barren land and biodiversity, kept the hikers motivated so they could keep going.
“In my opinion, Akkar is Lebanon’s heaven on earth,” said the participant Suha Hallab, who has hiked and climbed mountains in many countries around the world.
The trail includes all types of Junipers, the Cedrus libani, Abies cilicica, the Al Ezr oak (Quercus cerris: the largest native oak species in Lebanon), and more.
There are hundreds of varieties of plants and orchids, “which form an ecological environment for dozens of species of animals, insects, and reptiles, including rare and endangered ones” according to Darb Akkar members.
The organizers of the Akkar hike, along with hikers from Darb Al-Denniyeh, hope to promote ecotourism and sustainable tourism in the region, which has long been overlooked.
On the trip, hiker Omar Hassoun of Darb Al-Denniyeh said, “It’s important that people try once or twice a month to challenge themselves like this, return to nature, and take in the fresh air.”
After this huge success, the Akkar Trail organizers said they are currently working on their next challenge that is even bigger. It’ll be a 100 km hike stretching from the village of Akroum down to breathtaking Ouyoun El-Samak.