Nabil Haddad, the general manager of the company that oversees the Jeita Grotto in Mount Lebanon, announced in a statement that the cave will be closed for tourists. This is due to the annual holiday of the cave workers and the necessary maintenance work.
The cave will be closed from February 4th till the eve of February 19th. It will re-welcome the tourists and visitors again on the 20th.
For those of you who don’t know, Jeita Grotto is a natural cave located 20 kilometers north of Beirut, in the Nahr El Kalb Valley. It was discovered in 1836 by an American missionary who, venturing some 50 m into the cave, fired a shot from his gun and found a cavern.
The Grotto is divided into two parts, the lower and upper caves.
The Lower Cave
It was opened to the public in 1958. In this cave, the visitors can enjoy a short dreamy cruise in a rowboat for a distance of about 400 m (of the total 7800 m), and marvel at the majestic forms of otherworldly concretions.
The Upper Cave
In this cave, which was inaugurated in 1969, visitors can walk and discover an extraordinary cave which looks like an enormous cathedral. It hosts the longest stalactites in the world measuring 8.2 metres (27 ft). In addition, you can see stalagmites looking like candles, pillars, and columns in several sizes; coral pipes, giant organs, flowing stone draperies and curtains lengthening 28 m, a giant tulip, a big mushroom heightening 26 m, autumn trees and flasks.
The grotto is the jewel of tourism in Lebanon and one of the most marvellous natural wonders in the Middle-East which was chosen as an official finalist representing Lebanon and selected as one of the 14 worldwide landmarks.