For hikers who want altitude without technical climbing, Mount Sannine delivers. Rising to 2,628 m above the village of Tarchich, it's one of Lebanon's highest accessible summits — a broad limestone mountain with a famous spring-fed plateau, Grand Sannine lake, and a ridge walk with views that stretch from the Mediterranean to the Anti-Lebanon range.
The routes
From Tarchich (around 1,400 m), trails climb 1,000+ m to the summit — a solid, honest mountain day of 12–16 km. In spring, the plateau below the summit fills with meltwater lakes and wildflowers, and the walking there is gentle and open. In winter, this is ski-touring and snowshoe country.
What makes it worth it
- The 360° summit panorama — sea on one side, Bekaa on the other
- Grand Sannine spring and seasonal lakes on the plateau
- Karst landscapes that look like another planet
- Some of the cleanest, coolest air in the country
Serious-mountain notes
This is high, exposed terrain: weather changes fast, there's little shade, and water above the spring is unreliable. Start early, carry 3 litres, pack a windproof layer even in August, and turn back if clouds build. The mountain will be there next weekend.
