• An experienced Lebanese cycling leader
• A support vehicle driven by a professional and qualified driver-guide
• Single Beirut Airport group transfers on Day 1 and Day 9
• All accommodation as described
• Meals as detailed in the Meal Plan
• Baggage transfer

• Travel insurance
• Airport transfers (other than group transfers on Day 1 and Day 9)
• Some meals as detailed in the Meal Plan
• Tips for support staff and guide
• Miscellaneous expenses drinks souvenirs etc
• Local bike hire
• Bike Carriage on the flights - please check with your carrier for charges

The group will meet at the hotel in Byblos.

A single transfer from Beirut International Airport to the group hotel is provided in the evening of Day 1.

On the last day of the Land Only itinerary, there will be a single transfer back to Beirut International Airport.

Anyone may join the group transfers by prior arrangement. Travelling as a group or on public transport saves energy. If this is not practical, we can provide private transfers at an additional cost. Taxis are also available.

Hotel contact details and an emergency number will be provided with your booking confirmation.

All meals, except the final lunch and dinner in Beirut, are included in the holiday price.

It is not recommended to drink untreated water from the taps. If you are on a trekking or cycling holiday, water is supplied to fill up your individual bottles. This will be boiled, filtered or provided in large jerry cans or 5 litre bottles. Additionally you should take purification tablets or a filter bottle (such as a Water-To-Go bottle) to treat your water when in towns or where water is not supplied. We do not encourage the purchasing of single use plastic bottles.

Lebanese food includes a broad range of Levantine dishes that draw their influence from Mediterranean, Arabic and Turkish cuisine. Lebanese cooking offers an abundance of fresh seafood, pulses, grains, vegetables and fruit. Chicken is eaten more than red meat, but you will find lamb dishes along the coast and goat on the menu in the mountains. Dishes include baba ghanoush, a dip made from chargrilled aubergines; falafel and shawarma kebabs. Hummus is a staple dish and is often eaten with pita bread. Baklava is a dessert made from layered filo-pastry filled with nuts and date syrup or honey. Dishes are often served in a mezze style; a vast array of smaller dishes creating an array of enticing flavours. Alongside your dishes you will nearly always be served delicious salads such as tabbouleh and fattoush. A traditional accompaniment to meals in Lebanon is arak, an anise-flavoured spirit and the national drink. Lebanon also has a history of wine-making going back several thousand years, and there are some wine producers creating some fantastic wines such as Chateau Musar and Chateau Ksara.

The accommodation we use has been chosen to enrich your experience and to support social and economic enterprises in rural communities. Generally, we will stay in comfortable hotels/guesthouses with twin-share rooms and en-suite facilities. For the night at the Sassine Monastery in Baskinta the accommodation will be more basic, with shared bathrooms, but the welcome will be charming and warm. If you are travelling by yourself, you will be paired up with another single client of the same sex. Single rooms are available, on all but one night, for a supplementary cost.

This holiday will be accompanied by an experienced Lebanese cycling leader. In addition, there will be a support vehicle driven by a professional and qualified driver-guide.

This holiday involves going to moderately high altitude.  During the course of your trip you will reach altitudes in excess of 2500 metres.  Most people will have no difficulty with this level of altitude but before coming on the holiday, we recommend you read the advice on trekking at high altitude.  You can also talk to one of our trekking experts if you have any concerns about altitude.

Approximately £150 per person (or equivalent in US dollars or Euros) should be allowed for tips, soft drinks, snacks, non-included meals and miscellaneous expenses. You should budget around £30-£40 for the 2 meals in Beirut (lunch and dinner) that are not included. You can choose to take your money in pounds sterling, dollars or euros, although dollars are more widely accepted, and can often be used in shops and restaurants. There will be the opportunity to change money into local currency at many restaurants and supermarkets,  your tour leader will advise the best places to change money en-route. It is better not to use ATMs as they are subject to a fee and very unfavourable exchange rates. Credit cards are useful and it is a good idea to carry one in case of an emergency.

In Lebanon it is usual to tip staff, including your cycling tour leader and driver-guide, if you are happy with the services provided. We suggest you coordinate these tips as a group and as a rough guide we recommend around £30 per person to be shared between the tour leader and driver. Tipping is widespread in Lebanon and you may also want to pay small amount to hotel staff and anyone else who provides a service. The tour leader can advise you about this. Restaurant tips are included in the holiday price.

Your bike should be fitted with a compact or triple chainset and we suggest that 25mm tyres will provide a bit more comfort on the variable road surfaces typically found on our Road Cycling holidays.

Since you are depending on your bike to transport you throughout your holiday, it’s important to ensure it is in good working order. If you are not mechanically minded, get your local bicycle dealer to service it for you.

Please contact us if you are unsure about the suitability of your bike.

Bike hire is available locally – but is limited. Our local agent can arrange to provide the following bikes on a first-come, first-served basis.

Olmo Zerocinque – (Italian) alloy frame and carbon fork, Shimano Claris components with rim brakes and compact gearing 50-34 chainrings and 11-32 cassette. Limited availability in sizes M, L and XL. 28mm Vittoria tyres. Rental price $100.

Silverback Strela – (South African-German) alloy frame and carbon forks with Shimano Sora components with rim brakes and compact gearing 50-34 chainrings and 11-30 cassette. Limited availability in size S. 25mm Vittoria tyres. Rental price $100.

Silverback Sirelli 2 – carbon frame and forks with Shimano 105 components with rim brakes and compact gearing 50-34 chainrings and 11-28 cassette. Limited availability in sizes S, M, L. 25mm Vittoria tyres. Rental price $175.

We need to know well in advance if you are proposing to hire a bike and we need to establish the frame size you require. As well as giving us your estimate of frame size, we need your height (metric). We will check that a suitably sized bike is available for collection and you will pay the local agent for the bike directly (in euros currency) when your bike is delivered to you after breakfast on day 2 in Byblos. Please note that your contract for bike hire is directly with the local provider and not with KE. You will be required to sign an agreement locally that you will pay for the replacement or repair of the bike in the case of its loss or damage.

The bikes are fitted with basic flat pedals and we recommend that you bring your own pedals (and possibly your saddle), which will be fitted for you, as well as your helmet.

Airlines require that you pack your bike properly for travel and for this holiday we recommend that you use a purpose-made soft bike bag. These can be relatively inexpensive. They are also light in weight, easy to handle and, most importantly, can be packed into a small space to allow easy transportation in the support vehicle. You will need to partially dismantle your bike to pack it in your bag.

PLEASE DO NOT USE a purpose-made rigid bike box for this holiday. We do not have the space in the support vehicle to transport these bulky items.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding travelling with your bike.

Throughout the holiday, we will have the back up of a minibus or larger bus support vehicle. Each morning the group’s baggage will be loaded onto the support vehicle which will follow the group on the day's ride. The biking leader and the support vehicle driver will watch over the group and will be contactable by mobile phone. Group members will naturally cycle at different speeds and regular stops will be set to allow the group to reform. The support vehicle will carry water, snack bars, energy bars, dried fruit, fruit and picnic lunch items on any days that they are needed. The support vehicle will pick up any group members who wish to take a break from cycling at any time.

Apart from your bike in its bag or box (if you are taking your own bike), you should travel with one main item of luggage, such as a sturdy holdall, and a small day pack. The day pack can be used to carry valuable items such as cameras and GPS devices whilst travelling, but will also be useful to separate out items you might want to pick up from the support vehicle during the rides, like additional clothing. Your baggage allowance on the flights will depend on your airline. When choosing your flights, whether booking them directly or through KE, you will need to consider the cost of carrying your bike. These costs are your responsibility.

For each holiday there is a minimum number of participants required to enable it to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to run'. You can check the trip status for each departure in the ‘Dates and Prices’ table. Other than in exceptional circumstances, we will not cancel a trip once it has achieved this guaranteed to run status so you are free to proceed with your international flight booking and other travel arrangements.