Enjoy a tour of Beirut the low carbon-emission way, with a walking or running tour.
Walking is the best way to get to know any city, whether it’s the city you live in or a city that you’re visiting as a tourist. It’s also the most eco-friendly way. The only energy you’re using is your own, and you don’t emit any harmful carbon. For the independent tourers out there, grab a map and some sneakers and head out on your way. But if you want some guidance – those of you living in or visiting Beirut – check out BeBeirut.
Walk Beirut (a part of BeBeirut together with Discover Beirut, Talk Beirut, Run Beirut, Sleep Beirut, and Beyond Beirut) has been offering group and private tours since April 2009. The tour’s concept is simple: “get to know Beirut by foot. We believe our city can be best explained through visual stories, and we’ve come up with a walking route that is pedestrian-friendly and brings you to neighborhoods that we think are critical in grasping Beirut’s diverse history.”
The tours are all offered in English, and the guides are recent Lebanese graduates who know the city, and know their history. In BeBeirut’s own words, “The tour offers an insider’s look into Beirut’s rich and often troublesome past, while witnessing upfront the city’s enduring spirit.”
The tours meet several times a week, on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and a calendar of dates can be found on BeBeirut’s website.
But if walking is a little too slow for you, then Run Beirut may be a little more your speed. Run Beirut’s urban runs offer a combination of exercise and culture, and the company’s routes go through significant parts of the city. The runs are all private, since everyone’s running ability and style is different, and pickups are even available from the runner’s hotel.
: BeBeirut
Read more about Lebanese eco-tourism::
Take Your Team to Lebanon’s Ecovillage
Eco Tourism in the Middle East: Lebanon
Top 7 Middle Eastern Trips for the Eco0Curious Traveler
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
