APRIL 18-25, 2020 Thank you for allowing Corporate Travel Service to arrange this special tour – The Miracle of the Middle East. With over fifty years’ experience creating trips such as this, and with more than 20,000 people traveling with us last year alone, we are confident that we will be able to provide you and your group another unique and memorable experience. We are honored to serve you and your group. 41780 W Six Mile Road, Suite 1oo, Northville, MI 48168 P: 866.468.1420 | F: 313.565.3621 | ctscentral.net BEIRUT SIDON JEITA GROTTO DAY 1: SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2020 Independent flights from home city to Beirut DAY 2: SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020 • WELCOME TO BEIRUT Beirut, with its million-plus inhabitants, is full of life and energy complemented by the Capital’s geographical position on a great promontory jutting into the blue sea with dramatic mountains rising behind it. It is a city with a venerable past back to 5,000 years ago when Beirut was a prosperous town on the Canaanite and Phoenician coast. On arrival, you will have facilitated assistance through passport control at the airport as well as transfers in luxurious cars to our 5-star hotel. After a brief rest, you will be be hosted by a local dignatary in a sumptuous ottoman styled venue followed by dinner at Em Sherif Restaurant, a distinguished fine-dining Lebanese restaurant offering unique, authentic Lebanese cuisine. Enjoy forgotten traditional flavors in this unsurpassed first class dining experience. (set menu, cash bar) After dinner, you will be entertained on one of Beirut’s renowned rooftops. Iris Beirut has a vibrant, sophisticated and classy vibe. The terrace is usually packed with people wanting to enjoy the energy and catch one of the live artists or DJs playing most nights of the week. DAY 3: MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 • BEIRUT Part I Beirut Heritage Trail (3 hrs) The Beirut Heritage Trail links archeological sites, historic public spaces and heritage buildings over a 2.5 km walking circuit in the historic core of the Beirut city center. Celebrating the multi-layers of Beirut’s rich heritage, the Beirut Heritage Trail reveals the story of 5,000 years of history and will take you through a historic journey of the key sites and monuments. Having restored 300 buildings within the city center, the Beirut Heritage Trail uses historic maps, photographs and drawings to tell the story of Beirut’s past and present. The circuit will start at the Beirut Souks, which retains the 2,500 year-old ancient street grid and Ottoman access gates, and incorporates several archeological remains including the Phoenico-Persian quarter, the city wall and moat, the restored Mamluk Zawiyat Ibn Iraq and Majidiya mosque. Among the sites featured in the trail are the Emir Munzer mosque, the Roman Baths, Riad El Solh Square and the Grand Theatre. Part II - Chouf region. Cedars of Lebanon A pleasant 1 and ½ hour drive to the Chouf Region which is very rich in archaeological and architectural remains that are a witness to the history of these mountains and to the ethnic mix of the inhabitants of Mount Lebanon. Visit the Chouf Biosphere Reserve which is the largest of Lebanon nature reserves. The Al-Chouf Cedar Nature Reserve stretches from Dahr Al-Baidar in the north to Niha Mountain in the south. Blanketed with oak forests on its northeastern slopes and juniper and oak forests on its southeastern slopes, the reserves most famous attractions are its three magnificent cedar forests of Maasser Al-Shouf , Barouk and Ain Zhalta – Bmohary . These Cedar forests account for a quarter of the remaining cedar forest in Lebanon, and some tress are estimated to be 2,000 years old. Lunch is in the perfect setting of the Bouyouti Guest House. Nestled amidst the lush green mountains, it combines the beauty of ample spaces with a warm atmosphere. Bbouyouti is an eco-friendly village with a glasshouse restaurant in the middle of the garden and offers the highest level of service with a traditional Lebanese menu. This afternoon, you will continue on your way to discover the incredible Palace of Beiteddine for a coffee break. On the way back to Beirut, we will stop by Deir el Qamar for a quick tour of the village. For dinner, we will enjoy Stove, a French restaurant in the heart of Beirut (set menu with an open bar). DAY 4: TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2020 • BEIRUT -Tracing Phoenicia’s lost treasures An itinerary to rediscover the modern cities of Phoenicia and experience the traces of four millennia condensed in a few hours. Phoenician civilization thrived between 1500 B.C. and 300 B.C., leaving behind the foundations of the great coastal cities of modern day Lebanon. Although there remain almost no physical traces of this great civilization, the cities in which it thrived have survived to our times, and transformed through the ages from important trade centers to dense urban metropolises, bearing witness to the rich history that has shaped them. The trip begins by traveling south of Beirut along the coastal road towards Saida, or Sidon, one of the most important city-states of the Phoenicians and its original seaport. There will be a brief visit to the Sea Castle that was initially built by the Crusaders in 1228 and destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. Wandering inside the maze of the old souks, which contain a number of historic structures of various periods, most notably, the soap museum, a restoration of a series of older soap manufacturing structures dating back to the 13th century, the Khan el Franj, built in the 17th century by Fakhreddine II, is one of the few remaining caravanserais in Lebanon, and the Debanne House Museum, a unique example of 18th century Ottoman architecture, all attest to Saida’s important past and enduring history. A stop for lunch at Tawlet Saida. A concept restaurant that was created to develop the skills of the local community and to shine a spotlight on the culinary heritage of Saida and the region. Following the lunch break, you will continue along the coastal road and through the orchards of banana trees to reach the large plain that precedes Tyre. The entrance of Tyre is defined by its history as an island, as the land suddenly jolts out into the sea. Although Tyre bears no traces of this Phoenician past, it is rich in relics of its later history, and boasts incredible Roman, Byzantine and Crusader ruins. Inland, the archeological site of El Bass contains the largest Roman hippodrome ever discovered, as well as a Triumphal arch and an extensive necropolis. On the seaside, the large archeological site contains a sprawling complex of structures including a 2nd century colonnade and mosaic path, roman baths, a gymnasium, a rectangular amphitheater and water cisterns. Above the archeological site, across the road, the ruins of a 12th century crusader cathedral can also be visited. Optional: VISITING SOUTH LEBANON – South of Litany River (pending special permit from the Army for non-Lebanese). We will head with the goal to discover the area south of the Litani River that was occupied for more than 30 years and visit the de-mining facility and possibly the Southern border of Lebanon. Today we travel to South Lebanon, through the ancient port city of Sidon, with the goal to discover the area south of the Litani River that was occupied for more than 30 years. Returning to Beirut, dinner will be at Cocteau, an elegant restaurant that has been serving up a fine dining experience for 50 years. (set menu, cash bar) DAY 5: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2020 • BEIRUT - A Spiritual Journey We will depart early from the Hotel and take the coastal highway to the north to visit Lebanon’s Saint – Mar Charbel and attend the mass at 10 am at The Tomb Church. From the church to the side of the museum lies the Saint’s tomb, which has recently been converted into a church, the Tomb Church. We will share lunch with the Monks in the Monastery. After lunch we will have a quick visit to the Maronite Patriarchate at the episcopal sea of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch of the Maronite Church in Lebanon. Afterward, you travel to the must-see miracle of Nature, the Jeita Grotto. It is natural wonder formed over thousands of years. It is made up of two interconnected caves with limestone walls that spread over an area of nine kilometers. The grotto is split into two parts; the upper with a breathtaking view of extraordinary stone that forms curtains, columns, draperies and mushrooms at a distance of some 750m explored for 2200m, and the latter of 400m explored for almost 7800m, where you can marvel at the majestic forms of otherworldly concretions. A boat ride is offered at the lower grotto. Travel next to The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), a private Catholic university in Mount Lebanon, founded in 1938 by the Lebanese Maronite Order for amazing local hospitality and to be greeted by prominent dignitaries and leaders of Lebanese government. Dinner this evening at Usek University, set menu, open bar. DAY 6: THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020 • BIEURT - A leap in time Option 1 : The Holy Valley of Qadisha We will leave hotel by us at 8:00 AM. The trip up to the mountain village of Bcharré takes you through some of the most beautiful scenery in Lebanon. The road winds along mountainous slopes, continuously gaining in altitude and offering spectacular views of the Qadisha Valley, a Unesco World Heritage–listed site that is home to isolated rock-cut monasteries and wildflowers.