From Wilderness to New Beginnings: Our Kobayat Campsite 🌲✨

More Than 70 Years of Wild Ground

This is the second post in the story of how Horizon Pines came to be. The first one was about the forest itself. This one is about what we found when we started work, and what we did first.

For more than 70 years, this land in Kobayat lay untouched: wild, raw and full of weeds. The pines had grown tall, but the ground beneath them was overgrown.

The land sits at about 1,100 metres, just below Mar Gerges Chwita, in Kobayat, in Akkar. With nobody tending the ground, weeds and scattered branches had built up under the trees.

What began as a simple act of care, cleaning and de-weeding to protect the forest from fires, soon sparked a bigger dream. In a dry pine forest, fire is the risk you think about most, and that has not changed. Today we still ask every guest to smoke outdoors, away from tents, and to be careful with anything lit.

The photos here show that early stage: cut branches, cleared ground, sunlit paths and the same pines still standing around it all. Clearing meant removing weeds and debris, not trees; the forest stayed.

Summer 2024: Shaping a Campsite in Lebanon’s Pine Forest

The summer of 2024 marked the start of our journey. Piece by piece, we began shaping Horizon Pines into a space where families, friends and adventurers could gather. The first steps were practical:

• A level camping area. We levelled part of the land to create a camping area, so tents could sit on flat ground under the trees.
• Stone walls. We built layers of stone wall to frame and protect the site. Stone terraces are still one of the defining features of Horizon Pines.
• A firepit. We made a cosy firepit for nights under the stars.

None of this needed the forest to be cut back. Building without cutting trees was the rule from the start, which is why the camping ground sits under the pine canopy rather than in a clearing. For eco camping in Lebanon, we think that is the part that matters most.

It was not glamorous work. Much of it was clearing ground and building stone walls by hand, and it is the reason the rest of the site could be built at all.

The last photos in this section show two things we were careful to keep: the view through the pines in the evening, and the paths that wind between the trees. Those forest paths are now the easiest walking around the site, and a slow walk under the pines is one of the simple pleasures of camping in Kobayat.

The Foundation for Camping in Kobayat Today

This was the foundation: turning raw land into a safe and welcoming place, the start of a nature retreat in North Lebanon. But the journey was only beginning. The next stage was building terraces, foundations and the shared facilities a proper campsite needs.

Camping is still at the heart of what we do. Family and friends camping gives you your own campsite for 2 to 6 people, at $10 per guest per night with your own tent, or $15 per guest per night with a tent and mattress provided (bring your own sheets, pillows and covers). Larger groups and scout troops, from 20 to 120 people, use the group camping area. The firepit idea grew too: there are now fire pits and BBQ stations around the site.

Since then, more has been added. All our stays are open for the season, roughly April to October: premium yurts, Lotus Belle tents for glamping in Akkar, family camping and group camping. Chalets are being built now; they are not open yet, so ask us on WhatsApp if you would like to know when they open.

If you have never camped in this part of the country, our first-timer’s guide to camping in Akkar covers the practical side of a first trip.

Planning a stay? See family camping or ask us about availability on WhatsApp.