Scout Camping at Horizon Pines, Kobayat: A Guide for Troop Leaders 🧭

Why Kobayat Suits a Scout Camp

A scout camp is mostly the programme you bring with you. What a site has to supply is the ground it happens on, and enough water, power and washing for the number of people arriving. This guide sets out what Horizon Pines actually has, and what a leader needs to arrange before a troop turns up, so you can plan the rest around it.

We are in Kobayat (Qoubaiyat) in Akkar, North Lebanon, just below Mar Gerges Chwita — about two hours from Beirut and thirty minutes from Tripoli. The last stretch of road is a little rough, but an ordinary car drives it without trouble; just take it slowly. If you are coming in something bigger than a car, tell us what you are driving before the day and we will tell you what to expect.

The site sits in pine forest at around 1,100 metres, on a gated property with parking inside the grounds. The group camping area is a large open space for pitching, and it takes groups of 20 to 120. Those are the numbers to lead with when you write to us: how many people, how many tents, which nights.

We are open through spring, summer and autumn. Even in high summer the nights up here are cooler than the coast, which is the single thing that most often catches out a troop that packed for Beirut weather.

What Is On Site, and What Your Troop Brings

Here is what is already here, so you can cross it off the kit list.

Ground to pitch on. A large open tent area, with stone terraces, pine paths and clearings around it.

Fire and food. A fire pit and a campfire gathering circle, plus BBQ stations and a shared kitchen area. Bring whatever food and drink you like — most groups shop before they arrive and cook on site.

Water and washing. A wash area, bathrooms and hot showers, shared between everyone camping.

Power and signal. Twenty-four-hour solar electricity for lighting and charging, and 4G coverage across the site. There is no Wi-Fi. On a scout camp that is usually a feature rather than a problem, but say so to parents in advance and nobody is surprised.

Tents. Bring your own, or we can provide a tent and mattress per guest — both are priced per guest per night, and group rates are available for large bookings. Current rates are on the group and scout camping page.

What we do not have is a programme. There is no instructor team, no built obstacle course and no survival school. The activities are yours to run, and whatever your association's badge or progression requirements ask for, your own leaders deliver. What the site gives you is the space to run them in: room to pitch and strike camp properly, fires to cook on, and a circle to sit round at the end of the day.

The forest immediately around the site has natural paths through it, and that is the easiest walking available here — short enough for a patrol to be out and back before a meal, close enough that nobody is far from camp. For anything further afield, we would rather you asked a local guide or the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association than took a route description from us; our walking guide explains why. And once the fire is down, the sky here is dark enough to be worth planning an evening around.

Planning the Trip

Booking. Book directly by WhatsApp or phone, and book early for summer and holiday weekends — that is when the site fills. Send your dates, your numbers and whether you need tents, and ask about group rates while you are at it.

Arrival. Check-in is from 3:00 PM, with late arrivals possible until 10:00 PM, and check-out is at 11:00 AM, unless agreed otherwise. A troop arriving as one convoy is exactly the case for agreeing otherwise, so tell us when you really expect to be at the gate.

Paying. Cash, OMT, Whish, PayPal and Wise. All rates are in US dollars.

If plans change. A 50% deposit is required to reserve your stay, and cancellations are accepted at least 7 days before your arrival date. School terms move, so keep that in mind before you commit to a date.

On kit, the mountain is the thing to pack for.

A warm layer for every night. Under the pine canopy the temperature drops once the sun is off the slope, in every season we are open.

Shoes with grip. Trainers are fine on the forest paths around the site; anything rockier wants proper boots.

A head torch each, with spare batteries. There is power on site to recharge, but not one socket per scout.

Sun cover, a refillable bottle each, and enough drinking water to refill them. Shade in the forest, none out on the open ground — and the tap water on site is not for drinking, so bring water for the whole troop.

Bags for your rubbish. Leave the pitch as you found it — that part of the scout law does the work here.

The safety side stays with your leaders, as it would anywhere: your own first-aid kit, your own medical consent forms and emergency contacts, your own headcounts and buddy system. Two things we ask of you on site. Be careful with anything lit — this is a dry pine forest in summer, and the fire pit and BBQ stations are where fire belongs. And if a patrol is leaving the site for the day, tell us where they are going and roughly when you expect them back. We would rather know.

At a glance. Groups of 20–120, in pine forest at 1,100 metres, two hours from Beirut. Open tent area, fire pit and campfire circle, BBQ stations and a shared kitchen, hot showers, 24-hour solar power, 4G, gated parking. Spring to autumn. Bring your own tents or ask us to provide them; bring your own programme, warm layers and torches.

If you are still choosing dates, the season-by-season guide covers what each part of the year is like here, and the Akkar camping guide covers the practical side of getting to this corner of the country.

Planning a troop camp? See group & scout camping or ask us about dates on WhatsApp.