Sannine (المثلّث) - Qaa el Rim - Wadi el Saquieh - Sahlit Mtaiyouhane - Sannine summits ridge

An epic adventure at Mount Sannine. More than 70 % of the trek is off-trail. This hike is physically demanding and the summer heat made things more difficult. A continuous ascent of more than 1000 m will pump out your energy before you reach the summits ridge. The descent from the west ridge was challenging at night at the light of headlamps and mobile phones. Do not underestimate this trek nor overestimate your endurance. The terrain is difficult. Do not attempt to do it alone. You will have no network coverage most of the time. We started at the well-known "Al-Moutallat", the intersection between Tarchich-Sannine and Zaarour-Jerd Sannine roads. A lebanese army post is found at this point in Summer. You can ask the army and park your car not far from them. Next to the army post, take the trail that goes down to the valley of Qaa el Rim. Soon after the start, you will see a Cross on a hill to your right. Don't miss the view from this point (Bekaa valley, Mount Hermon, Anti-Lebanon, Kneisseh, Chouf and Qaraoun lake). Continue your way down to the valley of Qaa El Rim. Instead of continuing to Qaa el Rim, head north in the valley, called "wadi el Saquieh", a beautiful hidden gem. It is the separation between Mount Lebanon and Bekaa governorates and between Sannine and Jabal el Chaara (Check one of my other trails if you want to climb this mountain- 2000m). A cold refreshing fountain is on your way and this is all what you want in summertime (Ain Bou Jaoude). After this fountain, starts the real adventure with a steady continuous ascent around a dry riverbed (should be really nice in winter and spring) till "Sahlit Mtaiyouhane" where you can find many shepherds' tents. From there, you will start climbing Sannine from the East. A long exhausting ascent will lead you to the base of the summits ridge. A final tough off-trail ascent will take you to the first peak. A breathtaking view from Makmel mountain in the north to Mount Hermon to the south and from Anti-Lebanon to the East to the Mediterranean sea to the West. From now on, you have to forget what a trail means because all your way till the end will be off-trail. You will be finding your best way using your sense of expert hiker. From peak to peak, this ridge is simply fantastic. This is my favorite part of Sannine. After 5 or 6 peaks, you will reach Sainte Sophie Cross. Continue your way to the true summit of Sannine (2628 m) where you will find a wooden Cross and a small St Charbel statue. Take the time to admire the beautiful Lebanon from this top point. Now, head to the famous Sannine Cross (2562 m) ovelooking wadi el deleb and Bakish. Follow my route here: I've done this ridge at least 5 times in all seasons and i consider the actual route as the safest and the best one in Summer season. For winter ascent, kindly check my other ascent done in winter. Always keep in mind that the route changes from Summer to Winter and in all cases follow your common sense and never a line "blindly" on wikiloc. By the time we arrived at Sannine Cross, we were close to sunset. It was the best view ever with clouds covering the valley and the top of the mountains around emerging from the clouds: Bakish, Zaarour, Kneisseh, Barouk.. After this rewarding time at the top, we started our descent on the west ridge. By the time we reached the top of Berland route, it was already dark. It was very challenging to find the way on the ridge using headlamps and mobile phones flashlights. I navigated my saved trail "Sannine south ridge ascent" which was very accurate. You can find more waypoints following the other trail on this section (i used my 50 waypoints on the actual trail). Slowly and carefully, we made our way down safely to our starting point. It is one of my best lebanese adventures. Enjoy it and stay safe. Be a responsible hiker and keep it clean. Kindly leave a short review after following any of my trails and do not hesitate to contact me for more info.