Camping trip to Chouf

Our trip started with a walk to reach Berkit el Aarous (3arous, عروس), one of 7 cascading ponds in Ain Qeni. Water is still flowing, albeit weakly.

An old bridge is standing strong, collaborating beautifully with nature. The area is packed with historical and mythical stories.

Then we hiked to the other part of the river.

The river that was flowing strong in Spring is now dry, so we hiked within the river bed.

From there we reached the last pond of the 7 cascading ones. We had planned on swimming, but the weak water flow discouraged us.

Once back to the car, we drove to the top of Baadaran, where an incredible view reigns the area. Rony took this shot.

After spending some time observing the view, we walked a little around the area, and noticed these disused bugalows.

Afterwards, we headed to a forgotten castle in Baadaran that caught our eye as we were driving to the top.

The castle's architecture is breathtaking. Although it's not being maintained, the construction is still in good condition.

From the second floor, the old town reveals itself.

It was already late. We drove on a rocky road to reach our campsite, somewhere near Ain w Zain.

It got cold, so we lit a fire. We spent a wonderful night under the moonlight, and I headed to a nice sleep while others spent the whole night having interesting conversations.

Early the next day, the sun was already warming up the surrounding. We had a lazy morning under the shades of trees.

Before heading back home, we passed by a very unique once-castle in Niha.

The way the castle was built on a very uncomfortable cliff gave it special character. It was just the right ending to our Chouf weekend.