Home to the last freshwater marsh in Lebanon, and found in a unique location in the West Bekaa district, Aammiq is a must-see destination when coming to Lebanon.
Being 1 hour 20 minutes from Beirut, and 10 minutes from the nearest city Qob Elias, Aammiq is a haven of soothing dry weather, picturesque views, and enormous biological diversity.
#1 The Precious Wetland
Designated an important Bird area in the Middle East by BirdLife International in 1994, declared Ramsar convention site number 978 in 1999, and designated by Al Chouf reserve as a biosphere reserve in 2005. Now the site is protected and water use from it is restricted.
Sandwiched between hills and Mountains to the west, the Litani river to the east, and vast wheat fields to the north and south, the wetland consists of several wide pools and lakes and narrow channels and ponds with mud beds that dry up significantly in the summer and overflow during the peak of winter.
#2 Breathtaking views
The views here are unforgettable, the towering Sannine and Hermon mountains snowy for most of the year, and the endless rows of mountains in the Chouf range carpeted with evergreen oak forests remind us how little we are in front of the creator.
A stony hill stands parallel to the reserve, you can mount it and it rewards you with hawk-eye views of the whole West Bekaa, with rippling landscapes and boundless fields dotted with little villages with minarets or church towers soaring over the rest of each village embodying the diversity of its people.
#3 Swampy Flora
The flora of the wetland is truly unique, with bamboo and marsh grasses lining the water channels, and duckweeds floating in the lakes. Tall poplar trees line the shores, with their roots still in the water keeping the soil stable.
Aammiq is also considered the breadbasket of Lebanon, owing to its hundreds of square kilometers planted with wheat. Other prominent crops include olives, apples, potatoes, grapes for the wine production, onions and beets.
#4 The Exotic Animals
The town is a pitstop for migrating birds traveling from the North Hemisphere to the tropics owing to its abundance of water and plants. Bird species include the white pelican, pygmy cormorant, ferruginous duck, osprey, Verreaux’s eagle, the peregrine falcon, the common crane and much more.
Black buffalo roam the swamps and the nearby grasslands producing quality Mozzarella Cheese. Many deer inhabit the dense pine forests surrounding Aammiq, talking of pine forests, that’s the next reason to come to this town!
#5 Eminent Pine Forests
West of the wetland are the foothills of the Barouk Mountains, heavily wooded with giant umbrella pine trees and gushing with springs and streams.
You can trek starting from Tawlet Aammiq into the pine forests until you reach a large goat farm parallel to the main road.
#6 Harmonious Village Life
The village is home to a diverse community, from Maronite and Catholic Christians to Bedouin Arabs. This deeply shows in their churches and mosques, their stone houses and tents, but the tolerance and unity and sense of brotherhood in this village is unmatched.
Traditional values are still held in this part of Lebanon and many still live off the land the way their grandparents and ancestors lived with limited technology and unwillingness to open up to the 21st century.
#7 Great Roads
The roads here will shock you. The Aammiq main road is more comparable to a German AutoBahn than the average Lebanese road. Perfect for racing.
The wetland is also a biker’s paradise. A 5 km biking track extends from the beginning of the wetland to the Litani river, all under the shade of thick trees.
All in all one of the best getaways from city-life, and THE spot to show your child the beauty of wetlands without having to travel abroad.