I lived my whole life in Beirut and never knew you can actually buy a boat ride around the coast and the Pigeon rock until last year!
I always knew about the two small fishing ports in Dalieh (Raouche) and Ain El Mrayseh, but a friend last summer told me that people can pay the fishermen in Dalieh for a cool boat ride around the area. So back in October I decided to take my kid and do it and we absolutely enjoyed it. I’ve been to a few similar rides in Byblos, Saida and Tripoli but to be honest they’re quite dull compared to what you see in Raouche. And now that the weather is getting nice for such rides, I recommend you plan it because it gives you a very nice perspective of the seaside and pigeon rock.
First of all, you should know how to reach the Dalieh fishing port which is located right next to the Movenpick Hotel. On your way to Movenpick, slow down before reaching its entrance and you will notice a small unpaved road to the right, stop your car there and ask one of the fishermen you will find there to assist you for finding a parking spot at the port entrance. Don’t try driving further down the road unless you have an SUV because it can seriously damage your car.
Going down to the port by foot takes a couple of minutes, but make sure to negotiate the price for the ride with the fishermen before you go. I recall we paid around $50 for 4 adults and 3 children on a ~20 minutes ride. And more importantly, make sure to also have a mosquito repellant because you will definitely need it on the way down.
Don’t be surprised with the port state once you reach it though. It is very ill equipped because the government was supposed to revamp it in 2012 but it unfortunately never delivered and even tried to privatize it, hence why you see the fishermen who live there complaining on the news every now and then. Add to that, the water surrounding it was full of trash coming from the Costa Brava when we went.
So, once ready, hop into the small boat (no life jackets by the way), enjoy the views, and make sure to talk with the guy steering the boat because all fishermen there have so many interesting stories to tell (our guy was called Mohammad Itani). You will see several sea caves, among which is the one below Dbeibo Cafe where a seal supposedly lives. The boat will also go a good distance into the sea for you to see the coast, and on the way back you will approach the pigeon rock and sail inside the hollow part in it.
On the way back from the port, you can’t not see the small houses where some fishermen live, and the contrast you will see between these poor wooden houses and the adjacent luxurious Movenpick is just awkward… However, the setting of their terrace and the views they have from it is so beautiful.
I personally have no idea if the families living there actually own their properties by law, and I also don’t know how legal are the attempts to privatize the area. However, the fishermen who work there definitely deserve a better port and it is a shame for the government to keep it that way. Elsewhere in the world you would see a whole economy built around such rock formations, but then again this is how things are here…
Anyway again, do not miss this cool ride if you have never done it before.