Albanian My Way – Active Holiday Tour 13 Days and 12 Nights is the pride of our company. We have included all the best activities and sites to be seen in Albania. In our small and beautiful country, you will be surprised by the variety of activities and landscapes you will be challenged with every day. Be prepared for 13 days full of activities like hiking in the stunning Accursed Mountains, paragliding from the mountain directly to the Ionian Sea, boat riding and pirate caves in clear blue waters, horse riding, rafting on Vjosa, the last wild river of Europe, and plenty of culture and traditions with old towns and fortress visiting, UNESCO World Heritage List. Mediterranean food and nightlife are there to be discovered. We promise this is a tour to remember and come back!
Pick up and drop off all travelers at their hotel
13 Days / 12 Nights
English, Italian and Greek
These 13 days you will feel like on a rollercoaster from hiking to peaks above 2,000 m and going down to sea level for swimming and boat rides, paragliding in tandem, and rafting white waters of the Vjosa wild river. horse riding and discovering fortresses. Every day you will have a different challenge and exciting activity.
This tour is of challenging difficulty and requires a good fitness level. Transportation will be done with an air-conditioned, comfortable vehicle and by boat. Paragliding will be done in tandem flying mode with experts, in any case, you can choose to not use any of the activities you do not feel comfortable with. Paragliding depends on weather conditions, and we reserve the right to make it in the next day or make another activity if it’s not possible to fly. Accommodation will be in 3 stars hotels or local guesthouses, twin shared rooms, breakfast is included. Single room supplement is not included in the price. A certified local tour guide will be with you all the time. The weather most of the time is very nice and pleasant, only during July and August you should bring your hat, sunscreen, and water.
Today you will arrive in Tirana, Albania and our staff will meet you at the airport.
Depending on your arrival time we might do the presentation meeting with your guide and a short walking tour of Tirana.
Overnight in Tirana
Very early in the morning, we will drive towards the Komani dam and will board a ferry sailing through Drini River, one of the most breathtaking landscapes in Albania. The whole trip will last about 2 hours and 30 minutes. You will see with your eyes totally remote areas and the way locals are living based on traditions like many years ago. S
Our trip will continue to Valbona where we will have our lunch and spend a few hours discovering this gorgeous valley. Valbona valley is surrounded by some of the highest peaks of Albania giving her a dramatic and majestic panorama, very appreciated by visitors.
Evening at leisure on your own to explore more of Valbona valley.
Overnight in local Guest House in Valbona Valley
After a filling breakfast with local delicacies, we will hike to Thethi valley. The hike is about 9.5 km long and lasts between 6-8 hours. Valbona pass is absolutely a stunning hike, where you will be accompanied by beautiful views of the mountains all around. From the beginning to the end of the hike the scenery changes from the Rocky Mountains to green pastures, thick beech forests to village roads.
On the way, we will have a few stops to rest and take pictures of the breathtaking panoramas, as well as the picnic lunch. We will arrive in Theth late afternoon, in time to appreciate the dinner with traditional food.
Evening at leisure to enjoy the beauty of Theth and the warmth of the local people.
Overnight in a local Guest House in Thethi Valley.
Today will be exploring Thethi valley which has a lot to show and a long hiking day in gorgeous nature. We will start by going through the village and visiting the Isolation Tower (Kulla e Ngujimit) and will listen to the story behind it. The canon laws are tough but just. Our way will continue to the Grunasi waterfall and canyon, where you will see amazing colors and clear waters.
We will take the car for about 1 hour on the village rollercoaster road, arriving in Nderlyse to enjoy the stone pools and ice-cold water of the Shala river. The brave ones can take a swim into the crystal clear waters. A short hike will lead us to the Blue Eye of Kapre, one of the most beautiful water springs in Albania. Here we will have a picnic lunch from our guest house and will spend some time to enjoy the gorgeous pool.
Immediately after our come back we will hit the road to go to Shkodra.
Overnight in Shkodra
Our day will start early by visiting the Rozafa Castle in Shkodra. Its position on top of the hill overlooking the city, the Shkodra Lake, and both rivers Drini and Buna meeting point, it’s the best location to appreciate this natural beauty. A visit to the IV century BC Rozafa fortress and together with its legend will highlight the importance of the city and its ancient history.
Kruja will be our next stop for a short visit to the famous fortress and bazaar from the times of our local hero Scanderbeg.
We will drive south to the town of Vlora and on our way, we will stop for a fish lunch. Once in Vlora, we will visit the Old Town center, reconstructed recently with lots of colors and nice streets. Vlora is the town of our Independence, we will tell the story while walking along with its monuments.
Vlora is the meeting point of the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea, with unparalleled beauty on both sides. It’s also our second biggest port and second-biggest touristic town.
Late afternoon will check-in at our hotel and you will have all evening to explore this unique town.
Overnight in Vlora
Today we will start the day early and will drive towards Llogora, National Park, and part of the famous Acroceraunian Mountains. We are going to climb Qorra peak 2018 m above sea level. The hike is good at any time under the shades of pine trees almost to the top, accompanied all the time by the stunning view of the Ionian Sea. Picnic lunch will light our humor. The climb is about 3 hours and the same time to come down.
Late afternoon we will check at our hotel and enjoy a swim in the clear waters of the Ionian sea.
Overnight in Dhermi
It’s a very special day, going to paraglide over the Llogora pass. At about 1000 m over sea level, Llogora pass is the best place to enjoy flying in tandem with experts, all you have to do is relax and enjoy the panorama.
The view from Llogora pass captures a panorama from Acroceraunian Mountains up to the island of Corfu, in neighboring Greece. You will be under the impression as you are flying above the blue waters of the Ionian Sea and will land right on the shore. The flight takes about 15-20 minutes.
Rest of the day you can enjoy the beach at Dhermi village.
*Due to the wind and weather conditions we might be forced to postpone the flight the next day or cancel it completely. In this case, on day 7 we will do the activities of day 8 and will hope for weather improvement. If the weather on both days does not allow the flight we will do another activity on the sea.
Overnight in Dhermi
We will get up with a wonderful view of the Ionian Sea. Today we will hike shortly to go down to Gjipe beach, one of the best small bays on the Ionian Riviera. During the hike down you will be surrounded by the wild nature of the south, olive trees, oranges, and gravel. Once there you will have plenty of time to swim before we go to explore the small canyon of Gjipe.
In the afternoon a small boat will take us to Pirate’s cave, you will hear the legend and can swim inside the cave and along the ride. Our boat ride will end up at Dhermi beach close to our hotel.
Evening at leisure to enjoy beers on the beach or join the lively nightlife.
Overnight in Dhermi
This morning we will drive to Saranda, the southeast town of Albania, close to the border with Greece. Our first stop will be at the little gorgeous peninsula of Porto Palermo. Once there we are going to discover the most beautiful fortress in the whole region, the Ali Pasha Porto Palermo fortress. It’s well-maintained, although its last restoration dates back to the XVIII century. You will listen to the history and legend of the Ali Pasha and the preferred beach of its young wife Vasiliqia. A nice surprise is waiting inside the castle.
We will drive on a rollercoaster road to Saranda and will check-in at our hotel. After lunch, we will drive to Butrint Archeological Park, UNESCO World Heritage. Butrint started as a Greed Colony around 10th to 8th century BC and around the 1st century BC Roman Colony. It’s very rich in archeological ruins and artifacts.
Overnight in Saranda
Today we will drive inside the country and will pay a first visit to the natural springs of Blue Eye. The eye of the spring is about 72 meters deep and the water is icy cold even on hot summer days.
Our day continues by visiting Caravan horse riding, a farm with 43 horses. Once ready and familiar with horses, we will start our adventure on the saddle, accompanied by the scenery around Gjirokastra. Depending on your experience will find the route most suitable to you.
In the afternoon we will accommodate in our guest house and evening at leisure to discover the beautiful town of Gjirokastra, part of UNESCO World Heritage. Here we will visit the fortress of the town and go down to the bazaar, which is well kept as it was hundreds of years ago. This region is also known for its special cuisine.
Overnight in Gjirokastra
After a very filling traditional breakfast in Gjirokastra we will drive shortly to Permet and Vjosa River, considered to be the last wild river in Europe. We will get ready with our water costumes, helmets and shoes and you will get to learn about rafting rules, 6 persons on each raft. This adventure will last about 3 hours and apart from rowing the surrounding scenery will take your attention too.
After lunch we will relax at the thermal baths of Benja and Langarica canyon. The waters at the main pool are warm at about 24 degree Celsius, with a strong sulfur smell. We will discover the smaller pools and their benefits.
Late afternoon, we will check in at our guesthouse in Permet. Don’t forget to try their sweets, which are well-known in the whole region.
Overnight in Permet
Today will start by driving on the most remote parts of Albania, from Permet to Korca. Our drive goes along the Vjosa riverbed, known for its wilderness and beauty. Some parts of this drive will remind us about the communist times in Albania as they are left as they were at that time. Few photo shooting stops are necessary to have some memories of these forgotten beautiful panoramas.
Once in Korca we will visit the National Museum of Medieval Arts, the best Icon collections in Albania. We will continue by visiting the bazaar and city center. Korca is known as the town of culture, or the little Paris.
This evening we organized a farewell party with local music and food, remembering all the jokes and good parts of this tour. Korca beer will be our queen, as the first beer in Albania, since 1928.
Overnight in Korca
Today we will drive to Tirana and our staff will send you to Tirana International Airport, at your departure time, wishing you a safe flight back home.
