Itinerary
Day 1; Tirana Airport– Shkoder (85 km)
Arrival at Tirana International Airport Mother Teresa.
Departure to Shkoder
We will visit Shkoder, the largest Catholic center in Albania and one of the most important cities
in the country. We will visit the pedestrian “Kole Idrameno” and the Rozafa Castle where,
according to a legend, a young patrician was sacrificed before completing the castle
Overnight in Shkoder
Day 2 ;Shkoder –Koman Lake (ferry) – Valbone National Park (200 km)
After breakfast, departure to Valbona Valley National Park via the Koman lake, one of the largest
in the Balkan region. After lunch at your own leisure, hike through the park. The 40 km long
valley takes us straight into the heart of the Albanian Alps. Covering an area of 8,000
hectares, the Valbona Valley National Park is the jewel of the Albanian Alps. The high, rugged
mountains present visitors with a fantastic festival of colours in every season.
Valbona Village is the focal point of the park. Its forests, rivers and streams, flowers,
characteristic houses and the hospitality of its people make it an ideal place to visit. We return
to the guesthouse.
Overnight in Valbone
Day 3; Valbone – Gjakovo (Kosovo) – Kruje (270 km)
After breakfast, departure towards Gjakovo (Kosovo), a town that dates back to the 15th
century, but its real flourishing began in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Visit of its old
bazaar “Carshia e Madhe”, a centre of craftsmen. This large market of economic value was burnt
during the war of 1999, which was later rebuilt in the same style. The first mosque in the city
built in the 16th century called the Hadumit Mosque, the teke of Sheh Eminit.
We continue to Kruje, a medieval village at the foot of the mountain, which in the late Middle
Ages was the centre of anti-Ottoman resistance. Visit of the old castle bazaar and the
Scanderbeg Museum, Albania’s national hero of the 15th century.
Overnight in Kruje
- Ferry tickets in Koman
Day 5 : Kruje – Sari Salltik – – Berat (150 km)
After breakfast, departure to Sari Salltik, a temple dedicated to the 13th century Turkish Alevi
dervish, who is credited with bringing Islam to the Balkans. We begin walking to the shrine,
located in a cave not far from where the road ends. After this sight, we continue to Berat,known as the “City of a Thousand Windows” and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Visit of the huge citadel of Berat, which is still inhabited today and contains many Orthodox
Christian churches and the Onufri Museum with its 16th century icons. We will visit the lower
part of the city with its old quarters Mangalemi and Gorica on the banks of the Osum River.
Overnight in Berat
Day 6: Berat – Bogove waterfall – Gjirokaster (255 km)
After breakfast we continue to Bogova waterfall, which is 35 km from Berat. The hike starts on a
dirt road until we reach Roi Bogova, the water park. From there, turn right, onto a well-marked
path. In two places, you will have to cross wooden bridges. The entire hike is through the forest
next to the river, which flows from the beautiful Tomorri mountain. After 2.7 km, we reach
Bogova waterfall.
Departure to Gjirokaster, which was rebuilt in Ottoman times, and that is why this characteristic
with its tower-like houses is still preserved today. We start with a tour of the stone city,
Gjirokaster with the castle and its characteristic Skenduli house, built in 1700, in the Ottoman
period and considered one of the most beautiful houses in the Balkans.
Overnight in Gjirokaster
Day 7: Gjirokaster – Blue Eye – Butrint – Gjirokaster (150 km)
After breakfast we depart to Butrint. On the way, we stop at the famous Blue Eye spring, a
popular tourist attraction, its beautiful clear turquoise river amazes with its beauty.
We arrive in Butrint and visit the ancient Greco-Roman city, which was inhabited until the end
of the Middle Ages, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ancient city of Butrint (also
known as Buthrotum in ancient times), was once one of the finest and most beautiful cities in
the entire Roman Empire. 2,400 years later, it is a place that still captivates people today. Butrint
was supposed to become a hospice for veterans of the Roman wars, but in the 3rd century AD
an earthquake destroyed most of the city. Many of the ruins you see today are from the same
earthquake, and the city disappeared from the map after that. We return to Gjirokaster.
Overnight in Gjirokaster
- indicated in the program.
Day 8; Gjirokaster – Apollonia – Ardenica Monastery – Tirana (250 km)
After breakfast departure to Tirana, the capital of Albania. We will stop in the city of Apollonia,
which was an ancient Greek city and an important cultural and commercial centre during the
Roman Hellenistic period. After Apollonia we will continue to the Ardenitsa Monastery, built in
the 13th century. In the place where the Monastery is now located, there was once a pagan
temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, which explains the origin of the name Ardenica.
Arrival in Tirana.Panoramic tour of the capital of Albania with its nerve centre; with its Skanderbeg Square, the
centre of the Albanian capital, the Et’hem Bey Mosque from the 18th century, the Opera, the
Bell Tower, and other ministries of Italian influence are of interest. Also the bourgeois district of
Blloku, where the communist elite lived for more than 40 years.
After this visit of the city, we go to the hotel.
Overnight in Tirana
Day 9: Tirana- Tia Airport (30 km)
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport. End of our services. Have a nice flight!
Price based on:
- 10 pax = 860 € / person in double / twin BB
- 15 pax = 760 € / person in double / twin BB
- 20 pax = 720 € / person in double / twin BB
- 25 pax = 665 € / person in double / twin BB
- Single room supplement: + 200 €
- Half board supplement (5 dinners / 3 courses + water): + 100 € / person
Included in the price:
- All transfers according to the itinerary
- English-speaking guide throughout the trip.
- Accommodation in 3/4 * category hotels with breakfast
- 1 dinner included in the Valbona Valley
- All entrance fees to the places