Photography Tour with Didier Ruef

Swiss photographer Didier Ruef (and friend of Albanian Trip’s co-founder, Elton) offers a comprehensive and interesting tour to the explored and unexplored pockets of Albania. Of course the focus is on taking photographs but you will also get the best on offer in terms of food, accommodation and local hospitality.

Helping with technique and composition, Didier picks the best spots and timing for high-quality images you can brag to your friends about (and you can check out his personal website here!) Albania is the perfect ground for “new meets old:” modern buildings with splashes of colourful paint and cosmopolitan people are less than an hour away from shepherds in traditional clothing herding their flocks.

This one-of-a-kind tour should not be missed! Pack your best camera gear – you are guaranteed to get stunning photographs in this beautiful landscape.

While in the past this tour was done with people brought from Geneva, we are opening it up to anyone who wants to sign up – it’ll be a great opportunity to meet new people with similar passions (and you don’t have to worry about taking too long to set up your tripod!)

The photographer and the guide will be able to communicate in English, French, Italian, German and Albanian so photographers and travelers of the world, unite! This is going to be a great trip – see below for the itinerary!

We have a date set for the fall season: September 1st to 8th, 2019

Itinerary:

Please keep in mind that we can change the itinerary as we go!  We may discover photo opportunities that present themselves and can’t be missed and we will change the course accordingly.  Otherwise, here is where we can expect to be:

Day 1- Tirana

  • Arrival and pick up at Mother Theresa International Airport
  • Transfer to hotel and rest

Day 2- Tirana

  • Explore the streets of Albania’s eclectic capital that have many architectural curiosities, parks, squares, boulevards and extravagance of all kinds; there are Italianate buildings and communist ones, bunkers, fountains, people dressed to impress and splashes of paint and colour where you’d least expect them
  • Visit the bazaar to see what delights await for photographing (and eating)
  • Depending on the interests of the group, we can visit the lesser explored pockets, the ugly pockets or head straight to the more obviously beautiful parts
  • Overnight central hotel in Tirana

Day 3 – Elbasan-Berat

  • Visit the metallurgical factory in Elbasan, which was one of the communist period’s most important centres; this will provide opportunities for capturing the paranoia and industrialism of this odd period under Enver Hoxha
  • Transfer to Berat, the “Town of 1001 Windows”
  • Overnight in charming hotel in Berat

Day 4 – Berat-Karavasta

  • Berat is full of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture, cobbled streets, rivers, castles, crumbling walls with creeping vines, churches, interesting shutters and woodwork, people both modern and traditional, lace creations for sale, small fruit stands and stunning views – truly, a photographer’s paradise!
  • Karavasta is a National Park known for its lagoon, flora, fauna and the many species of birds all waiting to be captured through a lens
  • Overnight in Karavasta

Day 5 – Korca

  • The Korca bazaar is famous for a reason – cheeses, raki, fruits, stuffed peppers, meats and honey are all spilled out onto tables under umbrellas and set up inside a covered pavilion; people take their time checking out the things on offer and there are many characters on site
  • Visit the town itself which has enough unique doors and alleyways to last a life time (it also contains one of Albania’s oldest mosques!)
  • Overnight in beautiful Korca

Day 6 – Rehova

  • Depart Korca, visiting the surrounding area full of mountains and winding roads
  • Transfer to Rehova, full of mountains, rivers, streams, trees and many stunning natural beauties!; this is the area to truly get in touch with wild nature of Albania and it is very close to the border of Greece
  • Overnight in Rehova

Day 7 – Gjirokastra

  • Hilly Gjirokastra is a UNESCO protected town with perfectly-preserved Ottoman-era homes and very interesting mountain formations; the people and town are laid-back and around every corner are angles and scenes to capture – you simply have to see this place to believe it!
  • Overnight in charming hotel in Gjirokastra

Day 8 – Gjirokastra

  • There is enough to do and see here that staying another full day exploring the town and environs is worth it!; we can be flexible and take you to some hidden gems or stay close to civilization
  • Overnight Gjirokaster

Day 9

  • Pack up your gear, say goodbye to your new friends and head to the airport for your flight home

Price:
This tour will run with a minimum of 4 participants.  The maximum number of participants will be 12 in order to keep it intimate and enjoyable!

When you sign up, we kindly ask you to expect that you will have to pay the highest price (the price listed below for 4-6 people.) We will ask you for a deposit in the beginning to secure your seat.  If we get more people who sign up after you, we will reduce the cost to reflect the final number of people!  We will be closing the tour around two weeks before departure and this is when we will quote you the final cost.  (Sign-up for the spring tour will close April 1st and sign-up for the fall tour will close August 15th.)

4 – 6 people:  1469.0 euros/person in double room

7 – 9 people:  1299.0 euros/person in double room

10 – 12 people: 1099.0 euros/person in double room

Single supplement is 199.0 euros

Payment Options: We accept bank transfers, PayPal and we have a debit terminal/POS available at our Castle Kiosk Tourist Office in order to accept Debit, VISA and Mastercard payments (please keep in mind that 5% of the total will be added for the latter option.)  We can also accept cash payments where applicable.

Price includes:

  • All expenses for your guides/driver
  • Fuel and AC vehicle rental
  • Local taxes
  • 7 nights in double rooms in charming local hotels
  • All breakfasts
  • VAT and tourist tax