Please find below a tour proposal that we are planning for the 1st of March. Depending on requests and needs we are ready to discuss details, departure date and itineraries.Please send us an email for exact list of prices and conditions.
North and South Albania Tour (Book this tour – starting from 949.0 euros per person)
Day 1 (01/03/2012)
Arrival in Rinas Airport. Transfer to Tirana and register in hotel or apartments. Start with a little welcome drink and visit the Skanderbeg Square with its Et’hem Bey mosque and National History Museum. Traditional dinner in characteristic Tirana restaurant.
Day 2
Breakfast and drive in the direction of the North. Stop in Kruja to visit the Medieval Town which used to be the headquarter of the Albanian National Hero – Skanderbeg in his successful resistance against the Ottoman Empire. Visit the Skanderbeg Museum, the Ethnographic Museum and the Bektashi Teqe. Bektashism is a sufist muslim sect inspired by very liberal and tolerant practices. A huge part of the Muslim Albanians worship this sect which has its World Headquarters in Tirana. Lunch and then drive to Shkodra. Visit the Fortress and then the recently reconstructed pedestrian road in the center of the town. Shkodra has a lot of architectural, historical and natural values. We will have dinner by Lake Shkodra (the biggest in the Balkan Peninsula) and also a beautiful ecosystem shared between Albania and Montenegro. Overnight in Shkodra traditional hotel.
Day 3
Departure from Shkodra early in the morning. We propose to pick up the ferry boat on Lake Koman and to sail for about 3 hours in a really spectacular ambiance surrounded by mountains which touch 2400 meters a.s.l., little villages and a gorgeous setting. We arrive on the other side of the lake, transfer to the town of Bajram Curri and then to the beautiful Valley of Valbona. A little time to relax and then explore the village which has a lot of history. Words and pictures are unable to tell the beauty of Valbona and the mountains around. We will let you enjoy one of the unique experiences of your life. Traditional dinner in one of the best restaurants in Valbona.
Day 4
Depending on the will and abilities of participants we will organize a track of various difficulty. Breakfast and dinner in the village. Picnic lunch as during the trekking tour.
Day 5
Leaving Valbona early in the morning. We will drive to the border between Albania and Kosovo and will show you the nice Bazaar of Gjakova (on ancient trade routes between the East and the West of the Balkan Peninsula) and then stop for visit and lunch in the very nice ottoman town of Prizren. History starts back in this region since early ages but it is also very recent as these have been the regions where the Miloshevic Serbian soldiers and the Kosovo Liberation Army clashed against each other just 11 years ago. We will then take the newly built auto-route to Durres from Kosovo. We will overnight on a beach hotel in Durres. Durres has been a very important harbor since at least the 7th century B.C. when some Hellenic colons came here and named the colony Epidamnus. History continued with Rome, Byzantium, Venice and the Ottomans. Durres was the first Albanian capital after the Independence 1912 and most probably one of the most important harbors on Eastern Adriatic.
Day 6
Early departure for the town of Gjirokastra. On the way stop in Tepelena for refreshment and lunch. Arrival in Gjirokastra, check in at the hotel and then visit the Fortress of Argjiro and the Weapon Museum and the former political prison of Gjirokastra, the Ethnographic Museum situated in the house where Enver Hoxha, the Albanian communist dictator was born and then a visit of the gorgeous Skendulaj house where we will see the savoir vivre of families in centuries. Dinner in a traditional restaurant of Gjirokastra. Overnight in Gjirokastra.
Day 7
Leave Gjirokastra early in the morning. Stop on the way to visit one of the famous Bunkers that were constructed during the Cold War period in the aim to keep Albanians under a terrorist threat mentality and fear. We will proceed in the west direction and we’ll stop again to visit the Natural Park of Syri I Kalter (the Blue Eye Spring) one of the most spectacular natural spots in the country. Arrival in Saranda. Check in at the hotel and short break for lunch. Then departure to visit the UNESCO protected archaeological site of Butrint. We will visit the ruins of Butrint and the fantastic museum with a rich collection of objects found on the site. Back to the hotel in Saranda. Dinner in the beautiful fortress of Lekuresi with stunning views of the Bay of Saranda and the island of Corfu.
Day 8
Depart from Saranda and on the way to the beautiful Albanian Riviera with its magnificent views of the Mediterranean, the very rich landscapes and a lot of scents and perfumes coming from the vegetation. Stop to visit the Fortress of Vasiliqia in Porto Palermo reminding us the history of another famous Albanian, Ali Pasha who rebelled against the Ottoman Empire and remained in history glorified from the famous British poet George Gordon Byron in his “Child Harold’s Pilgrimage”. We suggest to have lunch in one of the restaurants on the beach and then continue to Llogara where we will check in with a local hotel and then will take a little easy walk on the famous Pass of Caesar (where Caesar camped with his armies in the year 29 B.C. on his way to Central Albania where he fought against Pompeus for the throne of Rome. Traditional lamb dinner and party with raki and local Polyphonic music another Albanian pride listed in the UNESCO Fund of the Heritage of Humanity. Overnight in Llogara traditional B&B.
Day 9
Drive to Vlora in the morning. We will visit here the Independence Museum. Vlora is the town where after 500 years of Ottoman rule, Albanians proclaimed independence under the lead of Mr. Ismail Qemali (father of the Albanian nation). We will also stop and take some pictures in the Independence Square in the center of town. Then we will proceed to Apollonia, another special Archaeological Park in the region of Myzeqeja. Apollonia was another important Mediterranean city founded in the 6th century B.C. and famous for the ancient Greek, Roman and of course Illyrian culture. Lunch in Apollonia.
Departure for Berat. Check in at the hotel and then a visit of the Fortress of Berat whose specialty is not only the architecture and the surrounding landscape but also the fact that this is one of the rare ancient fortresses still inhabited by a little local community. We will
have the chance to visit the Orthodox Cathedral of the town where we will also admire the icons of the famous Albanian painter Onufri (16th Century) known for his breaking of the conventions of the Byzantine art of his time and for the famous red he introduced into his paintings. Dinner in traditional restaurant with local specialties.
Day 10
Depending on departure time we will either travel to Airport, either travel to Tirana where we will take some free time before saying Goodbye to Albania!
