Albanian Trip
Visit Albania and the Balkans with a local operator in a life marking experience
- In the morning, we’ll drive west from Tirana towards Durres to explore the countryside and meet with local people, visit impressive bunkers of all sizes, see plenty of landscapes and check out communist street art!
- There is an option to see one or both of the famous BunkArt galleries (1 &2) in Tirana, which recently reopened its doors to the public after a period of silence.
- We can end the day in Durres (which has more bunkers but also a beautiful pine forest, sandy beaches and plenty of tasty Albanian beer and food.)
- If the season is right, we can visit derelict Sazan Island, full of ex-military buildings and bunkers (and Albania’s only island!)
- If interested, we can add a visit to the Roman Amphitheater of Durres and some of the city center attractions too! We can add a trip to Apollonia or include some bird-watching in the Karavasta Lagoon. The day is yours!
- All expenses for your guide/driver.
- Fuel and AC car rental.
- Entrance fees.
- A refreshing Tirana or Korca beer.
- Local taxes.
This is a highlight of Albania and a rather convenient tour since it’s located right in central Albania near Tirana, the airport and the harbour. While a highlight of any visitor to the Land of the Eagles, it can be a great day for those who visit Albania from a cruise-ship, too but we will do our best so that you are away from the crowds and experience this just as locals do. Click here to find out more about it!
- Meet in Tirana in the morning. Visit and birding in Fllake in the nearby region of Durres. Afternoon time to visit Tirana’s Natural History Museum. Birding in the Tirana Lake Park.
- Dinner and overnight in Tirana.
- Drive to Karavasta. Overnight in Divjaka beach right in the middle of the protected park.
- Early start with bird-watching and visits of the lagoon and the sites with high activity of birds, fauna and flora. Meals and overnight in Divjaka.
Day 4
- Transfer to the region of Vlora. Bird-watching in the Lagoon of Narta. Overnight in a city hotel in Vlora.
Day 5
- Day spent in the surroundings of Orikum for bird-watching and visits of the lagoon. Visits of the archaeological site of Orik. Overnight in Berat.
Day 6
- Visits of the very fine UNESCO site of Berat.
- Depart for Tirana for flight home or transfer elsewhere (we’d be happy to discuss this!)
- All expenses for your guides/driver.
- Fuel and AC car rental.
- Park entrance fees.
- Local taxes.
- 5 Nights in Standard double rooms in charming small local hotels.
- All Breakfasts and dinners
- VAT and tourist tax
Birding tour Spring-Summer for more information click on the link.
Birding tour Spring-Summer
for more information click on the PDF icon.
BIODIVERSITY TOUR IN ALBANIA
- 8 night and 9 days
BIRDING TOUR IN ALBANIA
- 7 night and 8 days
FORGOTEN TREASURES OF ALBANIA
- 8 night and 9 days
- Fuel and AC car rental
- All expenses for professional guide/driver
- Entrance fees at the suggested sites
- VAT tax
Ok – this is a luxury villa with a pool, stunning views, a fine restaurant next to it, comfortable residence, etc. So far it seems like just another ordinary holiday villa anywhere in the Mediterranean…
But, if you opt to stay here, you will be doing something spectacular for people in need – the owners are donating all sales from renting out this accommodation to help finance the studies of three Albanian students from poor communities of a mountain area! The first year has already been a success, and they are aiming at more.
So by staying here, you don’t only create for yourself a special holiday with so much to enjoy and to do all around (there’s nature, history, food and landscape in abundance in the area of Cape Rodoni where the villa is situated), but your holiday is also doing something good for the ones in need.
Villa sleeps 4. Has kitchen, and all utensils. Has private pool. It is found inside a small managed resort with a hotel and a restaurant in it. Right next to the residence is a spectacular restaurant owned by a fisherman’s family. There are amazing bicycle trails all over to visit! This is eventually one of the most peaceful residences to be found in the Eastern shores of the Adriatic! Drop us an email to find out about availability and prices for 2023 and 2024!
- Depart Tirana early in the morning for Gjirokaster (approx. 3 hour drive.) Thanks to who knows who, we can profit from the substantial improvement of road infrastructure between the two towns! We will happily stop for a bathroom break or coffee on the way.
- Check into a charming boutique family hotel.
- Tour of the Old Town. Visit the beautifully located Castle and the Weapon Museum. Then head to the Bazaar.
- Enjoy a delicious traditional meal in the romantic atmosphere of the “stone town” and its wonderfully preserved Ottoman era homes. (We can suggest some great dishes to try here!)
- Visit the neighbourhoods and some of the more than 600 houses and buildings that give Gjirokaster the reputation of being a town of unique legends, witches, dragons and “crazy alleys.” (Enver Hoxha’s birthplace is also here, just to add to the mystique.)
- There is an option to make a trip to the corners that Kadare mentions in his books. We will comment on his works and have some deeper discussions on some of the imagery in his writing (which will be easy to imagine walking through his birthplace!) We can be flexible – if you have studied him well, just let us know what you know and we’ll try to design a tour around your readings.
- Overnight in Gjirokaster.
- Next day return to Tirana or on to another destination
The price will include:
- All expenses for your guide/driver.
- Fuel and AC car rental.
- Entrance fees.
- Local taxes.
- Transfers back to Tirana or to next destination.
- One night in a charming boutique hotel.
One aspect of Albanian culture that interests us is Socialist Realism art – of which Albania has in abundance. The communist regime took the visual arts very, very seriously and the country is peppered with their works, from mosaics to monuments (many of which are now sadly vandalized or have simply been neglected.)
You can visit the National Gallery of Arts in Tirana to see its collection of Socialist Realism art, but without any context or in-depth descriptions, the works can sometimes be a little perplexing. This is why we try to arrange for our clients a visit to the gallery with one of Albania’s finest Socialist Realism artists, Robert Permeti. Those who have taken the tour with him before have been moved by his stories and have learned a lot about the time period.
Check out the Socialist Realism tour we offer!
The founders of Albanian Trip were all born and bred in Tirana and you can’t find a better company with whom to explore this magical city. Tirana is a city teeming with life; a certain raw quality makes it appealing to those who love to dig deeper to find the true character of a place – there is so much to see, do and eat! We want to help expose to you the real Tirana and this tour will combine old and new, authentic and ordinary, primitive and modern, known and unknown stories, public and private spaces, solid and liquid delicacies, walked and driven paths.
While we do have a full list of potential activities, we are willing to work with your particular tastes so you get the most out of the wander. We can include stops for food and anything else you will need!
Itinerary:
We’ll approach it in the usual Tirana way: let’s start avash-avash around 9:30. We’ll walk around some central neighborhoods first (learning the historical and cultural particularities of the area), take a break for a delicious bite to eat and drink and can then dive into more local surroundings for great stories, characters, meetings and tastes if time permits.
- All expenses for professional guide.
- Entrance fees at any suggested sites.
- VAT tax.
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- Meet in Tirana in the morning.
- Drive to Shkodra. Lunch in Shkodra and then on to the beautiful deep valley of Theth. Overnight in Theth.
- We’ll explore and adventure around the area of Theth, visit the village and take time to see what butterflies and moths we find around. Overnight in Theth.
- We’ll hike to a nearby meadow with the presence of a lot of insects, butterflies, springs and views of stunning wild mountains all around. Back to Theth for the overnight.
Day 4
- Transfer back and exploration of the shores of the large and beautiful Lake of Shkodra. Visit the Rozafa Castle in Shkodra. Overnight in Shkodra.
Day 5
- Early departure to Koman. Take the ferry and cross to the eastern side of the huge artificial but beautiful lake. Drive to Valbona. Check in at hotel. Overnight in Valbona.
Day 6
- Full day exploring the meadows and the fields of Valbona. More than 50 kinds of butterflies can be expected to be found only in this part of Albania in the months of June, July and eventually August. Overnight in Valbona.
Day 7
- Finish up with morning plans.
- Depart for Tirana for flight home or transfer elsewhere (we’d be happy to discuss this!)
- All expenses for your guides/driver.
- Fuel and AC car/minibus/4WD rental depending on terrain.
- Local taxes.
- 6 Nights in Standard double rooms in charming small local hotels.
- All breakfasts, picnic lunches and dinners too. It will include lunch until day 7 when we expect to get to the area of the airport of Tirana. We’ll be happy to extend our services in case need will be.
- VAT tax.
