Upon arrival at “Mother Theresa” international airport, you will be picked up by the guides of TravellingAlbania. Our Many Adventures Tour starts from there. We head towards the city of Shkodra, the most important one in northern Albania, with a history of ancient civilization and culture. It was found by the tribe of Labeat at the beginning of the last millennium BC.

At first, we stop at a traditional restaurant to taste traditional Albanian food.

We will visit the castle of Shkodra “Rozafa Castle” which is established on a rocky hill at the entrance of Shkodra city. This castle was used as an Illyrian fortified center. It was first mentioned during the reign of King Gent, who ruled from 181 BC until 168 BC.

Later we will proceed with a visit to the Cathedral of Shkodra called the Great Church, because at the time the building was one of the largest churches in the Balkans.

The New Mosque – Ebu Bekr – which is later to be visited, is the largest in Albania and among the largest in the Balkans. It is worth noting that one of the greatest values of Albanian people is coexistence and religious tolerance.

The Clock Tower of Shkodra is another landmark worth visiting. It was built in the nineteenth century and is otherwise known in history as the English Clock Tower regarding the period of medieval aristocracy. The Clock Tower, along with the house next door, was built with the funds of the English Lord Paget.

We will be accommodated and have dinner at a hotel in the center of the city.

After having breakfast we continue our adventure in the direction of Albanian Alps – Theth. Considered by foreign tourists as “Europe’s last Paradise”, the village is located in the northernmost part of Shala valley, amongst the Alps, offering a fabulous landscape.

The area’s natural resources are closely connected with the historic and cultural heritage of local residents, laying in this way the most important foundations for tourism promotion. In his writings, George Heinshemer, the famous mountaineer,  considered Thethi as the most suitable place for tourism among Accursed mountains (Bjeshket e Namuna), comparing it with the most beautiful places of Tyrol and Austria. Once arriving there you are about to be bewitched by the most breathtaking alpine landscapes.

We will be hosted at a 350-year-old-guesthouse, rebuilt in 2012.

The isolation tower is typical of the area. It is a fortress built at the end of the village. It was widely used by the residents who isolated themselves there because of blood feud (all men over 14). Only women could go out and work the land in the front garden of the tower. Nowadays the tower is open to visitors and is located in an area of tourist values.

This day starts at dawn as it is necessary to reach Arapi’s peak at an altitude of 2217m and at a T4 difficulty level. It is a journey which will last approximately 9 hours.
Arapi’s peak is one of the highest peaks of the Balkans, which rise at the end of Thethi valley. The scenery of this peak is stunning. Lunch, which is a packed one, will be enjoyed at Peja’s notch,  at 1900 m altitude after we have descended Arapi’s peak. Accommodation at a guesthouse in Theth.

Right after breakfast, we will be headed towards the antique city of Apollonia, which is one of the largest in the Adriatic basin and the most mentioned among the 30 cities from antiquity with the same name. Apollonia, whose ruins were discovered in the early nineteenth century, was established around the beginning of the IV century BC. We have lunch at the seaside restaurant in the coastal city of Vlora. In the afternoon we continue our journey towards the National park of Llogara, which was declared as such by the Albanian government in 1966. Dinner and accommodation will be in a hotel-restaurant inside the park.

In the morning we leave towards the White Roads beach, where sea-expedition kayaks will be prepared. You will be given the necessary instructions for their correct. In today’s adventure, the kayaks are two-seat ones, appropriate for sea expeditions. For the next two hours, some virgin beaches will be traversed alongside with some highly frequented ones in the south coast e.g. Palasa, Drymadhes, Dhermi, Pirate’s Cave, the extraordinary Beach and Canyon of Gjipea, in which our camp will be set up. The scenery from the top is beyond imagination.

Today’s lunch menu – self-prepared barbecue. In the afternoon we experience rock climbing vibes. Our guides have accomplished more than 70 itineraries for rock climbing which vary from 4B difficulty level for inexperienced rock climbers to 8B+ for professional ones.

Like the previous day, our rock climbing adventure continues even today. We will take advantage of the morning to enjoy the marvelous beach of Gjipe.

Today’s lunch menu – barbecue. In the afternoon we set off towards the coastal village of Jale by paddling our kayaks, where we will be accommodated for the night.

The afternoon will be spent in Jala bay. Our new adventure in this terrific part of Albanian Riviera starts right after breakfast. The first dive will be accomplished on the left side of Jala Bay, which is well protected and almost virgin because of craggy cliffs.

After the lunch break, the second dive will be accomplished on the right side of the bay. This is an ideal diving area. A small limestone island is also found there which offers a variety of the aquatic world.

We will leave towards the town of Himara after breakfast. We visit the Himara castle, which is built on a hill of an area of approximately 1 ha. It has been inhabited since the late bronze age. It used to be surrounded by defensive walls, which started to be built around the 8-th century. The building continued with no interruption until the late Middle Ages. Afterward, we leave in the direction of Porto Palermo tectonic peninsula.
A dive will be accomplished here on the left side of Ali Pasha’s castle. This place has been classified as one of the ten most beautiful diving spots in Europe because it is quite common to encounter amphorae and other antique objects during diving. Lunch will be enjoyed after having accomplished our first dive and later we will proceed with a visit to Porto Palermo castle. It is located in the bay with the same name on the Ionian coastline in southern Albania. It is beautifully positioned on Porto Palermo tectonic peninsula (in antiquity it was known as Panorama Bay). The castle is not far from Qeparo village and has a triangular shape. Its dimensions are 150 m x 400 m and the walls reach a height of 20 m/.

Once having finished with this visit we depart to the coastal city of Saranda, where will be accommodated.

This day will be entirely dedicated to cultural visits and Albanian natural beauties. Throughout this day we have the opportunity of visiting the antique city of Butrint.

The archaeological site of Butrint’s National Park occupies an area of 15 hectares and is located at an altitude of 30-50 meters above sea level. This ancient city, which is listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO, is a jewel of archeology. In an exceptional environment between the lake and the sea, the Hellenic style buildings are a museum that contains archeological restored traces.

Then we continue with a visit to the Blue Eye where lunch will be served. This magical place is called as such due to the blue groundwater source. Found in the middle of the woods, this stunning natural resource is a tourist attraction. It is a picturesque spot whose profound source springs crystal water and is transformed in blue under the sunrays. It is considered as one of the most beautiful Albanian nature curiosities.

Our adventure will take us to the city of Gjirokastra or otherwise known as ‘the stone city’. This city became part of UNESCO world heritage site in 2005, as one of the few surviving examples of commercial cities in the Balkan’s Ottoman style. We cannot leave without a visit to the fortress of Gjirokastra city whose history is closely connected with the city’s history. It was first considered as a city and fortress simultaneously in 1336.

In the late afternoon, we depart towards the capital city – Tirane where we will be accommodated at a hotel near the city center.

Early in the morning, our adventure continues off-road, by getting on our 4×4 modified vehicles to handle the off-road terrain.  There will be two specialists who have participated in all Really Albania Competitions since its creation in Albania.

During this adventure you can personally feel the thrill by driving the vehicles yourself, normally accompanied by a copilot who will guide you for correct direction.

Our lunch menu consists of barbecue somewhere near the field of Bizet, which is our final destination.

In the afternoon we will return to Tirana and visit the broad boulevards, the monumental mosaic that decorates the National Museum walls, the glory of Albanian Independence. A small deviation toward the Block zone referred to the previous nomenclature of the communist regime in Albania, and see the house of the ex-dictator Enver Hoxha from the outside. This is the most vibrant area in the city, with many bars, clubs, restaurants, etc.