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You need to be at least 18 to join this trip, and the upper age limit is 45. Most travellers are somewhere between their twenties and their thirties, and the majority come on their own, so joining solo is completely normal. Travelling in a group of up to 18 means you will have plenty of people to share the beaches, boat trips and evenings with.
Included: eight nights of accommodation, eight breakfasts, all transport within Albania, a group leader for the whole trip and every activity on the itinerary. That covers the Tirana walking tour, tubing in the Osumi Canyon, Berat Castle, Gjirokastër's old town and Skenduli House, the Blue Eye hike, Butrint, beach time in Sarandë and Ksamil, the Qeparo hike and the Himarë boat trip.
Not included: international flights, travel insurance, airport transfers, lunches and dinners, drinks and anything you choose to do in your free time.
Groups are capped at 18 travellers, so it is big enough to be sociable and small enough to fit on one boat and around one dinner table. Most people come on their own, so you will not be the only solo traveller.
An average level of fitness is plenty. The walking is mostly easy: the Tirana walking tour, the old towns of Berat and Gjirokastër, and Butrint's ruins. The Blue Eye hike on day 5 is scenic and not too demanding, and the hike up to Qeparo old village on day 7 climbs a hillside at an easy pace, with stops for the view.
Berat and Gjirokastër are built on hillsides with steep, cobbled lanes that can be slippery, so good shoes matter more than fitness. For the tubing in the Osumi Canyon and the Himarë boat trip you should be comfortable in the water.
Albania is one of the cheapest places to travel in Europe, and your accommodation, breakfasts, transport and activities are already paid for. As a guide, budget around €30 to €40 (about £25 to £35) a day for lunch, dinner and a few drinks.
Allow a bit more for the coast: the beach clubs at Ksamil usually charge for sunbeds, and nights out in Sarandë cost more than dinner in Berat. Add extra for souvenirs, and for any airport taxis at either end of the trip.
A group leader travels with you for the whole trip, from the first evening in Tirana to checkout on day 9. They look after the transport, activities and accommodation, run the walking tours, and have plenty of ideas for the free afternoons and evenings, from where to eat to where to watch the sunset.
Yes. Travel insurance is compulsory on this trip, and your group leader will ask to see it on day 1, so have your policy on your phone or printed.
Check that it covers the activities on this trip, including river tubing in the Osumi Canyon, the boat trip at Himarë and hiking. You can get a quote and buy travel insurance here.
Yes, Albania is a safe and welcoming country to travel in, and crime aimed at visitors is rare. Take the same care you would anywhere busy: keep an eye on your phone and bag in crowded places, on buses and at the airport, and take a licensed taxi late at night.
Albania's drug laws are very strict, with long prison sentences even for small amounts, so do not carry or buy anything. For the latest official advice, check your government's travel advice before you go (in the UK, that is gov.uk).
The currency is the Albanian lek (ALL). There are cash machines in every town you stay in, and cards are taken in most hotels, bigger restaurants and bars in Tirana and on the coast.
Carry some lek in cash for small cafés, bakeries, beach sunbeds and market stalls. Some places on the coast will take euros, but you usually get a better price paying in lek.
Tipping is not compulsory in Albania, but it is appreciated. In restaurants and bars, rounding up the bill or leaving around 10% for good service is normal.
If you would like to thank your group leader or the boat crew at the end of the trip, that is completely up to you.
It is best not to. Tap water in Albania is treated in the towns, but supplies and pipes vary and most locals drink bottled water, which is cheap and sold everywhere. Use tap water for brushing your teeth and showering, and buy bottled water for drinking.
To cut down on plastic, bring a refillable bottle with a built-in filter, or buy large bottles and refill a smaller one from them. Drink plenty, as summer days are hot.
No. Albanian (shqip) is unlike any other language, but English is widely spoken by younger people and anyone working in tourism, and Italian is understood by many. In the south, some people speak Greek.
Watch out for head gestures: some Albanians, especially older people, shake their head to mean yes and nod to mean no. Faleminderit (thank you) and gëzuar (cheers) will earn you a smile.
We cannot give medical advice, so speak to your GP or a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you travel, and check the Albania page on TravelHealthPro for the latest recommendations. Make sure your routine vaccinations are up to date.
Albania is not in the EU, so a UK GHIC or an EU EHIC does not cover you there. Make sure your travel insurance includes medical cover.
Albanians are famously hospitable, and you may be offered coffee or a glass of home-made raki. It is polite to accept, even just a sip.
When visiting a mosque, cover your shoulders and knees, take your shoes off at the door and avoid prayer times. Beachwear is fine on the beach, but cover up a little in towns and old quarters. In the early evening many towns do the xhiro, a stroll along the main street, which is a good time to join the locals for a drink.
You have eight nights of accommodation, mixing twin-share rooms in hotels with mixed-sex hostel dorms. The first two nights are in a hotel in Tirana, followed by a hotel in Berat and a guesthouse in Gjirokastër.
On the coast you stay in hostels: two nights at a social hostel in the centre of Sarandë, with a pool and a bar, and one at a beachfront hostel in Himarë. The final night is back in a Tirana hotel.
Eight breakfasts are included, one every morning from day 2 through to checkout on day 9. Lunches and dinners are not included, which leaves you free to eat wherever you like, and your guide will point you towards good local places in each stop.
On the first evening the group usually heads out for dinner together at around 7pm. That meal is not included, so it is paid for on the night.
Yes. Let us know about any dietary requirements when you book, so they can be planned for ahead of the trip. Only breakfasts are included on this tour, so for most meals you will be ordering from a menu yourself, and your guide can help you find places in Tirana, Berat, Gjirokastër and along the coast that suit you.
Albanian food is fresh, generous and very good value. Expect byrek (filo pie with cheese, spinach or meat), tavë kosi (baked lamb with yoghurt), qofte meatballs, grilled meats inland and fresh fish and seafood on the coast, with lots of olive oil, salads and local cheese.
Vegetarians do fine: try fërgesë (peppers, tomatoes and cottage cheese), spinach or cheese byrek, stuffed peppers and bean soup. Vegan eating takes more effort outside Tirana, as cheese and yoghurt are in a lot of dishes.
No. International flights are not included, so you book your own flights into and out of Tirana International Airport, where the trip both starts and ends.
Check-in times and baggage allowances vary by airline and can change at any time, so confirm the details with your airline before you travel, and check in online in advance to avoid delays at the airport.
Most travellers do not. British citizens can visit Albania without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and citizens of EU countries, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand can also visit without one. UK passports need to be valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave Albania.
Albania is not in the Schengen area, so days spent here do not count towards your 90 days in Schengen Europe. Rules do change, so check your own government's entry requirements before you travel (for UK travellers, the gov.uk Albania page).
Airport transfers are not included, but getting into Tirana is easy. Tirana International Airport (TIA) is about 17km from the city centre. The official airport taxis charge a fixed fare of around 2,200 lek (roughly €23) and take 20 to 30 minutes. The cheaper option is the Rinas Express bus, which costs a few euros and runs to the city centre in around half an hour.
Once you are in the centre, the start hotel is a short taxi ride or walk away. You will have the address well before you travel.
The trip ends in Tirana on day 9 after breakfast. There are no activities that day, so you can book a flight home at any time, allowing around half an hour to get to the airport plus the usual time for check-in.
If you want to keep travelling, Tirana is a good base: buses run north to Shkodër and the Albanian Alps, and on to Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia. Your group leader can help you sort out onward travel.
A deposit secures your place on the tour. The remaining balance is due 60 days before your departure, and you can see it at any time in your account, with reminders sent before the due date. If the balance is not paid by then, your place may be released to another traveller.
Yes! After placing your deposit, you can pay off the tour in instalments of your choosing, whenever suits you. The remaining balance is due 60 days before your tour starts, and you can see it at any time in your account.
Yes, as long as you give us at least 60 days' notice before your original departure date, so another traveller can take your place. A £30 administration fee applies to a date change.
Yes. About a week before the trip you will get a welcome message from your group leader with the final details and a link to join your group's WhatsApp chat, so you can say hello, compare flights and find out who is arriving when.
This is a summer trip with plenty of time in the sea, so pack light:
You can, but a backpack or a soft holdall is much easier. You change accommodation five times, and the old towns of Berat and Gjirokastër have steep cobbled lanes.
Bring one main bag and a small day bag. Keep it to what you can carry yourself, and you will be glad of the space for anything you pick up along the way.
No, you can arrive in Tirana at any time on day 1. Check-in at the hotel is usually from around 2pm, so most people plan to land around then, and nothing is scheduled during the day.
The group gets together in the evening for a short walk to Skanderbeg Square and, usually, dinner at around 7pm, so aim to be there by then if you can.
All transport within Albania is included, from the drive out of Tirana past the Belsh lakes to Berat, south to Gjirokastër and Sarandë, along the Albanian Riviera to Himarë and back over the Llogara Pass to Tirana. The Himarë coastline is explored by boat on day 7. All you need to arrange is getting to Tirana at the start and home again at the end.
No, there are no optional activities to pay for on this trip. Everything on the itinerary is included: the Tirana walking tour, tubing in the Osumi Canyon, Berat Castle, Gjirokastër's old town and Skenduli House, the Blue Eye hike, Butrint, the Qeparo hike and the Himarë boat trip. The free afternoons in Tirana and Gjirokastër are yours to fill however you like, and your guide will have suggestions.
The drives are broken up with stops, and you are never on the road for a full day. Roughly: Tirana to Berat takes around 2 to 3 hours with the photo stop at the Belsh lakes, and Berat to Gjirokastër around 3 hours. The Blue Eye sits on the way down to Sarandë, and the Riviera drive to Himarë is short and broken up by the Qeparo hike.
The longest day is day 8, from Himarë over the Llogara Pass back to Tirana, which takes around 4 to 5 hours including stops.
Departures run from late May to September, which is Albania's summer: dry, sunny and hot. In July and August it is often above 30°C, both on the coast and inland in Berat and Gjirokastër, and the Ionian Sea is warm enough for swimming right through the season.
Late May, June and September are a little cooler and quieter, which suits the hikes and the old towns, while July and August are the liveliest months on the beaches.
Yes, you will have Wi-Fi at the places you stay, though it can be slow when everyone is online at once.
Albania is not in the EU, so check your roaming charges before you go, as many UK and EU plans do not include it. A local SIM or a travel eSIM is cheap and gives you good 4G coverage in the towns and along most of the coast.
The trip starts and finishes in Tirana.
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