Albanian Coastal Trail

Welcome to Albania!
We will meet you at Tirana Airport, where you will receive the materials you need and a briefing for the coming days. We then start our journey south to the Albanian Riviera and the charming little coastal town of Himare. A seafront hotel will be your base for the next five nights, and from there you’ll make daily excursions for hikes to picturesque pebble beaches and idyllic villages along the Ionian coast.

The day starts with a short transfer to the inland village of Kudhes. The hike starts through olive trees and rocky shepherd’s paths, on to open fields where you can enjoy the view of the island of Corfu. You will then reach the ancient town of Qeparo, where time seems to have stood still. From here you can choose to hike down to the newer part of Qeparo and its beach, or continue along the paths above the shoreline. The day ends with a short transfer back to Himare.
12 km, +425 m -425 m

Instead of mountains, today’s route takes you over cliffs from one dazzling beach to another. The day begins with a short transfer to one of the villages on the upper coast, Vuno. Here the hike begins among the white houses on the hillside and the centuries-old churches until you meet the sea. Once there, you will reach Jal, known as the Ibiza of the country, which can only be reached on foot, then on to Livahi beach. Here you can choose whether to stay and enjoy the turquoise water, hike back to the hotel or hike the thousand-year-old cobbled path up to the ancient city of Himara and its castle. The town offers a great view of the surroundings, especially at sunset.
12.5 km +250 m – 550 m

Today you’ll visit the lesser-known part of the Riviera for a coastal mountain hike, opposite the beaches. The day begins with a transfer to Lukova, where the hike starts with a steep climb that gives you a view of hills, turquoise sea and Corfu away on the horizon. Weather permitting, it’s even possible to follow a steep and pathless, yet easy route up to Lavani peak, the highest point in sight. The way down follows a wide, exposed dirt road with a great view all the way down to Piqeras. From here you take a transfer back to Himare.
6 km +450 m -500 m

The day starts again with a transfer to Lukova. From Lukova, the hike begins through the flower-adorned houses, along the old cobbled alleys and a small waterfall. Continue through uniform paths and endless terraces of olive groves, constructed by human hand without the help of machines. Here, political prisoners under communism were turned into forced labourers. Then you make your way down towards the Bunec beach. You stroll along the shoreline, pass a relic of a concrete quay and ascend to a little-used path, admiring the shimmer of the turquoise water from above. You continue to hike along the hillside, soaking up the Mediterranean atmosphere, and the seemingly endless Borsh beach slowly comes into view. You then take a transfer back for the last night in Himare.
12 km +225 m -400 m

Today, the heights of the Ceraunian Mountains and Llogara National Park awaits. Alternatively, skip the most demanding hike of this trip and instead spend the day in Himare before taking a transfer up in the late afternoon. A driver will take you to the highest point of the Llogara Pass, at over 1000 metres above sea level. Here a wide dirt road leads steadily to the radio towers at the ridge, where the lush green western slopes of the Karaburun Peninsula plunge steeply into the deep blue Ionian Sea. Panoramic views of the rugged Albanian Riviera and Vlora Bay on the other side accompany the hike along the peninsula’s spine. A rocky, partly pathless path provides the opportunity to climb Gjipali (1,446 m) for a high-altitude picnic break and take a moment to reminisce about the rugged beauty of the entire coastline. Afterwards, descend to a mountain pasture and then enter the “Deep Pass”, entering a rainforest-like green corridor that offers generous shade in the afternoon. This evening you will spend at a comfortable mountain hotel in the national park.
11 km +425 m -625 m

A short transfer takes you to the starting point of the day, at the highest point of the Llogara Pass (1.043 m). A narrow, partly steep path takes you up through old snakeskin stables. You will hike steadily up the zigzagging shepherd’s path and at the first viewpoint you are rewarded with views of the endless blue Ionian Sea and the Albanian Riviera. Today’s destination is below the rocky summit of Qorre (2,018 m) at the Dhjopuri saddle (1,600 m). There you can rest and enjoy the view of the Llogara Pass, which separates the Karaburun Peninsula from the rest of the Riviera, and the village of Dukat at the foot of the mountain. Later, you can hike the same way down to one of the restaurants with a beer garden. A driver will pick you up from here, for the transfer to the modern capital of Albania.
5 km +550 m -500 m

We at EverTrek hope you have had a great trip!
We hope to see you again.