- Tour code
ALBADV01
- Start
Tirana
- End
Tirana
- Min. age
16 years old
- Group size
Max 6-16 travellers
- Trip style
Explorer
- Trip pace
Active
- Language
English
Albania spent decades closed off from the rest of Europe, and it still feels refreshingly unpolished. That's the appeal: medieval castles without the queues, clear Ionian water, and a food and wine scene that's quietly getting very good.
This trip packs in a lot. You'll fly down a zipline, explore UNESCO-listed Berat, trek and swim through the Osum Canyon, wander the ruins of Butrint, forage for the lagoon's blue mussels and cross the high Llogara Pass before a day on the Albanian Riviera by private speedboat.
Evenings bring a hands-on cooking class, homemade raki in a Berat guesthouse garden, a private wine tasting and slow-cooked Albanian dishes, and with a maximum of 16 travelers the group feels like old friends by the end.
Your Soca Islands Host looks after the details, from the private transfers to the timings, so you can travel light and simply enjoy one of Europe's least-crowded corners.
Why This Journey
Albania's highlights are spread out, and the roads between Berat, Butrint and the Riviera are slow going if you're working them out alone. This route links them in a sensible order and adds the experiences that are hard to book independently: a guided canyon walk with swimming stops, foraging at Butrint lagoon, a private boat along the coast and time in a family guesthouse garden.
It suits travelers who have already done the better-known Mediterranean and want somewhere that still feels like a discovery, with history, nature and food in roughly equal measure. You'll leave with a real sense of the country's Ottoman, Greek and Roman layers, and a taste for raki you may not have expected.
Where You'll Stay
Tirana (2 nights): Hotel Boutique Kotoni, a small boutique hotel in the city centre. Berat (2 nights): Hotel Mangalemi, in the Ottoman Mangalem quarter below the castle. Llogara National Park (1 night): Llogora Tourist Village, wooden cottages among the pines below the pass. Proposed accommodation (or similar), subject to confirmation.
Getting There
International Flights Not Included. International airfare to and from the destination is not included in the package price. Travelers are responsible for arranging their own flights and ensuring their arrival and departure align with the trip itinerary. Fly into and out of Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (TIA); arrival and departure airport transfers are included. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
What you will see and do
Trek, scramble and swim through Albania's ancient Osum Canyon
Beach hop the Riviera on a private speedboat, stopping to swim in clear blue water
Taste organic Albanian wines at a private session in Berat
What's included
All activities mentioned on the itinerary
Accommodations in double rooms
Experienced Soca Islands Host with you throughout the trip
Max 16 travellers per group
One farewell group activity when possible
Arrival and departure airport transfers
Group transportation
What's excluded
- International flights (travelers arrange their own)
- Travel insurance (required)
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Optional activities
- Single room supplement (single rooms on request, subject to availability)
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
Group itinerary
Land in Tirana and a private transfer drops you at your boutique hotel. Take some time to rest, then meet your Soca Islands Host and the group for a welcome drink at the hotel.
Tonight gets hands-on straight away with a cooking class. You'll learn to make Albania's savory pies and tave kosi, the national dish of baked lamb and yogurt, while getting to know your fellow travelers.
Start with a rush on a zipline billed as the longest in the Balkans, flying over green countryside with the 6th-century Petrela Castle in view.
From there it's on to Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage city known as the 'town of a thousand windows' for the rows of white Ottoman houses climbing its hillside. Explore Berat Castle, where people still live inside the walls, and walk up to the Gorica viewpoint for a look across the town and the Osum River.
The evening ends with a traditional welcome at a local guesthouse garden: homemade raki, fruit preserves and Turkish coffee.
The Osum Canyon was carved over some 3 million years, and today you get to know it up close. A guide leads you along the canyon, with time to swim in clear pools and take in the waterfalls and sculpted rock. Bring shoes you don't mind getting wet.
Back in Berat, you'll enjoy a private tasting of Albanian wines, which are starting to win international attention. The rest of the afternoon is free to wander the old town and cross the footbridge to the Gorica quarter.
This morning you visit Butrint, the country's largest and most important archaeological park, where Greek, Roman and Venetian ruins stretch back more than 2,500 years among woodland by the lagoon.
Next comes a hands-on stop at Butrint lagoon to forage for its well-known blue mussels, followed by a meal of dishes made with them.
Then the road climbs over the Llogara Pass, with alpine meadows above and the coast far below, to a peaceful mountain retreat in Llogara National Park for the night.
Today belongs to the sea. A private speedboat runs you along the Albanian Riviera to secluded beaches and swimming spots in startlingly clear water, with time to swim along the way.
After the boat day you head back to Tirana for a final traditional dinner together, raising a glass to the week.
After breakfast, transfer to Tirana International Airport for your flight home, with plenty of stories from one of Europe's least-known destinations.
If your flight is later in the day, there may be time for a coffee in the Blloku district or a last walk around Skanderbeg Square first.
Accommodations
Here's a glimpse of the hotels we selected for this adventure.
Hotel Boutique Kotoni
A small boutique hotel on Rruga Donika Kastrioti in central Tirana, in the government quarter near the Prime Minister's Office. The cafés and bars of the Blloku district and the city's main boulevard are within walking distance.
Breakfast is served in the hotel's lower-floor restaurant each morning, and the compact size suits a small group that wants a personal welcome at the start and end of the trip.
Hotel websiteHotel Mangalemi
A traditional stone-built hotel on Rruga Mihal Komneno, beside the Pasha's Gate in Berat's Mangalem quarter, the hillside of white Ottoman houses that gives the UNESCO-listed town its look. The cobbled path up to Berat Castle starts nearby, and the riverside promenade along the Osum is a short walk downhill.
Breakfast is served on site, and the location makes it an easy base for two nights in the old town.
Hotel websiteLlogora Tourist Village
A mountain resort among the pines of Llogara National Park, just below the Llogara Pass on the road between Vlorë and the Riviera, about 15 km from the beaches of Dhërmi.
Guests stay in wooden cottages and rooms with mountain views. There is a restaurant serving traditional Albanian dishes, a café, an indoor pool and a sauna.
Rooms
You'll stay at Trip Hotel.
- Included
Shared double
Shared with the person you book with, or a fellow traveller of the same sex.
- +$760 per person
Single room
A room to yourself, subject to availability.
Room prices are per person for the May 10, 2027 departure and can differ on other dates. You choose your room when you book.
Tour FAQS
Fly into and out of Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza (TIA).
Proposed accommodation is Hotel Boutique Kotoni in Tirana, Hotel Mangalemi in Berat and Llogora Tourist Village in Llogara National Park (or similar hotels), subject to confirmation.
International Flights Not Included. International airfare to and from the destination is not included in the package price. Travelers are responsible for arranging their own flights and ensuring their arrival and departure align with the trip itinerary. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
Yes. Arrival and departure airport transfers between Tirana International Airport (TIA) and the hotel are included. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
6 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 3 dinners are included; the exact day-by-day plan is shared in your trip documents. Other meals are at your own cost.
Extra nights can be requested, subject to hotel availability; contact our Customer Experience team for a quote.
There are no scheduled activities on the final day, so feel free to book your departure at your own convenience.
We recommend arriving before 3 pm on Day 1 to make it in time for the welcome event. But don’t worry no matter when you land, we’ll have an airport transfer ready for you.
Please Refer to your government’s travel advice or consult your local consulate. Remember, passport and visa requirements can change, so make sure to stay updated.
Excluding alcohol, we suggest budgeting around USD $40.00 per day for extras.
While we’re not medical professionals, we want to help you prepare for a safe and healthy adventure. Here are some tips:
- Consult with a healthcare professional: Schedule an appointment with your travel nurse or doctor at least eight weeks before your adventure to get any necessary vaccines or medications.
- Up-to-date medical advice:
- US residents: Check the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- UK residents: Visit the NHS Fit For Travel website.
- Australian residents: Refer to the Smart Traveler Health website.
3. Government travel advice:
- US residents: Consult the US Department of State Travel Advice.
- UK residents: Check the FCDO Travel Advice.
- Australian residents: Visit the Smart Traveler website.
4. Medication tips: If you take prescription medication, bring enough to last the entire trip, plus a few extra days in case of delays. Carry a copy of your prescription in case you need to visit a clinic abroad.
We hope this helps you prepare for a safe and enjoyable adventure.
Please keep in mind that our itinerary, activities, and hotels might change. These adjustments could happen with little notice due to factors like availability, weather conditions, seasonal shifts, or other circumstances beyond our control. Rest assured, we always aim to minimise any impact on your experience. Occasionally, we may tweak the itinerary to try out fresh ideas and keep the adventure exciting.
We believe solo travelers shouldn’t have to pay extra to explore the world. That’s why our group trips are designed around shared accommodation and do not include a single supplement. Solo travelers joining our group trips are paired in twin or multi-share rooms with another traveler of the same sex for the duration of the trip.
Some of our Independent trips are structured differently. For these itineraries, solo travelers will need to book at the single occupancy rate.
Tips are not included in the cost of this tour. Remember, tipping is entirely at your discretion and based on what you feel comfortable with.
Would you like to learn more or customise our Untouched Albania trip?
Have questions about accommodations, accessibility, group preferences, or dietary needs? Complete the form below and our team will get back to you shortly.
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