Land Down Under

Itinerary

Day 1: 1-Arrival in Tirana (Night in Tirana)

Stop At: Blloku, Tirana Albania
-Airport pick-up

Meeting with the group and introducing with our local guide at Mother Teresa International Airport. During the day we will serve the tour of Tirana, in which the highlights of the capital will be discovered and traditional delicious food will be tasted. Yummy!

Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 3 or 4 star Hotel

Day 2: Tirana-Elbasan-Pogradec-Korce (Night in Korca)

Stop At: Clock Tower of Korce, Rruga Asim Vokshi, Korce Albania
On this trip we will see some of the hidden parts of Albania. Our first stop is in Elbasan. It is located on the right side of the Shkumbin River spill where the famous Egnatia road extends to the city of Elbasan with the ancient name Skampis. During ancient history Elbasan changed it’s name often. Scampisi was a typical Roman kastium (castle) built in the 3rd century BC. In 1466 the Elbasan Castle fell into the hands of the Ottomans, who almost completely reconstructed them and named them Illyabhan (Elbasan).

Pogradec is a fantastic tourist attraction located on 720 meters above sea level and surrounded by beautiful high mountains and the deepest lake in the Balkans, Ohri Lake. Pogradec is a town with a long history of occupation, as attested to by the archaeological findings and the remains of a fortified settlement dating back to the 5th century. In Pogradec we will taste the famous coran fish and lakror, a traditional kind of pie made with flour and butter. After the lunch we will go to Korca where we will spend the night. Korça, in the southeastern region of Albania, is one of the most beautiful and important cities in the country. Because of its beauty, French-styled villas and coffee culture, Korça is also called the ‘little Paris of Albania’.

Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 3 or 4 star Hotel


Day 3: Korce-Prespa Lake-Voskopoje (Night in Voskopoja)

Stop At: Voskopoje Village, Rilindja Voskopojare Voskopoje, Korce 7029 Albania
In the morning we will visit the National Museum of Medieval Art which is very interesting and we will see some of the most beautiful iconography in the Balkan. After the visit in the museum we will go at the Prespa Lake. The Prespa Lake is divided between Albania, Greece and Macedonia. The area contains three National Parks located in Albania, Greece, and the Republic of Macedonia respectively. In Prespa we can visit the island of Mal Grad (Small Town, in Albania). It is the site of a ruined 14th century monastery dedicated to St. Peter. Today the island is uninhabited. Because Great Prespa Lake sits about 150m. above Lake Ohrid, which lies only about 10 km (6.21 mi) to the west, its waters run through underground channels in the karst and emerge from springs which feed streams running into Lake Ohrid. Of course we will not pass Prespa without tasting the traditional grilled fish of the area. The next stop is Voskopoja where we will pass the night. Voskopoja is known for the many churches it has, we can count twenty-six. Most of them were built between 1630 and 1780 at Voskopojë, situated along the trade route from Venice to Constantinople in southeastern Albania. Voskopojë became an important religious hub in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The town was a significant center of Aromanian (Macedonian-Romanian) Christianity during a time when the Ottomans ruled the Balkans.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 3 or 4 star Hotel


Day 4: Dardhe-Leskovik-Farma Sotira (Night in Farma Sotira)

Stop At: Farma Sotira, Rruga Leskovik-Erseke Km 15, SH75, Leskovik 7402, Albania
Dardhe was founded by a group of Orthodox Albanians fleeing to mountains because of the Ottoman rule also. A hidden village we must say, you will see yourself how beautifully nature blends with humanity here. From Dardha we set off to Sotira. The farm stay here is located on the road from Leskovik to Erseke and the main phrase for the area would be untouched nature.

Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight at Farma Sotira


Day 5: Benje-Kelcyre-Permet (Night in Permet)

Stop At: Benja Thermal Baths, Near The Stonebridge, Permet Albania
Everyone who was at least one time in Permet, has fallen in love with this city. Here we can find good food, good people, beautiful nature. It used to be called Tryfilia in the old days. It’s a.k.a “The city of Roses”...you guessed it! Because one of the most special characteristics of this city are the many roses which are found throughout the town and historic houses. Permet has always played an important role in Albanian politics. In 1944 the Congress of Përmet was held here, creating the provisional government which gave way to the communist regime. We will not go without visit Kelcyra. This village has many springs which flow and create many waterfalls along the gorge. Kelcyra is along the last wild river in Europe (Vjosa). The origin of this city is from a small Illyrian village, dating back to the 5th Century BC.

I forgot we will taste the eggplant glico, tomatoes glico etc.

Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 3 or 4 star Hotel

Day 6: Berat (Night in Berat)

Stop At: Berat Castle, Rruga Mihal Komnena, Berat 5001 Albania
In the morning we will start our journey to Berat.

Osum Canyon, on our way to Berat, is 26 km length, with an altitude of 450m from sea level a.k.a the last wild river in Europe. It is thought it has been formed 2-3 million years ago from water erosion that dips into the earth. Known for it’s legends and as a pilgrimage place for the Bektashi Order (a muslim derivation, but with not-so-strict rules, more serving as a spiritual reunion with God and the Universe. During the pilgrimage in Agugust for 3 full days believers and travelers alike go to drink rakia and celebrate life) the Skrapar district offers life for mountain lovers. The Tomorr mt. is the second-highest in the country and the first for the conspiracy theory lovers because of the many strange things that happen at the area.

According to one of the legends, the Tomorr mountain was originally a giant, who fought with another giant, called Shpirag over a young woman. They killed each other and the girl drowned in her tears, which then became the Osum river.

In Osum Canyon there are 6 straits where the canyon width ranges from 1.5m wide in its riverbed up to 35m wide up in the slopes. Besides at the Canyons one can find a Cathedral, The Eye, Demon’s door etc.

Berat is the highlight of the southern old towns. As a 2400-year-old town making it is known as “The Town of a Thousand Windows” and “The Museum City".

The oldest neighbourhood in town, called Mangalem, was inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List in July 2008. Berat is a city that offers sightseeing pearls for the travelers and locals alike and as one of the main tourism centers in the country.

Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight in a 3 or 4 star Hotel


Day 7: Berat-Tirane

Stop At: Osum Canyon (Kanioni i Osumit), River Osum, Corovode 5401 Albania
On this day we will discover the rest of berat and the Osumi Canyon. From there we will head back to Tirane and end our journey.
Duration: 1 day

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.