Overview
An eight day self-guided adventure holiday walking in southern Albania in the Dhëmbe and Nemërçka mountains. Staying in locally-run homestays and guesthouses, daily walks take you through remote, resplendent landscapes, following ancient mule tracks through orange and olive groves, or traditional villages in the shadow of Mounts Cajupi and Strakavec. This is a wonderfully authentic Albanian adventure, taking you into the heart of these untouched landscapes.
It’s worth noting that you can get a ferry from Corfu in Greece to Saranda port in Albania, and so a popular option is to combine this tour with our Corfu Trail Highlights holiday. Although you would need to make your own way to Tirana with a rental car. Or we can arrange a private transfer at a supplemental cost.
- Zagoria Valley
- Ottoman stone bridges
- Dhembel Pass (1,450m)
- Bënjë Thermal Springs
- Gjirokastër, UNESCO site
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival at Peshtan
Your driver welcomes you at Tirana Airport for a complimentary transfer to the village of Peshtan.
- Overnight at a family hotel or local guesthouse in Peshtan
- Meals: dinner
Day 2: Peshtan – Limar | 11km
Walks today follow an ancient caravan route up to high passes and the almost deserted village of Kala. You get great views of Mount Strakavec today, and spend overnight in a local homestay, hosted by a local teacher and expert in local history.
- Walking for the day: 11km, 4-5h, ↑750m ↓425m
- Overnight: homestay (shared facilities)
- Meals: breakfast, packed lunch and dinner
Day 3: Limar – Hoshtevë | 15km
Walk on ancient footpaths to reach Hoshtevë. Passing several traditional villages, you have the chance to experience the region’s rural lifestyle, meet local people and take in the mountain landscapes towering over the Zagoria River below. Below the village Doshnicë, there’s a possibility to visit a waterfall, depending on water levels. An Ottoman bridge connects Hoshtevë with the neighbouring villages Ndëran and Zhej. We also recommend taking time to visit the Church of the Holy Apostle in Hoshtevë, a fine example of Orthodox heritage.
- Walking for the day: 14.5km, 6-7h, ↑725m ↓575m
- Overnight: local homestay (shared facilities)
- Meals: breakfast, packed lunch and dinner
Day 4: Hoshtevë – Sheper | 13km
After yesterday’s demanding walk, this is a shorter and easier route in the shadow of Mount Cajupi, taking in Nivan where the central square is dedicated to William Tilman, a famous British mountaineer lived while fighting together with the local resistance in German-occupied Albania during WW2. Then the trail then takes you to the river, a monastery and the last of Ali Pasha’s stone bridges. Continuing over mountain meadows, you reach Sheper and stay overnight in a local guesthouse, hosted by an Aroman/Vllach family, nomadic shepherds who were settled here during the communist era.
- Walking for the day: 12.5km, 5h, ↑600m ↓550m
- Overnight: homestay (shared facilities)
- Meals: breakfast, packed lunch and dinner
Day 5: Sheper – Përmet | 10km
Continue to follow another ancient trail over the Dhëmbel-Nemërçkë range, with views of Mount Cajupi as you climb up to summer pastures used by local shepherds. The alpine valley is flanked by steep slopes and the Dhëmbel Pass (1,450m), with views across the eastern highlands towards Greece, and to the town of Përmet far below. Follow a long, rocky descent to Leusë, another beautiful stone village with an amazing fresco-covered church, considered one of the finest in southern Albania. It is then only a 15mins walk to reach Përmet and your hotel for the night.
- Walking for the day: 10km, 6-7h, ↑625m ↓1250m
- Overnight: Hotel Alvero or similar
- Meals: breakfast and packed lunch
Day 6: Përmet – Gjirokastër | 6km
Enjoy more panoramic views of Mount Nemërçkë at the entrance to Langarica Canyon as well as the thermal pools at Bënjë. Transfer to Gjirokastër.
- Walking for the day: 6km, 3h, ↑350m ↓350m
- Overnight: Hotel Kodra or similar
- Meals: breakfast
Day 7: Gjirokastër – Tirana
Enjoy the cultural heritage of Albania’s capital, its museums, architecture and the famous Blloku District. Once the living quarters of politburo elite, it’s now a chic upmarket neighbourhood packed with boutiques and cafes.
- Overnight: Vila 60 or similar in Tirana
- Meals: breakfast, packed lunch and dinner
Day 8: Departure
- Complimentary transfer to Tirana Airport
- Meals: breakfast
What to expect
Accommodation
Stay in small, family-run guesthouses and homestays in the mountains and hotels in towns. Facilities in homestays are shared. We have carefully hand-picked all places and regularly monitor their quality. They have been carefully selected based on a variety of criteria including their location, warm hospitality, fine local food or commitment to responsible tourism.
Click to view default accommodations
- Hotel Alvero (Përmet)
- Hotel Kodra (Gjirokastër)
- Vila 60 (Tirana)
Hotels are subject to availability. In the event of a particular hotel being fully booked for your chosen dates, we will replace it with an accommodation of equal value and quality level. We will provide exact accommodation details to you upon booking confirmation. In rural areas, you sometimes need to spend the night in a different building in close vicinity to the main building. While we try to arrange accommodation in private rooms, this might not be possible in mountain homestays.
Meals
All breakfasts are included as well as four packed lunches and four dinners. Dinner, when not included, is available either from the restaurant in your hotel or restaurants and cafes in the village or town near your accommodation.
Difficulty and terrain
The tour is suitable for active hikers with a moderate level of fitness. Moderate itineraries may include extended steep ascents and descents along routes. May also include high mountain (alpine) terrain which is rugged and rough underfoot (read more about difficulty grades). You will walk mostly on hiking trails and paths. We strongly advise you to follow only marked trails and never try to shorten the path through the unknown and unmarked terrain. We will provide you with detailed road notes and maps and you can call our 24/7 local assistance phone number anytime. More detailed info on route navigation will be included in your holiday information pack.
When to go
This trip is available from late March until the end of October. It is too hot for walking in July and August. The flexibility of self-guided holidays means that there are no fixed dates and you can start your holiday on any date in the season – so please indicate desired starting date when booking.
For more information, see our blog, Best time to go to Albania.
Getting there
Recommended airports for this trip are Tirana or Corfu. Complimentary arrival and departure transfers to Tirana are included in the trip cost* (one arrival and one departure transfer per party).
Inclusions
Included
- Detailed pre-departure holiday information pack including GPS-checked and regularly updated route descriptions and road notes; maps with daily routes and optional hikes marked
- GPS tracks to use via our smartphone app or on your own GPS device
- Accommodation for 7 nights in hand-picked 2 to 3-star hotels or family-run guesthouses and homestays as listed in the itinerary
- 7 breakfasts, 4 dinners and 4 packed lunches
- Daily luggage transport to next hotel of 1 bag of up to 15kg per person*
- All ground transfers and baggage transfers as listed in the itinerary, including return transfers from/to Tirana airport on days one and seven
- Arrival meeting
- 24/7 phone assistance by our local office in Tirana
*Please note that suitcases are not suitable for transport on horses and only one piece of soft baggage (duffle or backpack) with a maximum weight of 15kg is permitted. We can safely store your extra luggage in Tirana or Shkodra.
Excluded
- Flights
- Travel from/to Corfu (Airport) to/from Saranda port
- Travel insurance (required – get a quote online)
- Personal expenses such as phone calls, extra transfers, tips, etc.
- Any items not explicitly mentioned as ‘included’ in the programme
- eSIM data for international travel (get an eSIM)
Options, extras and supplements
- Single room supplement: due to limited availability in the mountains, single room supplement for group members is only possible on days 1, 5, 6 and 7
- We regret that this tour is not open to solo travellers
- One extra night in Tirana and/or Saranda before or after the holiday
