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WILD TRAIL IN ALBANIA - TREKKING IN ALBANIAN COASTLINE
- IL VERDE BLU
Day 1.
“Mother Theresa” International airport – Vlora city
You will meet our guides at “Mother Theresa” International Airport. Then by our own 4X4 we will head to the coastal city of Vlora.
Accommodation in Vlora city.
Day 2
Vlora city – Dafina bay, 15 km
After breakfast we will get ready to leave for the Karaburun Peninsula. Each of you must prepare a small backpack of maximum 10 kg with your personal belongings that all of you will need for the first 4 days on the trek (mattress, sleeping bag, plate, glass, spoon, knife, flashlight, clothes). With our car we will head to the Pasha Liman lagoon and the trip will last around 30 minutes.
While we start the trek, another guide with the boat will take all your personal equipment and everything necessary for the camping including food and water at Dafina beach. We will pass over the military base of the Albanian navy where we can also look at one of the submarines used during the time of the dictatorship, the only one still above water today. Then we will climb to the ridge of the peninsula with an altitude of up to 300 m. Behind us we can see the whole city of Vlora.
From the ridge of Karaborun, if the weather is clear, especially in the afternoon and at night, you can also see the coast of Brindisi. After 4-5 hours of trekking we will descend to Dafina Bay where we will prepare the campsite and we can also swim all afternoon. Lunch will be packed and dinner will be prepared together around the campfire.
Day 3
Dafina Bay – Petruna Bay. 13 km
The morning after breakfast we dismantle the tents, and put our materials in the waterproof containers so the equipment are ready for the boat that has to transport everything to the next bay, that of Petruna.
Now all our trek will be all in the outer part of the Karaburun peninsula, always facing the Italian coasts in the distance. The peninsula is wild and there is no water, no network, no roads, and no inhabitants, after than an immense green and blue painting where we will rarely come across any shepherds. After about 2 hours of trek along the coast we will arrive at the bay of Bristan where we will take a break and swim in this Little Paradise. Towards the afternoon we will have arrived at the bay of Petruna where we will find everything we need for that night’s camping.
Day 4
Petruna Bay – Grama Baya. 12 km
Today our trek will again continue along the coast of the Karaburun Peninsula towards Grama Bay. This bay is known in history as the place where Julius Caesar stopped while following Pompeii in his famous battles against him, with the hope of finding him there and attacking him by surprise.
Grama’s name is closely associated with engraved inscriptions since ancient times, rocky engravings are numerous within Grama’s Bay. It counts more than 1500 carvings. Greek engravings date back to the last centuries before Christ which were enriched by some Latin inscriptions of the Imperial period. Before that Greek medieval inscriptions were prevalent where most of the times were directed to Jesus Christ. The ancient inscriptions in Greek language were directed to the Dioskurs, Castor and Pollux, who were Pagan Gods, protector of seafarers and shipping. Medieval inscriptions, written in Greek, were prayers directed to Jesus Christ, generally with the formula “Lord, help your servants.”
In this amazing bay we will spend the afternoon swimming and then prepare the campsite and dinner.
DAY 5
Grama bay – White roads, 14 km
With Grama we will close our 4th night at the campsite and the last. We will go on like this for 6 – 7 hours in this wild green blue to get out of the Karaburun Peninsula. But first we will stop to take a break and swim in the beautiful bay of Santo Andrea. After these 4 days spent in total wilderness we will go out to the White Roads, a fantastic beach where again we will finally have the feeling of having returned to civilization. This beach offers a breathtaking view of boundless crystal clear waters with running streams springing from within the mountains and ending up in the sea. The delta of Palasa Stream is another natural attraction which collects limestone and other mineral deposits picked up in its trip from mountains. The delta as a whole appears white and is called the “Stream of White Roads”.
In the afternoon the 4×4 vehicles will pick us up and in an hour will take us to the small bay of Jala. Accommodation and dinner will be in a hotel along the sea coast.
Day 6
Canyoning & Climbing in Gjipea canyon
After breakfast, we’ll drive for 20 minutes to the entrance of Gjipea Canyon. Half a day will be spent in this fantastic canyon environment with a medium difficulty, suitable for all those who are not afraid of altitude and get used to walking and abseiling. Depending on the amount of water, 6 to 9 abseils will be made, the longest being 30 m. Around noon we are going out to the beach of Gjipea, also called “The Garden of the Gods”. Lunch that day will no longer be packed but grilled fish will be served in a simple fisherman’s restaurant on the beach. In the afternoon, apart from swimming, we will also do climbing. On the beach of Gjipea are breathtaking cliffs where we have built more than 90 climbing routes, of different levels of difficulty from 4c up to 8a+. In the evening we will return to the village of Jala.
Day 7
Abseiling & Stand Up paddle
On the 7th day we are going walking & abseiling to the “Pirate Cave” & Stand up paddling to the “Mermaid Caves”. In the morning after 30 minutes of travel by 4×4, we will arrive at the St.Theodor’s monastery. This monastery is located between Dhermi and the canyon of Gjipe and is situated on a wide hill covered by olive and cypresses trees. Its foundations date back to the 14th century built on the god Zeus sanctuary as well as Artemis, the hunting goddess. It was finished after 500 years of construction.
Here we will leave the car and walk along a beautiful path for around 1 hour to get to the ravine above the “Pirate Cave”. Here we will make the first rappel of about 30 meters. As always, that day we will be accompanied by this fantastic blue-green landscape.
The second abseil will be from the small hole above the roof of the “Pirates’ Cave”. The peculiarity of this descent is that we descend on a Stand up paddle suitable for 8 people. If we are more than 8 people there will be 2 or 3 Sups waiting for us. Once everyone gets off, another adventure begins paddling towards the “Caves of the Sirens”, which are caves with small natural pools inside the mountain. It will be a great day spent at several small hidden beaches, a true paradise. In the afternoon we take the car and head towards Tirana.
Accommodation is in a nice hotel, in very good location.
Day 8
We head to “Mother Theresa” airport