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Am I going on an adventure alone? Yes, definitely!

First, pick up the place, and then just go for it. To a new country, to an unknown land where you don’t know anyone, neither the culture nor the cuisine or language. That’s where true adventure awaits! 

“The way you are treated as a traveler is a reflection of the way you travel. If you explore with an open heart and mind, that’s usually how you are received” – From the book Ikigai 

Surrounded by Adriatic and Ionian coastlines on the west, North Macedonia, and Kosovo on the East, Albania shares its border with Montenegro and Greece in the North and South respectively.  

A beautiful country with a history dating back to the communist period, raw untouched nature’s beauty, it is based in Southeastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula.  

Things that top the list when one thinks of Albania: 

  • Albanian alps – the mountain range that occupies the north of Albania 
  • Albania Riveria- 120m stretch along the coastline in the south  
  • Historical UNESCO cities- Berat and Gjirokaster 
  • Traces from its communist Era- Bunk art 1 and 2 in Tirana  
  • Culture, food & people 

I chose to visit this beautiful country in the summer of 2022 which is also one of the best times to enjoy the weather and its coastline. The main highlight for me was embarking on a solo trip. I found Albania to be perfectly safe and the Albanian people made it a far more memorable experience, in the true sense. 

Solo travel teaches you ample things however the key thing is it gets you closer to who you are. Understanding yourself in a completely new environment is a revelation in itself!!  

 “Traveling solos has been exciting and liberating”

I particularly was quite surprised by my people skills, my ability to trust strangers, and my courage to act on my instincts. It did feel like getting out of my comfort zone, indeed.

“Just a bit of courage is all you need to do a lot of awesome things on your own”

Koman/ Shala river:

This was my first day and ended up being an exceptionally beautiful day. I met so many other travelers from Germany, France, and Croatia. Everyone was very polite and helpful. 

Started my day early at 4 AM and intentionally wanted to travel like a local where I got to truly understand their people and culture. 

Do reserve Lake Koman ferry online in advance on the website (https://komanilakeferry.com/en/) and mention in notes if you want a pick-up from Tirana. I received a day before confirmation email from them with the location and time. 

Minibus departs (only once) from this location only: Gazheli petrol, rruga Asim vokshi , Tirane. So if you miss this, you will be missing the Koman ferry as well which also departs only once a day at 9AM. 

Schedule: 

  • 9.00 am- check-in and it starts at shala river at 9.30 (Form Lake Koman ferry station)
  • 10.45 am- arrival shala river- Here, I got almost 3 hours to chill, enjoy the sun, eat, drink and swim. 
  • 2.00 pm- start back to Koman Ferry Station 
  • 3.15 pm- arrive at Koman – get the bus back to Shkoder then from there to Tirana ( buses are available till 5.47 pm only). There is no direct bus from Koman to Tirana. 
  • 7.30 pm- reach Tirana 

This is a must-do if you are visiting Albania. It does give you a feeling of Thailand minus overcrowded tourists at the backdrop. For me, this one topped my favorite places to visit.

Durres and Berat:

I started from Tirana at 9 AM by road (here I did book a private taxi for a day) and reached Durrës city center at 9:45 AM. Post that I spent an hour on the seaside exploring around and continued towards Berat which is an hour and 45 minutes drive. 

First, I visited Berat castle (inside it took 2 hours to go around), and had lunch at Antigoni later (which is just opposite of castle and within walkable distance)- they serve amazing vegetarian food and local Raki.  

For rest of the day, I was walking around the neighbors of Gorica and Mangalem divided by the Osumi river. Berat is known for its historic architecture (white Ottoman houses) and scenery which is famously known as the “Town of a Thousand Windows.

Around 4 PM, I started back to Tirana through a beautiful road along the villages. The route is truly splendid. In between, I also had a stop at Belshi lake.  

Gjirokaster and Blue eye of Saranda:

I booked a private tour through ‘Go as Local’ on trip advisor –they were amazing. We started at around 8 AM and by the time I reached back to my hotel in Tirana, it was 7.30 something in the evening.  

Places I enjoyed visiting– 

  • Castle  
  • Bazaar 
  • Ethnographic museum  
  • Skenduli house- more than 300 years old, built in 1823, one of the richest houses in Gjirokaster many of the rooms are still preserved as the original. It gave me a Game of thrones feeling for a moment.
  • Exp Gjirokastra- City itself is beautiful, with small lanes, a cultural vibe, and amazing food.  

Food to try in Gjirokaster-  

  • Qifqi – rice balls with spinach and herbs  
  • Plaki – fava beans in tomato sauce  
  • Fergese- feta red peppers tomato butter onion salt pepper olive oil chili flakes and basil  
  • Raki- a national drink of Albania, raki is an anise-flavored liqueur not similar to ouzo, but made with fermented grapes or plums. It has an alcohol content similar to vodka. 
  • Greek salad 

Dajti Ekspress cable car from Tirana through local transportation:

Open all days except Tuesday from 9.00 to 6.30 pm (https://dajtiekspres.com). City bus from the bus station departs behind Skanderbeg square, if you are standing on the central Skanderbeg square you must pass between the clock tower and the palace of culture. Walk toward the tower of the plaza hotel, you will see the city bus station. Get on the blue bus to porcelan line number 11. The bus operates from 5.30 am and 24.00 every 5 to 20 min. Reaching the destination will take 30 min max. 

Things I loved doing here-  

  • Rotating bar 
  • Breakfast at Ballkoni Dajtit- Views are mesmerizing.  
  • Bunk art 1 museum (open from Wed till Sunday 9 am to 4 pm, closed on Monday & Tuesday)- check on their website as well before visiting them.- http://bunkart.al. This is another must-visit if you are a history buff like me. I ended up leaving this place with goosebumps.  

Visa: For Indian passport holders, it was Visa on arrival till Sept 2022. Not sure if that has been extended or changed. The best way is to call an Albanian embassy and get it confirmed. I found them quite responsive and helpful.  

At airport:

Currency: Local buses/taxis/ shops/ street shopping – prefer Albanian LEK and other places Euros are widely accepted. You can convert the currency at the Tirana International Airports. I got Euros converted in Dubai before my trip and Albanian LEK at the Tirana Airport once I reached.  

Local SIM: I got a local Vodafone sim at the airport- which has good tourist packages plus I found good coverage even at remote locations. 

Do note that the airport has free Wi-Fi. 

Accommodation- I stayed entire trip at Sky2Hotel  

https://www.sky2hotel-al.com/en 

The location was perfect it’s just 1 km from Skanderbeg square which is a walkable distance plus within 1 km across the street on the other side is the Blloku area – famous for cafes, pubs, and bars. One of the most happening areas in Tirana has an excellent nightlife. The staff was very friendly and supportive to book taxis whenever I needed & to find vegetarian restaurants. 

The only thing I struggled with was food as the hotel provides only breakfast and not lunch/ dinner. Although you can cross the street and find ample options, however, when you come from 12 hours long day trip, all you want to do is have your dinner in the hotel itself. In this case, I had to push myself to freshen up and get outside for dinner.  

Transportation: To go around the country there is only one option either by road or a car. There are no working trains at this point. Either you can rent a car or book a taxi (which will be expensive) or the way I did – booked private day tours from Trip Advisor. You can also check out buses although the frequency is low- I did travel by bus to Lake Koman from Tirana and around the city which was quite easy.  

In case you want to book a Taxi for short distances or airport to hotel transfers- I recommend downloading a taxi app beforehand and also offline google maps (If you don’t have the internet on road) 

Below are a few options to book a taxi that works in Albania, they all have their apps on android and iOS as well-  

Recommended website: I highly recommend going through https://albaniatourguide.com as they cover extensive information about everything a tourist should know before planning a trip to Albania. Traveling solo, I found everything I was looking for on this website.