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The Vjosa river braiding through a wide gravel valley between mountains, seen from above

Sample journey · 8–10 days

Following the Vjosa: Europe's wild river and Albania's quiet south

Tirana, Përmet, Bënjë, the Zagoria valley, Gjirokastër & Butrint

Photo: Nicolas Jehly / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

The Vjosa rises in the mountains of Greece and runs for nearly three hundred kilometres to the Adriatic without a single dam – one of only a handful of such rivers left in Europe. In 2023 Albania declared it a national park protecting the river's whole free-flowing course, the first park of its kind in Europe. This route follows the river and its tributaries into the deep south of the country: Përmet, known for its fruit preserves, raki and wine; the warm springs of Bënjë beneath an eighteenth-century stone bridge; the Zagoria valley, where the stone villages have almost emptied but the churches and old mule paths remain; and Gjirokastër, a UNESCO-listed town with its castle above the Drino valley.

Our other Albania journeys head into the northern Alps or follow the classic loop via Berat and the Riviera. This one is slower and more remote: more days by the river, walks with local guides, stays in family guesthouses, and an ending among the ruins of Butrint and by the Ionian Sea. It's a journey for active couples and travellers who value simplicity and hospitality over luxury: the mountain roads are winding and in places gravel, and evenings are usually spent at the hosts' table with whatever has grown in their garden.

The route

The journey

  1. Tirana
  2. Përmet
  3. The Vjosa & the Bënjë springs
  4. The Lengarica canyon
  5. The Zagoria valley
  6. Gjirokastër
  7. Butrint
  8. Ksamil & Sarandë (out via Corfu or Tirana)
  1. People crossing Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, with the statue and new buildings behind

    01Day 1 · Tirana

    A capital that repainted itself

    One night in Tirana. After the flight, a walk across Skanderbeg Square, recently remade as a broad pedestrian space, past the frescoed Et'hem Bey Mosque and the clock tower to the Blloku district, once reserved for the Communist party elite and now lined with cafés and bars. With time to spare, one of the Bunk'Art museums, set in Cold War shelters, helps explain the isolation the country emerged from only a few decades ago. Dinner comes with a first byrek and local wine. The next morning, about three and a half to four hours south, through the Këlcyrë gorge where the Vjosa forces its way through the mountains, to Përmet.

  2. The Vjosa winding through its valley below the Nemërçka mountains near Përmet

    02Days 2–3 · Përmet

    The town of roses on the river

    Three nights in or near Përmet, in a family guesthouse looking over the Vjosa and the Nemërçka ridge. Përmet is known for its food: gliko, preserves of fruit, walnuts and even pumpkin that every household makes to its own recipe, local raki and wine from the surrounding hills. On the first afternoon, a stroll through the little town and along the river to the rock that rises in its centre, and dinner with your hosts. On the second day, a slow morning and a short trip to the village of Leusë, whose Church of St Mary is painted with nineteenth-century frescoes, then a winery or the farmers' market, depending on the season. For those who'd like more, a half-day walk up the slopes, from which the valley is seen at its best.

  3. The old stone arched bridge over the river at Bënjë, seen through an opening in the rock, with the hot-spring pools beside it

    03Days 4–5 · The Vjosa, Bënjë & the Lengarica

    A day on the river

    Day four belongs to the river. With local instructors, a rafting trip on the Vjosa or its tributary the Lengarica: in spring, when the water is highest, the rapids are livelier; in summer they're gentler and suit beginners. In the afternoon, the springs at Bënjë, where warm sulphurous water gathers in natural pools beside the river beneath the eighteenth-century Ottoman Kadiu bridge. After a soak, it's worth walking up the Lengarica canyon – you often wade through shallow water between high rock walls, so sandals with grip are useful. On summer weekends the springs draw many local visitors, so we aim to arrive early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The evening is back at your hosts' table in Përmet.

  4. 04Days 5–6 · The Zagoria valley

    Stone villages time left behind

    On day five, the road from Përmet into the Zagoria valley, a remote corner between the Nemërçka and Lunxhëria ridges. Many people once lived here, but most left during the twentieth century, and today the stone villages hold just a few residents, frescoed churches, monasteries on the slopes and Ottoman-era stone bridges. With a local guide, a walk on the old path between two villages, around four to five hours through oak woods and pastures. One night in a simple guesthouse in a village where your hosts serve what they have grown, and the evenings are so quiet you hear only the bells on the goats. Comforts are modest and the roads partly gravel, so we travel with a local driver. The next morning, down to the Drino valley and Gjirokastër.

  5. The clock tower on the stone walls of Gjirokastër castle

    05Days 6–8 · Gjirokastër

    A town of stone slates

    Two nights in Gjirokastër, in one of the old tower houses roofed with grey stone slates. The town climbs a hill crowned by a vast castle with an arms museum and a view over the whole Drino valley. With a local guide, the Skenduli or Zekate houses show how wealthy Ottoman-era families lived: winter and summer rooms, carved woodwork, hidden places from which the women could watch the guests. The writer Ismail Kadare was born here, and his house is now a museum – a good moment to recall his novel 'Chronicle in Stone'. The second day is slow: the bazaar street with its craft workshops, qifqi – rice balls with mint – and an evening on a terrace as the sun goes down over the valley.

  6. A boat on calm Lake Butrint beside the archaeological site, with mountains beyond

    06Days 8–10 · Butrint & Ksamil

    An ancient city in the woods by a lagoon

    About an hour and a half's drive, past the Blue Eye spring, to the sea and two nights near Ksamil or Sarandë. Butrint, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies hidden in woodland on a peninsula between a lake and a channel: a Greek theatre, Roman baths, an early Christian baptistery whose mosaics are usually kept covered, a Venetian tower and a gate with a lion relief. It's best to come in the morning, before the heat and the crowds, and to look out from the upper tower over Lake Butrint, where mussels are farmed. In the afternoon, a swim: Ksamil is busy in summer, so we'd look for quieter coves or a boat to the islets. On the last day, the ferry from Sarandë to Corfu, which has more flights, or about five hours by road back to Tirana.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The free-flowing Vjosa

    Rafting with local instructors on a river that runs undammed from the mountains to the sea.

  2. 02

    The springs at Bënjë

    Warm pools beneath an Ottoman bridge, and wading up the Lengarica canyon.

  3. 03

    A night in Zagoria

    The old path between stone villages, and dinner with a family in a valley time forgot.

  4. 04

    Gjirokastër & Butrint

    Ottoman tower houses beneath the castle, and an ancient city in the woods by a lagoon.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • At a gentler pace

    Rafting can become a gentle float or a riverside walk, and Zagoria a day visit without an overnight, leaving more time in Përmet and Gjirokastër.

  • More walking

    For strong walkers, an extra day in the Nemërçka mountains or a longer crossing of Zagoria with a guide.

  • By season

    May to June and September to October are best for walking and the river. July and August are hot in the valleys and busy on the coast; autumn in Përmet is the season of grapes and preserves.

  • With Greece or the north

    The Vjosa rises as the Aoos in Greece's Pindus mountains, so the journey can continue into Epirus and the villages of Zagori – or add Berat and the Albanian Alps in the north.

Practical considerations

  • The best time is roughly May to June and September to October. The rafting season depends on water levels, which vary from year to year, so we check conditions before you travel.
  • The roads between Përmet, Zagoria and Gjirokastër are winding, in places narrow and gravel; distances look short on the map but take longer to drive.
  • Village stays are simple family guesthouses: clean and welcoming, but without hotel comforts.
  • If the journey ends via Corfu, ferry timetables from Sarandë and cross-border arrangements depend on the season, so we check current requirements before you travel.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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