Here are some impressions and tips from roadtrips and camping in Albania in 2019 and 2017. We drive a Landcruiser with four-wheel drive, which is absolutely necessary if you are going a little off the beaten track in the mountains where the roads cease to be roads. However, it is not necessary for the sites mentioned in this article.
For mountains and offroad see article theth-albania-with-4×4/. It is not just about off-road. Some of the places described there can be easily reached by regular car, and there is also some about hiking.
Narrow and winding roads meet you. Here towards Valbona.
Driving in Albania
Traffic in Albania is a bit more anarchic than in the rest of the Balkans. Possibly it is because they only have had the opportunity to drive a car for a short time? During the communist regime, only the party bosses were allowed to have a car.
How to drive in queue is probably not part of the traffic training. If there is a queue during rush hour, maybe half of the cars will use the left lane and try to drive past the queue. If there then are cars meeting, they push themselves in, or push the oncoming car out on the road shoulder if the driver of this seems to be cowardly and give way. Or they use the road shoulder to pass where possible. Besides the annoyance this creates, it of course creates dangerous situations and the queue goes slower.
Horse carts and livestock are a common feature of the roads and the speed limits are only guidelines. The car stock is characterized by Mercedes, from new E-class to old W123 from the 1980s. A lot of the cars are second-hand imports, and many of them leave a trail of black smoke.
Just like in Georgia, the cars also stop in strange places. That is, where the car is when the driver wants to stop, even if it is in the middle of the road.
To be considerate in traffic does not seem to be part of the traffic rules here. But it is far from as bad as in North Africa where everyone ruthlessly pushes ahead, or Russia where drivers appear to suffer from collective suicide attempt.
Either way, be alert when driving
Socialism is a bit cracked
Camping
As in Scandinavia there are no restrictions on free camping in Albania, you can camp wherever you want. And I have yet to see signs with “private”, or a road that is blocked for driving. That, together with the amazing scenery, makes Albania an utopia for the offroad people. See link as mentioned above.
Valbona National Park – Ferry on Lake Komani
Valbona is the second major national park destination in Northern Albania. As mentioned, you can hike there from Theth in 7 hours, while driving takes 2 days. From Schoder take the SH-25 and SH-22. The latter is very narrow and extremely winding, but paved. It is possible to drive better roads, but then you have to drive via Kosovo
The best way to get there is to take a ferry on the Komani Sea, also called Drin. In addition to dropping the winding road, this is described by many as the world’s most beautiful ferry route, and is well worth taking even if you are not going to Valbona.
The ferry is popular and you should book in advance, even out of high season. There is online booking, but the easiest is to ask the hotel or campsite to arrange it. There are 2-3 different companies each operating a ferry, and there is no coordination between them, so it is easy to get confused. Price 50-60 Euro for a car. The trip takes 3 hours.
Like Theth, Valbona is a valley surrounded by snow-covered mountain peaks of up to 2,500 meters. Beautiful scenery, and more opportunities for hiking. There are several campsites and hotels in the valley.
Gjirokaster
The town is beautifully situated up on a hillside bordered by mountains in the Drina Valley. People have lived here since the Stone Age. The old town of Gjirokaster is on UNESCO’s list and is typically Ottoman. The streets are extremely steep and narrow so if you get there in a big car and are going to stay in a hotel then consider to stay down in the city. Here is also a small pleasant campsite.
The Old Town is certainly nice to stroll around with beautiful Ottoman-style buildings. Lying on a peak, the fortress is worth a visit. It also contains a city museum and a military museum with lots of weapons and revolutionary art. The latter was probably the most interesting
Berat
Berat is a beautiful Ottoman town, with houses up the hillside. Many similarities with Girokaster
South Coast – Riviera
The coastal strip from Greece to Vlore is Albania’s Riviera. The area is characterized by mountains towards the sea, but with many beautiful beaches in between. There are many campsites and rooms for rent. We spent a few days at the Moskato campsite on the beach Livadh just north of Himare. The place is recommended, very well maintained facilities, and a shady olive grove to camp in. 10 Euro per night.
I also recommend camping Pa Emer south of Durres, by the town of Kavaje. Here you can literally drive on the beach and camp under a thatched roof between shady trees. They have also built an artificial island with restaurant. Nice place on hot days, but be there early if you want a place on the beach. 20 Euro per night.
If it is not too hot, there are many opportunities for hiking in the mountains. The road is at a distance from the sea, but along the entire coast there seem to be dirt roads perfect for hiking. I think these are built by the military because they seem to have no function other than to lead to the thousands of bunkers that the paranoid Hoxa built. I walked about a mile north from Livadh beach and counted 6 bunkers along the way. It is possible to drive the roads if you have four-wheel drive. As everywhere in Albania, there are no restrictions on this.
Practical information
Petrol stations
You don’t have to look for a petrol station in Albania. The country has an absurd number of stations. Even the most insignificant small town often has 5-6 stations that often are next to each other. And it seems that most people have their own oil company. But be a bit critical of which one you choose, most seem to be serving a car a day. Price level as in EU (2109)
Money
The currency is LEK, about LEK 120 on one Euro (2019). But Euro is just as good. Many prices are quoted in Euro. It can be difficult to find ATMs or paying with card. Petrol stations usually takes card.
Accommodation and food
Private accommodation and camping are widely available. Camping is about 10 euros per night, guesthouse 20-30 Euro for double room with bathroom. We stayed at guesthouses in Berat and Girokastor. Nice, clean rooms and exceptionally hospitality maybe a little in excess. They like you to eat at their places. It gives good karma at least to do this the first night
The food at guesthouses is traditional and this can be a good introduction to Albanian cuisine. However, Albanian food is not of the most exciting with surprisingly little use of spices
Some useful links
http://www.kampingpaemer.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MoskatoCamping/
