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A beautiful country with a colourful history, much of it red.
Standing at the summit of the acropolis in Berat Castle on a clear day, with gorgeous views over the surrounding countryside.
Uur guide Klodi was helpful, funny and knowledgeable. Great guy!
Bring lots of cash to exchange because credit cards are almost never accepted at hotels or restaurants.
I was blown away by this trip to Albania. The country surpassed my expectations and the scenery was at times breath taking. You cover a lot of ground in the trip and so really are getting a flavour for the places visited rather than having lots of time at each to fully explore.
It was fascinating to find out more about the history of Albania and to see a country that is very much driving forward in it’s development albeit in the early stages. Tirana feels like a youthful, vibrant capital city with the usual cacophony of car horns and sounds of a major city. As soon as you are out of Tirana you see the more traditional side of Albania, however everywhere we went there were signs of development and construction.
The people of Albania were on the whole lovely and welcoming. With just the smallest effort to use an Albanian word or two, people’s faces would light up and be happy to have conversations with you about where you are from etc. Our group had a particularly moving encounter with an elderly man who lived through the communist era in a concentration camp and had such a beautiful and emotional take on his Muslim faith, and how to live in peace with others.
The food and drink was excellent overall and was great to explore the Albanian beers and wines, alongside the food.
There were a few moments that really stand out from the trip. The first was in Korce where upon visiting the oldest mosque in the oldest part of the city, an elderly man came over to our group and through the guide told us his story. Under the communist regime he wrote poetry in opposition to them and was promptly put in a concentration camp, along with his family. Whilst inside he saw the death of his parents and grandparents, and was not able to practice his Muslim faith. However, they would pray in secret and when his Mother was still in Korce she would sit outside the mosque which was being used for storage under the regime and just by sitting there, felt connected to her son who was secretly praying in the camp. Upon his release in the early 90's and then being able to practice his religion freely, the man had such a beautiful attitude to others. He didn't care if you were Muslim, Christian or other faith, he just wanted to live in freedom and love others. There were not many dry eyes in the group by the end of his story. It brought home how brutal the communist regime was, but also the religious tolerance that is now exemplified throughout Albania. Religion is practised but it doesn't divide their society, in fact their ability to worship religion in freedom is a powerful unifier across the country. Gjirokaster which is a wonderful and beautiful village. The view from the hotel across the valley was amazing and only surpassed by the view from the hotel in Kruja! Driving through the mountains was very inspirational and the views were consistently breath taking. In Berat some of the group were fortunate enough to eat a local restaurant that was just the courtyard behind the host, Lili's house. The food was amazing and he was a fantastic host. It was a wonderful experience.
Klodi was a great group leader and very knowledgeable. In the majority of places we visited he was the one to give us the tours and tell us the history of the different places and had a wealth of knowledge on Albania. The drivers on the tour were all friendly and the journeys were largely comfortable on some difficult roads.
It is advisable to take some bug spray with you as I didn't have any and got a few bites. Whilst the country does accept Euros and Lek, it was only really the more touristy places that seemed to want Euros. From the start we were advised to get Lek and this worked well. There are so many places to change money in Tirana so it was very easy to do and there are lots of ATM's across the country. Some members of the group either arrived in Tirana a day or two earlier, or stayed on for a day or two after. This is a good idea to consider to give yourself more time to do the things that there aren't time to do on the tour. Think about the time of the year that is best for you to do this trip. I had originally planned to do it in July but given how steep some of the roads are when walking around and getting up to castles etc. the heat of that month would have been quite unpleasant. I ended up going in late September when the temperature was consistently in the mid 20's which was very pleasant. It is cooler up in the mountains however so another thing to consider.
Great that the itinerary took us all around this beautiful, mountainous country. So much to keep your attention even on the longest bus journeys. The Albanians are very friendly people and always smiling and saying hello. All hotels were excellent, apart from the one on our last night. It was a bit too hot for most of the time, especially when having to climb in full sunshine! Nice and cool though by Lake Ohrid in Pogradec and I managed a swim there. The only swim included in the itinerary in a hot spring, however, was very disappointing for me. No shade, far too many people in a very slimy and rocky pool, so difficult to get in and out. I hadn’t realised that there was so much Greek and Roman history and ancient sites in the country so that was very special for me – particularly in Butrint National Park and Apollonia. We visited many museums, most were interesting but there were too many for me, so sometimes I decided to give them a miss. Photography is very important for me and there was so much to photograph everywhere we went.
We had one inclusive lunch and it was at the home of a lovely family in the village of Dhoksat. The food was absolutely delicious and just kept coming .. finishing with an amazing dessert. A fantastic treat! Also loved all the ancient sites. So happy to have 2 nights at an amazing family-run hotel in Berat. Managed a lot of walks on my own there, and the best was when I left the hotel at 0640 as it was so cool at that time of day!
Arjan was an excellent guide. He knew so much about every place we visited. Also very calm and very friendly. As was our driver, Genti.
I would recommend getting up and out early, especially when it is so hot. I did a lot of special pre and post breakfast walks on my own.
This was a good trip which covered the main highlights of Albania. It is interesting to see how the country is progressing and developing in the last few decades since the fall of communism and regional troubles.
Really enjoyed the drives through the mountains and stopping for lunch at the working farm. Interesting castles to visit and I really enjoyed the icon museum.
Our group leader Ilir was excellent. He gave great talks and information on the history of Albania and it was interesting to hear about life during the communist era which he lived through himself. He took great care of everyone. Also our driver Kujtimi was excellent and felt save throughout the trip.
Bring some shoes with grips as there are a few walks with cobbles and a short walk in the forest. There are plenty of ATMs and exchanges for money and they will take Euro in most hotelsrestaurants. Plenty of veg and salads for vegetarians.
This was my first Exodus trip and it exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed the different aspects of the trip from swimming in the lake in Pogradec (and eating local korani trout afterwards), to the icon museum in Berat, from the walk in Llogora to the Mirahori mosque visit in Korça. Albania is a fascinating country and I enjoyed exploring it with like-minded individuals who were great fun. I found hotel accommodation very good (single supplement basis).
Difficult to say as there were several. The moment when we witnessed the call to prayer at the Mirahori mosque in Korçë, or possibly swimming in the lake in Pogradec, or maybe the last evening sampling raki and local cheese while listening to a young local musician playing the accordion.
I liked the group leader Gerti very much - he had a great sense of humour and we had some great laughs. He provided us with a great introduction to Albania and was very knowledgeable. I was very grateful for his help ensuring I stayed in the same room for my extra night in Krujë at the end of the trip. His style was to recommend restaurants rather than accompany everyone and I thought it worked well as it gave you the opportunity to make the most of your free time and interact with locals. There was the occasional lapse when it wasn't clear how long we had in a particular short stop but nothing really serious. I also thought he was kind looking out for any group members who struggled on the steep cobbled roads.
I recommend arriving early in Tirana to have more time to explore - I arrived the night before and had almost a whole day to explore places not included on the tour. It's a great city to explore on foot and apart from general wandering I really enjoyed visiting the National Art Gallery which included an Ottoman period exhibition but also featured many communist era paintings. Also I recommend taking walking shoes with a closed toe for the mini-hike in Llogora which was great!). I managed fine with walking sandals with a good grip but it is quite stoney in parts so shoes would be better.
The trip was packed with interesting and ‘must-see’ visits and activities, but there was still enough time to relax, explore independently, and try the wonderful locally grown food. Mediterranean climate and food. Mountains, fertile plains, and freshwater lakes, natural springs and the sea to swim in. Welcoming, relaxed and friendly people, a fair level of comfort but not ‘touristy’ – Albania is a great place to holiday!
Swimming in Lake Ohrid one morning, and being nibbled by fish (ok, I had eaten 3 of their relatives the night before...) Listening to a young and talented student musician playing the piano accordion for us, at a raki and cheese sampling at Kruja Castle. Proper Italian-style icecream every day, only 30p a scoop, loads of flavours.
Klodian was a great tour leader. I feel he had a good balance between introducing us to the country, giving us information and tour guiding, and letting us take things in for ourselves. There were some challenging group dynamics on our trip, something I have not come across on such trips before, and he dealt with it very calmly and professionally, with great patience. He earned my respect for this.
Take some comfortable shoes with a good grip, and possibly a trekking pole for balance if needed. There is a lot of walking on slippery polished cobblestone slopes and hillsides, particularly if you want to go off and explore independently.
A very well balanced trip with visits to UNESCO World Heritage sites, free time to explore our own personal preference areas and introductions to Albanian culture.
Exploring and eating local dishes in restaurants with a view in Berat.
Very average actually but I believe this was his first tour for Exodus. He led our tour straight after finishing one for another company and planned to start another group within an hour of ending ours. His timings didn't work out however and we had to have a replacement Tour Leader from the last night and for the final day - our replacement Leader was fanrastic - so professional, spoke excellent English and did extras to make our holiday special.
Be aware that there are more hours of small coach travel than is stated in the write-up. It was lovely to see the countryside though and all travel was broken up with visits to intetesting places.
Interesting and variedcountry both geographically, politically and socially. Good accommodation. Would have appreciated an included first and last night dinners ( we organised the latter) and/or introductory drinks on the first day. It would have facilitated group sociability.
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Very good. Well organised and very thorough in his presentations; always willing to answer questions.... Flexible, helpful. Top marks. Ditto an excellent driver.
Be prepared for dreadful cobbled streets. You need sneakers with a good grip!
This is a trip which exceeded my expectations. Friendly locals, fabulous landscapes, cheap and cheerful food and drink with the excellent guide, Ed.
I have just one gripe which Exodus should consider and act upon.
Despite outside temperatures of around 18 – 20 degrees during daylight hours our driver had the air conditioning on most of the time. The only windows that could be opened on the minibus were located in the front doorseat plus a roof window which was only opened once in 10 days for a couple of hours at my insistence. Some of our 15 strong group, myself included, developed dry throats, head colds, coughs etcetera. A week after returning home I am still feeling the effects. And for the last 24 years I have worked outside in all weathers without catching a cold. Tgere was never any need for the air conditioning to be activated within the outside temperature range at this time of year. Opening a window for fresh air would have sufficed. Instead 17 of us were enclosed in an airtight container for several hours on a daily basis breathing the same recycled dry air. Not healthy!
There are court cases pending regarding illnesses contracted from air conditioning on aircraft. Take note Exodus.
Bonding with the group.
Excellent. He would make a great politician.
Take a face mask.
When I told friends I was going to Albania, the most common response was “why?”. Albania is relatively new to tourism so it’s a great time to explore the country. The locals are curious to get to know us which is a rarity in Europe. Albania doesn’t have really show stopping sights but there are a number of significant highlights which hold your interest throughout and make this a fascinating trip.
There are several sites of archaeological interest such as Apollonia and Butrint, with some lesser known sites that our guide squeezed into the trip. These sites are often still being excavated and are not commercialised in any way. Kruje is a jewel of a town, clutching to the side of the mountains with fantastic views over the valley below. Gjirokaster is not looking its best at the moment as they are currently replacing all the cobbles in the town but you can tell it will be spectacular once completed - lots of little old wooden buildings clustered underneath the castle on a steep mountainside. The coast is stunning, particularly the coastline facing Corfu - white sands, turquoise seas. There are also beautiful lakes and rivers.
Eddy was extremely knowledgeable and so enthusiastic. He took good care of everyone and did his best to give us the best possible holiday.
You change hotel every night bar one on this trip so travel light. It may look like there's a lot of driving but each leg of the journey seemed fairly short with frequent coffee or point of interest stops so I never felt restless. It's an incredibly cheap place to visit - you can get a beer for just over one pound, lunch for a couple of pounds and, even pushing the boat out, it's hard to spend more than a tenner. The only "expensive" item on menus is chicken (!) but red meat is much cheaper. There are plenty of tasty vegetarian options too. The guide needs around 1,500 Lek for the kitty, just over a tenner. We went on the first departure of the year and it was quite cold in the mountains so make sure you bring some warm clothes for the departures outside of the summer season. Albania is a land of very slippery and steep pavement surfaces so shoes with good grip are recommended.