Tirana Inn
Hotel
Days 1, 7
Albanian Riviera — 8 days (Tirana, Llogara, Dhermi, Himara & Saranda)
Eight days down the Ionian, over Llogara. Eight days with village guesthouses, both guided walks and Butrint at opening.
Cypress & Stone
Runs this trip
Trekking
Eight days down the Ionian, over Llogara
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
Skanderbeg SquareEight days down the Ionian coast — a pass at 1,027 m dropping straight to the sea, and a Greek and Roman city in a lagoon. Llogara passThe pass drops a thousand metres to the sea in about fifteen kilometres of hairpins, and the view opens all at once at the top. Old DhërmiEvery village here has two halves — the old one up the hill where it was safe from pirates, and the new one at the beach. SarandaCorfu is about two kilometres offshore and clearly visible. Butrint theatreThe baptistery floor is one of the largest late-antique mosaics anywhere and it is kept under sand most of the year to protect it. Syri i KaltërDivers have reached about fifty metres in the Blue Eye without finding the bottom. Tirana, then outTirana flies across Europe, increasingly on low-cost carriers.
Itinerary
Eight days down the Ionian coast — a pass at 1,027 m dropping straight to the sea, and a Greek and Roman city in a lagoon.
TiranaHow the day runs
- 1 hrsTransfer into the Blloku
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationTirana Inn
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Hotel night
- Bunk'Art entry
LANDMARKS Skanderbeg Square Blloku Bunk'Art Start point Tirana, Tirana International Airport (TIA) 00:00 - 23:59The pass drops a thousand metres to the sea in about fifteen kilometres of hairpins, and the view opens all at once at the top.
Tirana, Llogara, DhermiHow the day runs
- 4 hrs8:00 AM — south past Vlorë to the pass
- 1 hrs1:00 PM — the descent to the coast
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationDhermi Retreat
Included Activities
- Transport
- Guesthouse at Dhërmi
LANDMARKS Llogara pass Ceraunian mountains Dhërmi Every village here has two halves — the old one up the hill where it was safe from pirates, and the new one at the beach.
Dhermi, HimaraHow the day runs
- 5 hrs7:30 AM — the old coastal path between the hill villages
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationHimara House
Included Activities
- Guide
- Guesthouse at Himara
LANDMARKS Old Dhërmi Vuno Himara castle Gjipe Gjipe is a limestone canyon that opens onto a beach with no road to it. You walk in or you arrive by boat.
HimaraHow the day runs
- 5 hrs8:00 AM — the walk down the Gjipe canyon to the cove
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationHimara House
Included Activities
- Guide
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Gjipe canyon Gjipe beach Ionian Corfu is about two kilometres offshore and clearly visible. The Ksamil islets are close enough to swim to and people do.
Himara, Saranda, KsamilHow the day runs
- 2 hrs9:00 AM — south along the coast
- 1 hrs1:00 PM — on to Ksamil and its islets
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationKsamil Courtyard
Included Activities
- Transport
- Guesthouse at Ksamil
LANDMARKS Saranda Ksamil islets Corfu channel The baptistery floor is one of the largest late-antique mosaics anywhere and it is kept under sand most of the year to protect it.
Ksamil, ButrintHow the day runs
- 0 hrs7:30 AM — to the gate at opening
- 4 hrs8:00 AM — the theatre, the baptistery and the acropolis
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationSaranda Residency
Included Activities
- Site entry and guide
- Guesthouse night
LANDMARKS Butrint theatre Baptistery mosaic Venetian tower Lagoon Divers have reached about fifty metres in the Blue Eye without finding the bottom. Swimming in it is now restricted.
Saranda, TiranaHow the day runs
- 1 hrs8:00 AM — via the Blue Eye spring
- 5 hrs11:00 AM — north through Gjirokastër country
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationTirana Inn
Included Activities
- Spring entry
- Hotel in Tirana
LANDMARKS Syri i Kaltër Blue Eye Gjirokastër Tirana flies across Europe, increasingly on low-cost carriers.
TiranaHow the day runs
- 1 hrsTransfer to the airport
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Day 1Airport transfer
- Day 1Hotel night
- Day 1Bunk'Art entry
- Day 2Transport
- Day 2Guesthouse at Dhërmi
- Day 3Guide
- Day 3Guesthouse at Himara
- Day 4Guesthouse night
- Day 5Guesthouse at Ksamil
- Day 6Site entry and guide
- Day 7Spring entry
- Day 7Hotel in Tirana
- Day 1 · 1 nightTirana Inn
- Day 2 · 1 nightDhermi Retreat
- Day 3 · 2 nightsHimara House
- Day 5 · 1 nightKsamil Courtyard
- Day 6 · 1 nightSaranda Residency
- Day 7 · 1 nightTirana Inn
- Day 1Tirana to TiranaTransfer into the Blloku
- Day 2Tirana to Llogara8:00 AM — south past Vlorë to the pass
- Day 2Llogara to Dhermi1:00 PM — the descent to the coast
- Day 5Himara to Saranda9:00 AM — south along the coast
- Day 5Saranda to Ksamil1:00 PM — on to Ksamil and its islets
- Day 6Ksamil to Butrint7:30 AM — to the gate at opening
- Day 7Ksamil to Saranda8:00 AM — via the Blue Eye spring
- Day 7Saranda to Tirana11:00 AM — north through Gjirokastër country
- Day 8Tirana to TiranaTransfer to the airport
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
Dhermi Retreat
Hotel
Day 2
Himara House
Hotel
Days 3, 4
Ksamil Courtyard
Hotel
Day 5
Saranda Residency
Hotel
Day 6
What you'll eat
7 breakfasts and 6 dinners across 8 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 8.
- DinnerServed on days 1–6
- BreakfastServed on days 2–8
13 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
4.4/5
Based on 8 reviews
Review summary
Food4.3/5
Guide4.0/5
Itinerary4.1/5
Transport4.1/5
Accommodation4.0/5
Tour operator4.3/5
Sort by:Recommended
5
D
Divya Reddy – Mumbai2025-10-07 · Verified booking
Did this over 8 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Crew were professional without being stiff about it.
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5
M
Marc Dubois – Zurich2025-10-07 · Verified booking
The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. The lead was calm and knew when to slow the group down. Solid operator.
Reply from Cypress & Stone
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you on another trip.
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3
D
Dev Chatterjee – Jaipur2025-10-07 · Verified booking
Pace was set for the fastest people in the group and it made the middle days hard. The team read the group well and adjusted without making a thing of it.
Reply from Cypress & Stone
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
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5
M
Manav Sethi – Lucknow2025-10-07 · Verified booking
Did this over 8 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Would book with them again.
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5
P
Priya Nair – Mumbai2025-03-15 · Verified booking
Second trek with this operator and they've kept the standard up. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. Never went hungry, and the tea appeared exactly when it was needed.
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5
A
Aditi Rao – Lucknow2025-03-15 · Verified booking
The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb. Rooms were comfortable and the locations meant we could walk most evenings. The lead was calm and knew when to slow the group down. Worth every rupee.
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5
R
Rohit Verma – Bengaluru2025-03-15 · Verified booking
The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Solid operator.
Reply from Cypress & Stone
Thanks for writing this up. We've passed your note to the team.
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2
A
Arjun Pillai – Jaipur2025-03-15 · Verified booking
Pace was set for the fastest people in the group and it made the middle days hard.
Reply from Cypress & Stone
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
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Questions people ask
One other operator runs this trail. See all 2 side by side →