\u2022\u00a0Length<\/b><\/p>\n
~11km each way, 22km both ways.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Time required<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ~4-6 hours one way \u2013 depending on your equipment and stamina.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Difficulty<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Very difficult. This walk is not marked in any way, and you have to depend on your experience when navigating shepherd\u2019s tracks in a wild, bushy mountainous area. Not recommended for non-experienced walkers and badly equipped tourists.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Things to take<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Plenty of drinking water, food, light source, mosquito repellent, good hiking shoes, sun cream, sun glasses, a tent and sleeping bag if you\u2019re planning to stay on the beach overnight.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Alternative route<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n An alternative route is possible by 4\u00d74 vehicle. Available only with a special permission from the commendant of Pashaliman military base.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2022 Attention<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Please note that presented walking tour is self-guided. Albania is changing constantly so please be aware that the guides\u00a0to the walks presented on this website\u00a0may turn out to be different when you embark on your walk. W<\/span>e cannot be held responsible\u00a0for any mishaps that occur as a result of errors or omissions.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Original route description, map and photos was taken from www.albanian-riviera.net<\/span><\/p>\n Written by Diana<\/span><\/p>\n Two days after our successful trip through the Gjipe canyon we undertook another trip \u2013 this time we decided to cross the Karaburun mountains \u2013 which we could see from our apartment\u2019s window \u2013 and spend the night on a beautiful and isolated beach of Ionian sea \u2013 \u201con the other side\u201d.<\/span> The Karaburun peninsula which separates Adriatic and Ionian Seas closes off the Bay of Vlore to the south and can only be reached by either a boat or by a long walk in from Orikum.<\/span> The shepherds we passed seemed very surprised by our excursion. I could only assume what they might be thinking about \u2013 \u201cwhat the hell are they doing here so early on Sunday morning carrying big rucksacks \u2013 strange people these tourists\u2026\u201d.<\/span> Too tired to pity ourselves, we left our heavy load on the beach and went swimming \u2013 at least the crystal blue waters of Ionian sea didn\u2019t disappoint us. We got out of the water and spent the next two hours sunbathing and watching our unexpected neighbours.<\/span> As we were walking down the last hill, the first raindrops fell. Soon it started to rain really heavily. We managed to find a shelter in an old shed. The rainstorm was right above us. After half an hour the rain stopped and we were able to continue our walk.<\/span>
\nFirst, let me tell you a little bit about the geography of our intended destination. Karaburun (spelled also Karaburuni) is a range of low mountains that stretches for more than 30km, roughly between Dhermi in the south and in to the northern tip of Karaburun peninsula.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThe Karaburun peninsula is completely undeveloped and offers a fantastic hiking opportunity in one of the loneliest parts of the Albanian Riviera. A part of the mountains is designated as a national park which is rich in wildlife, including deer, foxes, wild boars and even wolves.<\/span>
\nThe area has many unspoilt pebble beaches and several fascinating sea caves. We decided to explore one such a beatiful spot.<\/span>
\nWe set off for the trip early on Sunday morning. Thanks to the kindness of the local Albanian family who let us park in their backyard, we were able to leave our car close to the shepherd\u2019s track at the foot of the mountains. It saved us about an hour of walking from our apartment in Orikum. We set off to go around the Pashaliman Lagoon in order to avoid the nearby naval base.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThere were moments \u2013 to be honest \u2013 that I thought the same, especially when we were wading through the tall thistles on our way uphill. It took us about two and a half hour to reach the top of the first hill. We took a long break as our rucksacks were really heavy: as well as tents, sleeping bags, food and so on we had to carry a sufficient supply of drinking water.<\/span>
\nThen another hour to reach the top of the last hill from which we could already see the \u201cother side\u201d and the Ionian sea. We could also see burnt grasslands and trees freshly darkened by smoke. Was it possible that Albanian people were still in the habit of burning off the grass which is not only useless as it doesn\u2019t promote in any way growth of the vegetation making the soil impoverished but also very hazardous.<\/span>
\nAfter a short break, we started walking downhill dreaming of taking the plunge into the Ionian sea. I also heard our men companions daydreaming about how it would be lovely to take a few sips of cold beer when we got there \u2013 unbelievable.<\/span>
\nFinally after another hour of walking downhill we saw something we would never have expected, and not what we had been dreaming about from the moment we left our apartment. What we saw were two big 4\u00d74 cars parked next to the beach, what the hell\u2026.?<\/span>
\nYes, our supposedly empty beach was rather crowded. There were eight or nine people and also kind of a shaman\u2019s hut, which meant that there might be probably even more. And all of this after five hours of hiking. We ended up on a beach even more crowded than the one close to our apartment.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThey seemed nice and friendly. Later we noticed that they were packing up their gear and probably they were about to leave. We decided to ask them if they had any water left, as we were running lower on supplies than expected.<\/span>
\nTo our surprise they handed over to us not only some water but also something that took our breath away \u2013 especially the male contingent of our team was overjoyed \u2013 straight from their portable fridge, they pulled out four cans of cold beer which were probably left-overs from their just-finished beach party \u2013 can you imagine? It could only happen here \u2013 in the Albanian Riviera. Nonetheless, we were very grateful for this unexpected supply of cold drinks.<\/span>
\nWe pitched our tents, watched an amazing sunset over the Ionian sea and had a delicious supper. We could call this evening idyllic, if not for the fact that two neighbouring hills were literally on fire. And the fire was spreading rapidly over other parts of Karaburun mountains. If it hadn\u2019t been real I would call it an amazing spectacle: here we are on an isolated beautiful beach and the fire is glowing high up on the hills above us.<\/span>
\nBut it was real. It was so bright that we didn\u2019t need to use flashlights. I didn\u2019t feel scared, although I knew that we might well be in trouble. I was furious that we were not able to stop this habit of lighting grass fires. Fortunately, after a few hours the wind had changed and it diminished the fire. We went to sleep.<\/span>
\nWe started the next day with a swim. The shaman didn\u2019t show up in his hut so it was only us on the idyllic beach. The weather hovever was visibly worsening, there were more and more clouds coming and the wind became stronger. We had a breakfast and then a short nap to gain some strength before our trip back across the Karaburun mountains.<\/span>
\nThen we packed our rucksacks and got back on the track. We walked through the burnt fields of grass, the wind was getting stronger and a thunderstorm was rolling in. We reached the summit of the mountain in less than an hour. It was not so hot as on the previous day and we wanted to descend before the storm started.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nDuring the last part of the trip we had a companion \u2013 a horse that probably got scared during the thunderstorm and broke his rope. He followed us, and just before we reached the place where we had parked our car the previous day, he sped up to a gallop and passed us by. He most likely was local to this area and headed home, so did we.<\/span>
\nAfter we got home the thunderstorm and downpour re-started \u2013 it was coming and going for the next two days. At least it prevented further grassfires in the Karaburun mountains, yet at least for a few days.<\/span><\/p>\n
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