Hike, Raft, and Kayak Albania

For this activity, you must love the outdoors, be in good health, and have seen a doctor during the year. The hiking and kayaking sections are fairly short, and no prior experience or skill is required. The rivers are Grade 3 rapids. Note that for the hiking and caves activities, the trails on this trek are more rugged, narrow and rocky in some sections than what you may be used to in places like the UK. If you have done some mountain trekking in more remote areas/ destinations, this should not be a problem, but comparatively, some guests find them to be more adventurous. Some sections are steep on narrow, rocky paths with areas of drop off so please consider this if you have a severe phobia of heights. While the hikes themselves are not very long and these challenges are part of the mountain adventure and add to the sense of achievement, it’s important to come prepared for tougher terrain.

Please see the 'Inclusions & Exclusions' section above.

For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for €190 Per Person (subject to availability). Please request this at the time of booking. You can do this through the 'Message Your Guide' button on your Skyhook booking dashboard. The extra expense for a private room needs to be paid directly to the operator.

We accept only adults, 18 years and older. Families with younger children (a minimum of 4 people) are welcome to book private trips. Please send us a message for more information or to arrange this.

We pick you up from Tirana International Airport, meeting inside, at the Vodafone Shop. Around one week before the trip, we will create a Whatsapp group to discuss and arrange transfers. Please make sure you have added your contact number as well as flight details to your Skyhook Trip Form. We will do a maximum of 2 pick-ups per trip. These are generally arranged as follows; - 1st transfer for those who arrive from 12.00 to 15.00 - 2nd transfer for those who arrive from 16.00 to 19.00 Exact times depend on flight arrivals for each group. If you are already in Tirana, there is another meeting point in Tirana in the Stadiumi Selmanstermasi (around 16:00 and 20:00).

Here is an outline of what to pack: - Small backpack with rain cover. - Suitable walking shoes for hiking. - An additional pair of trainers that can get wet (for use when rafting, kayaking, and if doing the river hike). - Breathable, lightweight, waterproof clothing. - Swimwear. - Plenty of spare underwear and clothes for getting wet. - Quick-drying travel towel. - Windbreaker jacket. - Sun hat. - Sunglasses. - Suncream. - Refillable water bottle. - Mosquito repellent. - Head torch. - Car sickness tablets (optional). - Hiking poles (optional). - Clothing for the evening. - Toiletries. - Personal medication. - Camera and mobile phone (plus a dry bag to keep them in).

We recommend that you book your return flight in the late afternoon - the last one, around 18.00-19.00. For those who have an earlier flight, it may be possible to pay extra for a private, earlier transfer to the airport.

Yes! It’s highly recommended that you take out personal travel insurance. Travel cover can protect you in the case of unforeseen circumstances, including cancellations, injuries, equipment loss, flight changes and other events that could negatively impact your trip. Note that standard insurance often doesn't cover adventure activities. We recommend using specialist adventure travel insurers, like [Rise & Shield](https://riseandshield.com/), for your trip. Specialist insurers can cover unique scenarios, like trekking at altitude or emergency evacuation in hard-to-reach places, that ordinary travel insurance doesn’t cover. It's your responsibility to carefully check the details of your policy to ensure that you're covered for the specific activities you'll be carrying out.

The groups are a maximum of 16 people.

You'll spend the first two nights in Berat, staying in twin-share rooms at Hotel Castle Park. Set in a scenic area of woodland, it's located around 1.5 kilometres from the centre of Berat town. On nights 3-5, you'll be at our new tented glamping site in Permet. These big tents are warm in winter and cool in summer. There are 2-3 rooms in each with real beds. There's also a private bathroom and shower cabin. There is a restaurant and bar on site where we will have our meals. Sleeping arrangements will be on a twin-share basis. For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for €190 Per Person, (subject to availability). Please request this at the time of booking.

Day 2: 5 hours hiking and 2,5 hours off-road driving. Day 3: 2 hours of rafting (January -June) or 3 hours of river hiking (July -October). Day 4: 2 hours kayaking the Vjosa. Day 5: 2 hours of rafting in the Vjosa River

Day 1: Dinner Day 2: Breakfast, lunch Day 3: Breakfast, lunch Day 4: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Day 5: Breakfast, lunch, dinner Day 6: Breakfast, lunch

Albanian food is hearty and healthy, usually based around meat and vegetables - much of which is seasonal and sourced locally. Popular dishes include: turkey or lamb, served with a local bread known as Kulac, meat and leek pie made with a thin pastry called Byrek, and freshly caught fish served in a Mediterranean style. Fish dishes are often flavoured with white vinegar and olive oil that's been grown in Southern Albania. Many dishes are served with wine from one of the local vineyards.

The best months for hiking and adventure activities in Albania are February to June, and September to November - temperatures can reach 30 degrees Celcius. July and August can be hotter, however this is usually broken up by cool coastal breezes.

Yes absolutely! We get lots of solo travellers. It's a great way to meet like-minded people.

Yes! We encourage you to stay on and explore more of what Albania has to offer. Here are the prices for additional nights. Please message us after booking to arrange this: Pre/post trip accommodation in Tirana (Double / Twin) €83 Per Night Pre/post trip accommodation in Tirana (Single) €57 Per Night Pre/post trip accommodation in Berat (Single) €47 Per Night Pre/post trip accommodation in Berat (Double / Twin) €73 Per Night Transfers Berat to Tirana Airport €83

Scientific knowledge of the Vjosa River is extremely limited. We know more about the ecosystems in the rivers of South America and Asia than the Vjosa. Many endangered species, like the European Eel and the Greater Flamingo, depend on the providence of the free-flowing waters of the Vjosa for their livelihood. By supporting the Vjosa’s local businesses, we can empower them to continue their fight against the proposed plans to destroy this wild place.

Yes, we provide a menu for all dietary requirements. Please indicate this on your trip form.