|
Albania
I'm planning a motorcycle trip from Montenegro to Greece across Albania, next summer.
Until few years ago, Albania was definitely a "no go" place because of heavy risk of criminality targeting foreigners, but recently I heard different opinions about it and now it looks it is become a "doable" country, at least on the main coastal western road and in the main cities. Do, some of you, have recent and reliable information about the security situation in Albania? I ride a bright red BMW R 1100 GS, than can be quite attractive for potential robbers. Additionally, I will travel alone. I have quite a good experience of long distance motorcycling travels and I know pretty well the Balkans, but I still feel Albania as a tricky country. Pietro [This message has been edited by pietro.spera (edited 21 April 2005).] |
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000163.html
------------------ Salut from Southern France, the bikers' paradise, Peter. |
hey,
we rode through albania last year on a dr650 and a bmwr80gs, and had our doubts in the beginning as well, but the trip was great! nice and friendly people, many of whom spoke italian (fewer spoke english), but roads and signalisation but not too frantic driving. you can find more info here on the hubb (try gaea_trui) and on the lonely planet tree, but if you have any specific questions on the route/safety, just ask... enjoy! gaea |
gaea preparing a trip through albania -direction greece- can you give some information which route did you take. thanks c |
Just arrived at home after a short trip through Albania, from Greece to Montenegro.
All the fears and suspiciouns I had before leaving were unfounded: the coast in the south of the country is marvellous, the cities we explored (Sarande, Vlore, Durres, Skodher) are extremely poor but interesting and Tirane has the tipical charme of the capital cities of countries in transition, a quite nice central square with a huge mess all around. There are several local motorcycles and, funny to say, a guy we met told us there are no motorcycle dealers in Albania, so all the motorcyle around had been stolen in Greece or Italy... The roads are very poorly mantained, along the coast in the soouth they are vitually gravel, so an enduro bike is reccomended (I have a GS 1100 and it was perfect). Anyway, I never had the feeling to be in danger or to risk a robbery. Everybody were friendly and hospitable and most of them speak italian. The only area that should be avoided is the north-east, close to Kossovo, unstable and dangerous. In general the country remind me Greece, even if extremely poorer. The atmosphere is serene and mediterranean, nothing to do with the gloomy mood of the rest of the Balkans (that I like as well, but for other reasons). So, in short, Albania was a very nice surprise, I hope to go back there soon and I suggest it as a perfect place for adventurous bikers. [This message has been edited by pietro.spera (edited 22 July 2005).] [This message has been edited by pietro.spera (edited 22 July 2005).] |
Pietro - I am happy to hear Albania held some pleasant surprises.
I am travelling there soon with a friend of mine and we are trying to find out what we can about safety. We are two female travellers and are looking forward to the adventure but can't help stopping and thinking everytime someone reacts to us saying that we are heading to Albania, Macedonia, Romania and Bulgaria alone. Not that I would say 'No' to having a lovely male biking escort though http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif Do you reckon there is anything that we should pay particular attention to, given that we are female, while we are there (in late August/early September)? |
Good to hear.
We're heading via Albania too in this august. Can you tell if it's possible to get directly from via Albania to Croatia with ferry? Ta, Margus |
To Shells:
few days in Albania are probably not enough to give you a complete answer, anyway my feeling was that this is not a dangerous country (or not more dangerous that any other balcanic country) provided that you don't travel at night, stay on major roads, avoid the north-east area near Kossovo, and adopt general common sense rules. Even if mainly an islamic country, it looks absolutely moderate and secular, you can hardly see veiled women. However I'm sure travelling alone for women is not a common practice at all in that country, so expect to attract many attention from locals. If you enter/exit Albania from/to Montenegro, we were told to use (and we did) the border crossing south of the lake of Skodher and to avoid the border crossing north of the same lake. Skodher as well as the name of a tricky city. To Margus: As far as I know there are no ferry connection Albania-Croatia, while there are many Albania-Italy and Croatia-Italy. To Shells and Margus: I'm mainly based in Sarajevo and I have my motorcycle here till mid-september. So just let me know if and when you are around here: we can have a beer, a chat and maybe ride toghether for a stretch. |
Thank you Pietro!
We have also been warned against using the northern border crossing and were planning to head south (sounds much safer!). Thankfully, dressed in all of our riding gear, the two of us gals will look like regular bikers (maybe just a bit smaller than usual) http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif So hopefully won't attract too much unwelcome attention. We were thinking that head scarves may be useful and absolutely do not plan to ride at night or anywhere that looks/feels unsafe. Albania sounds like somewhere where we may be able to finally get ourselves into some offroad terrain (after all the road riding from Western Europe to get there). In your opinion would this be a possibility? How did you go with accomodation in Albania? We'll be camping along most of our route but have thought it better to find accomodation through Albania. Is it possible to stay with local people along the way? It'd be great to catch up for a beer. I'll keep you posted on our routes and progress. Thanks! |
I just returned from a trip through Bosnia, Croatia & Montenegro. If you pass through Montenegro anyway, take your time to not go directly to the border, but make a loop through the Durmitor NP via Trsa to Zabljak. Beautiful dirt track, stunning landscape! No probs camping there in the wild.
Then sidle down to Lake Skodar on side roads. The Montenegrean part of the lake is also very scenic. Next time I'll follow your trail and carry on to Greece as well ;-) Very beautiful countries down there. Hans |
To Shells:
Head scarves are useless, except if you want to visit a mosque. BTW, in general mosques are muck more beautiful in Bosnia than in Albania. Riding at night should be avoided everywhere in the Balkans, both for safety reasons and for trafic hazards. To get offroad in Albania in some remote place, for me, is exactly what you should avoid. On the other hand the southern scenic coastal road Vlore/Saranda is almost gravel but it is safe as is the main road between the two cities. As Vaufi said, if you want gravel roads Montenegro and Bosnia are plenty of beautiful and much safer tracks. I now nothing about camping or accomodation with locals as I went to hotel. Anyway, in general, I don't think Albania is the right place for free camping in the wild. If you like, you can email to me about your plan and we can meet each other in Sarajevo. My email is in the profile. [This message has been edited by pietro.spera (edited 26 July 2005).] |
hi all...
this is a bit of a late reply, but still... shells: don't worry too much about the fact that you're women bikers. so were we. it surprises people, but makes them all the more helpful. we didn't have any 'trouble' of any kind at all. language-wise: few people speak english or french, you're better off in italian (1/3). i wouldn't try camping, as there are no facilities. staying with locals is an option, i guess (we met a german guy who did it); we did it in macedonia and bosnia, but not albania. however we found good and affordable hotels in sarande and kruje (hotel panorama-sounds chique no?). as for dirt roads, i'd save those for bosnia. in fact, you can ride down on dirt roads (slovenia, croatia, bosnia, even montenegro have excellent gravel and sand). in albania i'd stick to the roads, certainly in the north. the border crossing at shkoder: we crossed on a very small border, muriqani (south of the lake i think, on the road to virpazar in montenegro - nice road). we entered via greece, then gjirokaster, sarande, burtrint, coast road to vlore (pretty and not half as bad as cardrivers say), via durres to kruje (avoir vieja kruje as a stop-over), and north to shkoder. we avoided the kukes area. however, we always felt very safe. and welcome. o, and there's a road tax to be paid upon exit (1 euro per day) and a desinfection tax upon entry (2 euro's i think). have a frappe, and enjoy, and if you need any other info, just contact us. g(&t) |
I just wanted to add that i crossed from Montengro to Albania on the north of Lake Shkoder in Oct and didn't notice any reason why the border crossing on the south of the Lake is recommended instead. I got the usual 'rich foreigner priority service' where people in the queue and the border guards tell you to go right to the front and others have to wait while you are served. And they didn't ask for insurance. I was on a (loud) Ducati ST2 but the same thing happens to me in that part of the world when on my F650 too.
|
it seems everyone recommends against the border area with kosovo in the north east. there's nothing to worry about here, i passed it twice in july, once on the road bajram curri - gjakova (althoguh the road here is pretty crap) and once on the road from prizren to kukes (tarmac all the way). so it's no problem, although i think it's best not to go off the road too much for landmines. again, since i didn't hit one i'm not sure where they are http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/smile.gif but i hear that there are lots around.
and as everyone says albania is a wonderful place. actually my favourite country in europe up until now, friendly people, beautiful landscapes, unique culture stuck between europe and asia, a really fascinating place. thomas |
You should definately worry about the northeastern border area. Hijackings happens frequently, something a friend of mine, an Balkan expert in the defence department, personally experienced last year. However, this is the only area at the Balkans that he regard as "risky".
I myself drove through Albania in October, from the northwest to the border to Macedonia. No problems whatsoever. |
I was in Albania this summer with a car.
When you enter the country you pay 3 euros desinfection tax (per car) and 10 euros entry tax (per person). Just be carefull, because border crossing close at night. I don't know why should the northern border (Han i Hotit - Bozaj) with Montenegro be avoided. Maybe because the terrible road once in Montenegro? Very beautiful and nice people, but I would suggest you to go (or buy there) with a Mercedes. You will see what I mean while there. As for indications, only new italian-style roads are signed, the old Hoxha-style roads have no signs, because Enver Hoxa was afraid about foreign invasions (you will see the bunkers on the coast). Just be careful about radars (and caotic traffic in the cities) as there are lots and usually placed near absurd speed limiting signs. Learn some basic words in albanian before you go and nice trip. |
Quote:
[This message has been edited by pietro.spera (edited 16 February 2006).] |
Albania
There are very few places in Albania that are any more risky than the poor parts of Western Europe. OK, a rich westerner driving a 15,000 Euro bike with 3,000 Euro of electronic gizmos and 2,000 euro of specialized riding gear may draw the attention of a desperately poor, unemployed criminal. That can happen here in Albania as well as in London. That said, I've travelled to almost every corner of the country and never had a problem. Use common sense and enjoy the beauty of the place. I'll include the text of a message I sent to another rider recently to save me typing. Come on down and enjoy the last wilderness left in Europe.
Steve ------------------------------------------------------------ There are two places to enter from Macedonia. At the north end of Lake Ohrid at the border point of Qafe Thane and at the southern end of the lake at Tushemisht. Both are easy to cross at bu the southern crossing gives you the option of visiting the Sveti Naum monastery in Macedonia before crossing into Albania. I recommend it. On the Albanian side there are the springs of Drilon in Tushemisht and a nice hotel called the Millenium. Also, at the sign of the big fish, turn left and go down to the restaurant at the fish farm Excellent trout and an interesting wine made with rose petals. From Tushemisht you go on to Pogradec and then north along the lake before crossing the pass at Qafe Thane. Lots of bunkers at the top of the pass. And along the lakeside. Basically everywhere. The road down the pass to Prrenjas is pretty cool with a view over the Plain of Domosdoshme, site of an epic battle between the Turks and the Albanians in the 15th century. From Prrenjas down the valley to Elbasan, the road is good. Lots of sweeping turns and a pretty good surface. From Elbasan, take the road up over Qafe Krrabe direct to Tirana as opposed to going to Durres. The road is unbelievable! OK surface, incredible views over the old communist steel/chrome complex in Elbasan, and one of the scariest drives I've ever taken. Sharp curves, no guardrails, and places where the hillsides fall away for 200-500 meters on each side. Not to be missed! Tirana is an interesting place to stay with all necessary services. There is a youth hostel on Rruga Elbasan that is pretty cheap. It's at the first traffic light after you pass the American Embassy. Their website is below. Lots of other hotels from crappy up to hideously overpriced (read: Sheraton). The Hotel Imperial is a nice place to splash out for a comfortable room (90 euro a night if you drop my name and ask the owner for the embassy rate!). Depending on what you want to do and see, there are lots of possibilities in Tirana. Great nightlife, lots of bars, clubs, cafe's, and beautiful girls. From Tirana may want to head out to one of the beaches near Durres if you are the beach type. If not, you'll go north along a pretty good but very dangerous road to Lezhe and then on to Shkoder (Shkodra). Nice castle there overlooking the city. If you're up for a little dirt road travel and want to see the mountains, you should head inland once you pass Shkoder and head for Theth. Beautiful, wild mountains. Great hospitality. Take lots of gas. The road network in general is improving. You will see lots of construction. Albanian drivers are terrible. You must drive very defensively. I advocate "aggressive defensive driving". This basically means to expect them to do the stupidest thing possible, prepare for the worst, and seize every opportunity to overtake and put the danger behind you. Use your horn. A lot. Anyway, that's all for now. If you have specific questions, feel free to ask. Steve ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here's the other stuff I wrote before: Good to hear you are planning on coming to Albania. It's a fascinating little country with a lot of quirky aspects. Some are very annoying quirks, some are funny, and others maddening. The first question to address is how will you get around. If you are coming with a vehicle, then your possibilites are wide open and you can do lots of stuff. If you plan on riding public transportation it will take more time and limit your options somewhat. August here is the peak tourist season with the majority of the tourists being Albanians who head to the beaches and Kosovars who come for the same reason. The number of international tourists is on the rise, but still a small part of the overall trade. It will also be hot here. Tirana is a combination of the best and worst of Albania. The city has grown rapidly with some of the growth being uncontrolled. The complete chaos of urban anarchy that existed in 1995-1998 has been cleaned up and the parks have recovered almost completely. The center of the city is vibrant and offers services on a par with any other Balkan capital. There are an unbelievable number of bars, cafe bars, and restaurants offering everything from traditional Albanian food to Indian to Chinese. There is also a lot of poverty, dust, and garbage, particularly in the periphery of the city. It can be something of a shock if you aren't prepared for it. As for hotels, it depends on your budget and travelling style. There is one youth hostel in Tirana that is supposed to be pretty good. It's centrally located and has a webpage at www.tiranahostel.com. At the top of the scale is the Sheraton which goes for about 150-200 Euro a night. The Rogner and Tirana International are also in that league. The next step down is the Xheko Imperial which is a smaller boutique hotel with wonderful facilites that is right in the heart of the restaurant/nightlife district called The Bllok. It's website is www.xheko-imperal.com. If you want to make reservations there, tell them Agron's (the owner) friend Steve sent you. You may be able to get the reduced rate of 90 Euro a night. There are a slew of other small hotels of varying quality and convenience scattered around Tirana that can be found on the internet. The Diplomat, The Mondial, The Grand, it all depends on how much you want to spend and what standard of facilites and service you require. If you find something and want my opinion on a specific place, drop me an e-mail. Near Tirana, there are many interesting things to do. In the city there is the national museum, art museum, opera, the mosque and clock tower, the central square and boulevard, and some examples of Ottoman neighborhoods still exist. There's also a cable car up to the National Park on Mount Dajti which has great views, is cooler in summer, and there are several good restaurants up there. Nearby is the castle of Petrela as well as the city of Kruje which houses a fantastic ethnographic museum and an interesting museum dedicated to Abania's national hero, Skanderbeg. Kruje also has a restored Ottoman market street with interesting architecture and souvenir shopping. The best beaches in terms of cleanliness are located in the South. From Vlora on down there are scattered small towns with some facilites and beautiful beaches. They include Vlora, Radhime, Orikum, Palasa, Dhermi, Jal, Himare, Qeparo, Borshi, Kakome, Saranda, and Ksamil. All of these villages/towns have some level of accomodation and all lie in beautiful scenery The beaches on the Ionian tend to be smaller, with pebbles rather than sand, and the water is colder than the Adriatic beaches which lie north of Vlora. The Adriatic beaches include Divjake, Kavaje, Golem/Durres, Gjiri Lalzit, Lezhe/Shengjin, and Velipoje. The water is warmer, the beaches are broad and sandy, and they all have some level of accomodations. Durres/Golem is the primary destination for most beachgoers. It is an 11-km stretch of sand running from the port of Durres south along the bay. It is terribly overbuilt in the north and central sections. I have also heard many people complain about the pollution in the water there. Durres is the best place for beachfront clubs and bars and is loaded with youngsters out for summer holiday during August. It also has some interesting historical sites and a museum that are worth a look. Away from the beach, I recommend Berat as a must-see. It's a UNESCO heritage and has a fabulous castle with a great museum featuring the works of Onufri, one of the greatest iconographers. There are a few hotels there in the old quarter which are nice and reasonably priced. Other hisorical sites which merit a visit are (from north to south): Shkoder - Rozafa Castle Lezhe - Castle Kruje - Castle Petrela - Castle Durres - Roman Amphitheater/Venetian fortifications Elbasan - Turkish fortress Appolonia - Greek Ruins Bylis - Illyrian/Greek Ruins near Patos Ardenica - Orthodox Monastery between Lushnje and Fier Berat - Castle Gjirokaster - Castle Butrint - Illyrian/Greek/Roman/Venetian/Turkish ruins. UNESCO world heritage site. Must see. Good food is everywhere here. Just remember, near the sea: eat fish... in the mountains, eat meat. If you drink, the local wines can be quite good and Birra Korca is fantastic (particularly the dark variety). For mountain trekking, Theth and Valbona are located in the Albanian Alps and offer spectacular scenery. The trip to Valbona is particularly challenging and involves riding the Koman ferry, one of the worlds most spectacular boat rides on Lake Koman. If the water in the reservoir is high enough in August, that is. If you only want to go walking in the hills, just pick a point on the map. Most of Albania is mountainous and most of it is unexploited for tourism. If you prefer an organized trip out into the wilderness, contact Outdoor Albania at www.outdooralbania.com for kayaking, hiking, 4x4 touring, etc. A good outfit with lots of local knowledge. Lake Ohrid is beautiful and there are hotels along the western shore, the city of Pogradec at the southwest corner, and Tushemisht/Drilon on the southern end. Drilon has some springs which are the source of water for the lake as well as wonderful trout farming/dining. As you can see, you could fill up 12 months with activity here, not just 12 days. I hope I've provided some useful leads. |
Steve,
a fabulous report! Yep, that sums it up. I believe your quote "Come on down and enjoy the last wilderness left in Europe." tops it all. The backroads in the east are what I loved most. Unfortunately I didn't take the ferry - hols where too short :( Hans |
Personally drove through Albania in 2005, entering near Podgorica, exiting near Ohrid. Wonderful drive, no problems at all.
My parents (in their seventies) just did the same in 2008 (in a car). No problem at all. |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 20:39. |