damselflyspotter

We had a 3 day walking trip of Albania organised by Zbulo, with additional pick ups, to give us time to see Gjirokaster and Sarande. Nardi was an excellent driver, really helpful fitting in a trip to the blue eye en route and finding us an ice cream shop at the end of our last day of walking! His driving was careful and safe.

We had 3 days with Petro, who made sure we were safe and kept to the route, which we would never have found alone! He was an amazing guide, very quickly got the measure of our small group, even though we couldn’t communicate too well because of the language, it didn’t matter. The walking was just as advertised, it took the time advertised and was challenging, but enjoyable. The views were worth the climbs.

Our bags were transported by horse, which seemed to work very well. The horses were much faster than we were, so bags were ahead of us, or brought by Mr Domani, our host on the first night, after he’d finished his day job as the local school teacher. Staying in the local village homes with the families made the experience more authentic. The accommodation was basic, but much better than we had expected. We ate freshly cooked food, with locally grown ingredients. Breakfast was plentiful and we packed lunches from breakfast. On our first day Petro brought lunch for us, he had been up early making spinach borek and packing a great feast.

The whole experience was excellent. Everything was well planned and executed. Good value and fantastic service. Thanks to the staff for making this a great experience…and for getting me down the mountain in one piece!!