Kanioni i Erzenit — Attraction in Tirana Municipality

-FULL SELF TOUR GUIDE FROM TIRANA-

If you go from Tirana there are 3 buses a day, 7 am 13 pm and 18 pm from South East bus station Tirana. (Terminal Autobus southeastbound on Google). It can be a little sketchy, you have to ask every bus driver for direction and eventually you will find your bus. Our 13.00 bus left the station around 14.30 because they were waiting for the bus to get full. So you might have to calculate with that. The drop will drop you off at the very end of Pellumbas, at Pasha Restaurant. The owner will come up to you and offer one of his guide to go with you. In our opinion if you want to go to the Cave AND to have a swim in the Erzeni Canyon its a MUST TAKE. He knows every single part of the hike, trust me you can get lost. You save a lot of time with a guide. Its 1000 LEKKE for the cave and back, and around 1500 for the Cave and the Canyon. For the cave you must take a very strong flashlight, your mobile wont be enough. They can give you one, or the guide will take one anyway. We finished the full hike around 3 hours with a ~20 minute swim in the river. We were going fast, you have to be fit for this hike, especially going down from the Cave to the Canyon. Overall its not a very hard hike, but sometimes it can be rocky and slippery. Would not recommend in rainy conditions. (We didnt have any special shoes, it was fine without it.) The cave is insanely big, its slippery everywhere, but you can walk in 2-300 meters and there are many bats. But they are friendly with hikers. 😄 The Canyon is a must take imo, its amazing the mountains are amazing. The water was a little bit cold even in 40°C weather, but it was very refreshing. After you get back to the restaurant, you can get to a bus, but the 18.00 PM bus didnt go to Tirana, only to a crossroad and we had to wait for a bus to come. Its very random. But you can ask the restaurant owner, he will gladly help you with the directions on how to get back to Tirana. The bus cost 100 LEKKE so its very cheap.

Overall you cant really find much help on the internet for this hike, but its very doable without any paid tour. With a guide and everything you can do it for like 20 eur (not per person, but the whole hike)

Its really worth every difficulties, its a life time experience.

Hope this will help a...

Breathtaking Views and a refreshing swim! (Wasn’t able to Reach Canyon)

This hike offered stunning mountain and river views, and while I didn't quite make it to the "canyon" lookout, the adventure itself was still rewarding! However, be aware that the trail can be a bit of an adventure even for a local like me. I followed google map.

Here's what to expect:

There aren't designated markers along the way. Even though I didn't reach the final viewpoint, the journey offered views of mountains and the sound of the flowing river, making it a peaceful escape. The lack of marked paths also means no crowds. Enjoy the tranquility of nature!

At some point, you might encounter a water canal branching off the main path. It's tempting to follow it as a potential shortcut, but after a while, it seems to reach a dead end.

Instead of following the canal, keep heading downwards from the point where it forks off. This will take you on the right course all the way down the river (assuming you can find it).

Even if you take the wrong turn and follow the canal for a bit (at least the section I got to explore), it's still a beautiful hike. Just be aware that it might not lead you to the river.

Overall, this is a great off-the-beaten-path adventure for experienced hikers who don't mind a bit of route-finding and are comfortable with unmarked territory. Just be prepared for a potential detour and the possibility of not reaching the designated canyon viewpoint. But then again, I didn’t really plan this much. Better planning could have lead me to the canyon.

Happy Hiking (and...

You won't be able to believe that there's a place like this just outside the capital.

GETTING THERE: I drove from Tirana to the village of Pellumbas. The road is paved all the way, if somewhat twisty and potholed as you near the village. It's also frequented by trucks, so getting there might take longer than expected. I parked below the restaurant just after entering the village (free); there is also a dedicated parking lot for the Pellumbas cave; can't confirm if this is free or paid.

HIKING: From the village, I followed the marked trail to the cave. This is an easy walk. (You'll need a proper flashlight to explore the cave.) Below the entrance of the cave, there is an obvious path that leads down into the canyon. This trail is not marked, is very steep and slippery, and keeps getting steeper as you descend. I wouldn't attempt it if it's been raining, with small kids or dogs, or if you don't have experience with scrambling. It looks deceptively short, but note that the cave sits a good few hundred meters above the canyon. Once you reach the canyon (took me about 20min from the cave), follow the narrow but visible (unmarked) path down the river and back to the village. The hike is fun and not very challenging if you're used to this kind of hikes. The loop took me about 3h total, with gratuitous stops for photos. The canyon will take your breath away.

SWIMMING: I swam in the canyon at the end of October. The water is coldish...