My perception of Albania was radically altered this month. After a week's hiking with (the font of all knowledge) Arben I am convinced I will be back again sooner rather than later. Arben is a leader dedicated to those in his charge, and his environmental passions. Both qualities are highly commendable. As a hike leader you cannot do better in Albania. The hikes were geared to ability but offered challenges and pleasures such as wild swimming, and cuktural awareness. At every stage of the hike our welfare and comfort was his paramount concern. I have no reservation in recommending Arben for anyone interested in visiting Albania.

We spent several days exploring Kukës and the surrounding area with Ben. He was the perfect guide for this trip:

We didn't have a set itinerary and Ben was very flexible in terms of day-to-day planning.

He cleverly asked us what we liked best and was able to make suggestions for the upcoming days to suit our interests.

We visited his home region where he knew everyone and was able to make several valuable contacts.

We have all been to Albania several times. Ben did not bore us with information we already knew, but constantly offered new interesting facts.

He was always willing to go the extra mile, even accompanying individual members of the group to fulfil their special wishes.

Last but not least: his humour, his extensive knowledge, his patience, his commitment to the environment, his incredible ability to imitate bird whistles and his mountain experience – safety first!

Arben (Ben) was our guide for seven days in Albania. He made a great trip  a life time experience. The benefit of going with Ben is he knows everybody.  An example we had a day tour set for Shkodra. Two things that had not been planned.

1) This was going to be a walking tour.  Prior to getting to Shkodra we mentioned we enjoyed biking. Guess what, when we arrived in Shkodra Ben had arranged for us to borrow a few bikes from a good friend and off we went. This allowed us to cover more ground than if we were walking.

2) My wife works with fabrics and design, duing our bike tour we stopped to visit a textile factory. This was not planned, but Ben a few days prior has asked Peggy (my wife) what she did for a living. He stored this in the back of his head and made the factory tour happen.

Everyday there were experiences like this. From seeing eco-farms, to stopping and visiting with families that lived along the hiking trail from Valbona to Theth.

Not only was Ben a great guide he arrange all our accommodations and places to eat. All top notch and great experiences.

We highly recommend Ben if you want to see the real Albania.