Itinerary

1. Day 1: Berat Highlights & Wine tasting during nights

   • Start with the castle of Berat, one of the oldest city in the Balkan region. Berat Castle was built on a 178 m hill.

   • From the castle, enjoy the view of mountains, valleys, and rivers. It houses about 400 old houses from the 17th century and more than 20 churches from the 13th century.

   • Old Illyrian walls and Byzantine churches, 2 mosques makes the visit more interesting. 

   • Visit the Iconography museum - It was named to honour Onufri, an Albanian painting headmaster of the 16th century. Onufri was a master of Icons and frescos who lived in the 15th century, and he is famous because he depicted the great revolution through his paintings. He created a mysterious red colour that even the scientists do not know how he created. 

   • After a 2 hour visit to the castle, have free time to explore narrow cobbled paths and carvings from wood and stones made by locals.

   • The other part of the day will be spent in downtown Mangalem or, as it is known, the City of Thousand windows.

   • A unique type of construction, walk through this neighbourhood, one of the oldest in the city. Crafters inhabited it; about 500 families of craftsmen used to live here.

   • Visit St Michael church, a sacred place for Christians build in the 13th century with perfect Byzantine architecture. 

   • Visit the Bachelor Mosque, and find out why it is called so.

   • After Mangalem, go to Gorica, the other old part of town, built during the 17th century. It was inhabited mostly by people of south Albania.

   • Walk over Gorica Bridge, the biggest one in Albania and constructed in 1777. Commissioned by Kurt Pasha, the Pasha of Berat, it is still well preserved.

   • There are endless monuments in Berat to visit, such as the King Mosque, built by sultan Bajazit in 1490.

   • A few meters from there is Helveti Teqe, built in 1500 and rebuilt later by Kurt Pasha during 1722. It is a unique monument in Albania; its ceiling is decorated with 24 karat gold.

   • Enjoy wine tasting in Berat, famous for its wines, in the late afternoon. Try some indigenous white wine called The white of Berat or Pulsi I Beratit. Go on a wine tour exploring the vineyard and the process used by locals to produce it. Try some Albanian snacks here as well.

   • Take a breather now and relax. Tomorrow will be a long and unforgettable day.

2. Day 2: Enjoy and admire the Canyons ,Waterfall and the Old communist buildings

   • Start early in the morning since there will be many things to do, consisting of a nice drive with stunning views of the river, valley, old houses, and mountains.

   • After 1 hour drive from Berat, stop in Bogove, a special village famous for its picturesque views of nature, national park, freshwater, and big mountain trees.

   • Start an easy hike to reach the hidden Bogova Waterfall. The fresh water of the river, created by the waterfall, will follow all the way. Listen to the sounds of the river, birds, and wind. The weather will be cool & pleasant in this place. 

   • After 30 minutes easy hike, arrive at Bogova. The hidden waterfall and its special sounds will be music to the soul. Brave tourists can jump and swim in the cool, clean water.

   • Return to the ca, and proceed towards Polican, a town founded only to create guns. During Communist time, it was the most secure place in Albania. Nowadays, it seems like a Ghost Town though the taste of the past is still there. Old factories of guns and sophisticated bunker and tunnels built to protect the important persons of the Communist government still exist here.

   • After experiencing the communist era, move to Osumi Canyons, known as Colorado of Albania. It is about 15 km long, and the highest part of the Canyon is about 78 m. Created millions of years ago, it gives a special feeling with the Osumi river going through these canyons, with different kind of trees, birds, and more; a great place to swim or take photos.

   • Take a short break to explore the area, and after admiring the beauty, go on an adventure trek to explore the canyon.

   • Start trekking the Canyon. On the way, cross the river several times.

   • After 1 hour of trekking, stop at a point as it can get impossible to walk further. Those who are brave enough can cross the other part by swimming.

   • Go back to two more stops and learn about the two legends. One legend is about Abaz Ali, a fighter and cousin of prophet Mohamed, whose soul, locals believe, comes to rest in eternity here in this land. The followers call themselves Bektashi. The place is the 12th Islam Branch, the biggest in Albania, with their headquarter in Tirana. The other Legend is a secret that will be disclosed at the canyon.

   • Later, transfer back to Berat.

   End of tour.