Arben Kola

My wife and I spent 10 days and nights in May 2016 driving throughout Albania on a private tour; we were just reliving the trip when we realized we had never shared with others the most critical component of our travels - Arben Kola!  We'd arranged our tour through Albania2Go and were told "he is an excellent guide," which hardly begins to do him justice!  Our tour covered Tirana, Berat, Vlore, Butrint, Gjirokaster, Korce and Ohird (crossed over into Macedonia), so we spent a lot of time both on sites and in the car with Ben.  There isn't a more knowledgeable and passionate person with whom to experience this wonderful country.  He has a great sense of the history and current state of affairs in Albania and how they intersect, seemingly deep personal connections everywhere we travelled (even small, side-of-the-road, impromtu stops) and a deep desire to leave no request or question unattended or unaddressed.  While our journey was reasonably scripted for our timetable, Ben suggested off-the-path detours that got us views or experiences we would have missed with anyone else.  In the span of a day or two, he began to know us - what we'd like, what we might find of less interest, where and when we'd like to stop to eat - and tailored his suggestions and our daily schedule accordingly.  That is the difference between 'just a guide' and 'a travel guru.'  We highly recommend Ben and look forward to our future return to have him show us Northern Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo.