Leaving the port city of Vlorë, to make our way to Saranda in the Albanian Riviera, we embarked on a drive that was likely the most winding, narrow, and treacherous I’ve ever been on….especially in a great big coach! But oh my, what a beautiful drive it was.

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We started our journey driving briefly along the coastal roads leaving Vlorë which were lined with lots of development in the form of hotels, hotels, and more hotels going up all along the beachfront. It is great to see the development so they can attract new visitors to the area to help their country grow, but then on the other hand one of the things I loved so much about Albania is that much of it is unspoiled by commerce and tourist areas. Definitely, a tricky balance to try and maintain.

It wasn’t long before we left the views of the sea to start our ascent up to the Llogara Pass which is a high (3,369 ft/1,027 m) mountain pass on the Ceraunian Mountains which connects the Dukat Valley in the north with another coastal area, Himara, in the south.

To help preserve the forested area in the past the government declared 2,500 acres (1,010 hectares), between the altitudes of 470 m and 2,010 m above sea level, a national park in 1966. And with good reason! There are so much flora and fauna in this area we could see forests of pine, fir, and ash for miles. Living in those forests are deer, wild boar, eagles, and woodpeckers, to name a few.

While we didn’t see any of those species we did see a few cows and goats roaming the roads or just taking a little rest along the edge like this one…

Moooo-ve along little cow so you don’t get hit by the cars and coaches

We also saw a few of the bunkers, that Albania is so known for, nestled into the woods. Years from now as the forests fill in even more I’m sure many of these will be completely out of sight for good.

Once at the top we were rewarded with even more spectacular views of the sea on the other side of the mountain and those views continued for almost the rest of the day.was delicious!

Llogara National Park along the Ionian Sea

Along the way, we got out of the bus and our guide took us for a little walk and described some of the history in the towns of the area. One of those is a tiny settlement called Palasa which is where Julius Caesar and his men landed in 49 BC on their way to fight a battle at Kajava Crag in the north. Yes, THE Julius Caesar.

Another little town in the area, with its idyllic white sandy beaches, is Dhermi which was a favourite of the writer and painter, Edward Lear, who visited in 1844. At the end of our little walk, we stopped for a quick coffee break but L, the kiddo, and I opted to enjoy the views and cool mountain breezes instead of a coffee.

Way out in the distance, you can just make out the shapes of some islands, some of which are part of Greece.

After our little break, it was time to start our steep and even more winding (if it is even possible) descent down the other side of the mountain on our way to the town of Himara where we would be stopping for lunch. I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again, our coach driver is a GREAT driver. I couldn’t imagine travelling those roads in a car, let alone a great big coach, but he navigated them in a slow and steady manner that put us all at ease. All we had to do was sit back, relax, and enjoy the breathtaking views. And you know the views are awesome when your teenage son puts away his games on his tablet and just enjoys the scenery too.

Check out that hairpin turn in the bottom left of the photo…and there were several of those along the side of this very steep mountain.

Check out that hairpin turn in the bottom left of the photo…and there were several of those along the side of this very steep mountain.

As if clinging to the side of the mountain in the coach wasn’t hairy enough these crazy goats saw the big coach barreling down on them and thought “Yeah guys, this looks like a good time to cross the road. Come on!”

By lunchtime, we had reached the bottom of the mountain and entered the lovely little town of Himara that is tucked away in a bay and surrounded by mountains. As you enter the town there is a castle up on the hill that is believed to have been inhabited for over 3,000 years. It is in the Byzantine and Ottoman styles but isn’t in great condition now. Despite that, it reflects both the age and strategic importance of the town to have been around for so long. We didn’t visit this castle but we did visit another one not too far from Himara. 

For today though I’ll leave you with a few photos of our short time in Himara where we enjoyed some delicious seafood for lunch and then some fun skipping stones on the beach.

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