Private Bovilla Lake and Kruja City Day Tour from Tirana
Description
This tour is unique because it combines the natural beauty of Albania with it's cultural and historic part. The hike to mount Gamti in Bovilla lake is done partially by car. After finishing the small hike, free coffee is served to restore our energies. A guided tour to Kruja is followed after Bovilla. Regarded as the old capital of Albania, Kruja is one of the most important and historic cities of the nation. As a bonus for nature enthusiast, we will end our tour in Sari Salltik, the peak of Kruja mountain, where Tirana, Kruja, Durres and the Adriatic sea will be in the palm of our hands...
Tour Options
Itinerary
You will experience one of the most fascinating views in Albania. The turquois waters of the lake combined with the lush of greenery from the steep hill created a breathtaking view. Unlike other tours, we drive up the mountain with a car until the road comes to an end. Following a 15 minutes hike, we reach the top of mount Gamti. Having absorbed the breathtaking views from the mountain's apex, we descend to a charming mountainside coffee spot. Here, we'll pause to restore our energy with a coffee before resuming our journey towards Kruja.
Our first stop in Kruja city will be in it's 500 years old bazaar. The Ottoman-style bazaar stretches all the way from middle of Krujë to the Krujë Castle. It consists of a single cobblestone street along which all sorts of vendors sell their goods from wooden stalls.
The bazaar of Kruja will lead us into the Castle of Kruja. The walls of the castle hold the history of 1500 years of war and peace. Starting a walking tour inside the castle, we will visit several spots like: -The Scanderbeg's tree -The secret tunnel of the castle -Old residences of the castle -Mosque of Sultan Mehmet -The watch tower of the castle -The top of the castle and many more....
Before this tour comes to an end, we will drive up the mountain of Kruja to the very top, where the Sari Salltik cave is found. The cave serves as a religious place for practicing Bektashi religion and it has an ultimate view, seeing Tirana, Kruja, Durres and Adriatic sea all together.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Travelers will be picked up from their hotel if it is near Tirana.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Travel time is included in the tour duration.
Reviews(35)
Dave our guide was a stand up guy! Very chill and patient. Drove us on the bumpy road to the lake. Took a ton of pictures of us ( he is a good photographer) and even risked taking me up to the rock to get the money shot! Very knowledgeable too. Highly recommend this experience!
We were fortunate to spend our day at beautiful Bovilla Lake and Kruje city (go G.W.B!) with Pejon. His ability to share his knowledge, coupled with his fascinating family history made for an insightful and delightful day. He went out of his way to accommodate unique requests and did a fine job welcoming new travelers to his beautiful country. Pejon’s cautionary words regarding the difficulty inherent in ascending to the lookout point were spot on. Great day!
Very nice experience with Elton our driver. Beautiful view Lots of road between the two attractions months nice
We booked the private day trip with an English speaking guide. We were picked up by a guide who spoke French and Italian, but neither English nor German. So a conversation was only possible with hands and feet. The man was very nice and helpful, the car very good, but it was basically an expensive taxi ride, nothing more. Very positive to emerge is that the man subsequently allowed us to transfer to another hotel for which we would otherwise have had to book a taxi. Had we known all this beforehand, we would have cancelled the day trip.
Great experience with a great host in Elton. Getting to see Lake Bovilla and Kruja is well worth doing during your time in Tiranë
Amazing trip to Bovilla and Kruja. Our guide Elton has fantastic and very knowledgable and made the experience for us. I cannot recommend this tour enough.
The trip was interesting. Both guides were professionals. We were multi lingual, we spoke with him in English, Greek, Italian and Spanish. He has a great sense of humour and he did everything to make up feel comfortable
Henri was a wonderful guide who explained everything very clearly! He provided insight into the various sites and cities and allowed us to go at our own pace. He was very considerate and accommodating of our mother who is elderly. We were very pleased to have been led by Henri and would gladly follow him around more beautiful sites in the future.
Hi! We are very glad you enjoyed the tour, welcome back next time! Happy Travels!
Really great tour and the guide Henri was excellent. The lake was stunning and Kruja was a great little place with a lot of history.
Hello Brett! We are very happy you enjoyed the tour! Happy Travels!
It was the worst day trip ever. Do not book a trip with Albanian travel and tours agency. They are amateurs and I wasted 2 days with and I only received part refund. The first day to Albanian Alps and theth started late. The driver arrived after one hour late, the first part of the itinerary was skipped because of late start. Then car broke down and it took it a while to be fixed. Then the hike took a hour and a half and when we arrived to blue eye we were pushed to go to the restaurant and eat so we had only 10 minutes to swim and enjoy the water. When we went to the restaurant, the food was on the table for over an hour. It was cold and a million flies on the food. The pieces of meat were like the leftover that you give your dog. When we asked for a fresh and better food we were shouted at, and when we insisted they took it anway and within 5 minutes they put it on a new dishes and presented to us again. They didn’t care when we refused it and we were denied having water. That day we reached home at 2300, late, hungry and extremely disappointed. Don’t do our mistake and book your trip with the Albanian travel and tour company. The other day was supposed to be to Bovilla and kruja with the same travel agency and they promised us that we will be compensated but before a arrival to Bovilla the car (another car) broke down again and this time they were unable to fix. So we asked to be taken back to our hotel instead of waiting for hours for another company car to continue with the trip . Despite not achieving half way we were only offered 10% refund. I wasted 2 day of my holiday because i booked it with Albanian travel company. So think twice before booking with them. They have very old cars which are uncomfortable, they don’t follow their itinerary and they are unprofessional when it comes to refund.
Hello Hadi, Thank you for sharing your feedback with travelers. We appreciate every comment, whether positive or negative. We would like to address some of the points you mentioned. Our guide, Ana, arrived 20 minutes late due to an unexpected delay in pick-up not caused by us. The skipped part of the itinerary was merely a coffee break, which could have been accommodated if requested. Although it was just a coffee break, we apologize on behalf of the guide, who had to make the difficult decision to stay on schedule. The hike to the Blue Eye typically lasts 45 minutes, not 1.5 hours. In your case, it may have taken longer due to multiple breaks, which we were happy to accommodate, even though the other traveler in the group was not tired. The guide allowed the other traveler to go ahead and stayed with you. Regarding the restaurant situation, the food was prepared for the scheduled arrival time. Because we arrived late, the food was cold. We immediately asked the waiters to replace it, but they did not. Please understand that the restaurant is not part of our business. Additionally, the issue with the waiter arose because of the way you requested the plates to be changed, which lacked kindness. We apologize for the waiter’s reaction. Unfortunately, the car broke down again the next day, which was entirely unexpected and unfortunate for both you and us. This has never happened before, as we regularly service our cars to ensure they meet standards. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience. When the car broke down, we immediately sent another guide with a replacement car, which arrived 30 minutes later. Despite this, you decided not to continue the tour, although everything was planned and ready. The stay in Bovilla is scheduled for 1.5 hours, and the replacement car arrived well within that time. We never want our travelers to feel taken advantage of or leave the country with a bad experience. This is why we offered you a partial refund of around 40% of the total payment for the program. We processed the refund and extended our apologies. In summary, we are deeply sorry that we did not deliver the tours as promised. We strive to create unforgettable experiences for our travelers and will make additional preparations to ensure this does not happen again. The guides and customer service team have been very supportive of you, and we also refunded 40% of the program cost. Receiving 3 negative comments for 1 program was disheartening. However, we hope you enjoyed the rest of your vacation in Albania and wish you and your family the best of luck. Henri Hysenllari Owner/CEO, Albania Inbound
