Tirana : Tour de un día por Saranda, Ksamil, Ojo Azul y río Vjosa

We took the day trip to Ksamil from Tirana. We were first picked up in a smaller bus before transferring to a larger coach in Durrës. It quickly became obvious that there was a problem with the coach. The driver repeatedly pulled over to top up the engine with water, and after stopping at the services, we then stopped another four times within around 45 minutes. Passengers kept asking our guide, Claudia, what was happening, but we were repeatedly told there was nothing wrong with the coach, despite it being clear that there was. Eventually, on the fifth stop, a mechanic arrived and we were able to continue. About 35 minutes later, the driver turned around to collect a replacement coach. Unfortunately, the replacement bus was unbearably hot, around 37°C inside and took over an hour to cool down. To make matters worse, there weren’t enough seats for everyone, so some passengers had to sit on the fold-down tour guide seat, with one parent even holding their child on their lap. I was travelling with my 5-year-old, who has travelled extensively and is used to long journeys, but even they found the constant stopping and delays exhausting. What made the experience more frustrating was the lack of transparency and communication throughout the day. A simple, honest explanation and apology would have gone a long way. When we finally reached the Blue Eye, it was absolutely stunning and well worth seeing, although we arrived around 2½ hours later than expected. We then continued to Ksamil, where everyone was understandably tired and hot. Claudia gave us a 15-minute walk to point out places of interest, leaving us with only around two hours to enjoy Ksamil itself. On the return journey, more delays followed. Some passengers arrived back to the coach around 40 minutes late, and we then made what felt like an unnecessary 40-minute stop in Sarandë before beginning the long drive home. We had been looking forward to driving through the national park, but by then it was completely dark, so we missed the views. We expected to return to Tirana at around 9:00 pm but didn’t arrive back until 2:00 am. I do want to give credit to Claudia. She was incredibly knowledgeable about Albania, shared lots of interesting information throughout the day, and genuinely tried to keep everyone’s spirits up despite the circumstances. None of the issues felt like they were her fault. Overall, the destinations themselves were beautiful, and I’m glad we visited them. However, the day felt unnecessarily long, rushed, and stressful because of the coach issues and the limited time at each stop. Most of the frustration came from the lack of honesty and communication. If we’d simply been told what was happening and kept informed, the experience would have been much easier to accept.

There were a lot of beautiful views. Our guide Arnela was very very friendly and helpful. There was kinda a lot time in a bus but it was not a problem even if i got carsick. And the Air conditioner worked very very good. I highly recommend this trip.

A lot of beautiful views, the guide Arnela so helpful, highly recommend

Very nice guide and is clear in his explanation. Pick up and drop off definitely saves you money so definitely a big plus

We had a wonderful experience. The guide was incredibly welcoming, patient, and helpful throughout the entire trip. He took the time to answer our questions and made sure we felt well taken care of. In addition, he provided great recommendations and suggested alternative options that suited us even better. We truly appreciate the excellent service and would highly recommend this experience to others.

My elderly father and I booked this trip in order to see a little more of Albania. We were both excited to see what Albania had to offer.both in the countryside and the coastal towns The guide that we were given for the day, Cloudia,was absolutely excellent , very professional and worked hard tirelessly. She had to deal with quite a grumpy coach driver! The blue eye lake was very beautiful and although very far away , the beach towns were interesting , but not really our cup of tea. If you like a seaside resort that is busy with lots of people , then the latter half of the trip is for you. There were a lot of pickups and drop offs , which probably added a good four hours to the travelling. Plus we had to transfer from a mini bus to a coach on the way there and the way back , and by that time , it was midnight. It is worth noting that at the blue eye start, there is a five hundred metre walk up hill to the train ride. Usually in mild weather, this would be okay.But the temperature was thirty nine degrees and very difficult to navigate The drop off points on the venues weren't very user-friendly , as we had to walk to them , and if you have mobility issues , this caused a problem and also it was very hot. It would be good to have more details on just how far one travels on this day trip and the amount of pickups and drop offs , because if we had known we might not have booked. We were on the road from 0600 - 0030

Louisa was wonderful! We gave her 5 stars due to being an excellent guide, knowledgeable, and very understanding. She always showed her concern by checking on us, making sure that we were ok, and asking us if we had any questions. If you book this tour, I hope you get her!

Luisa was very friendly and kept us well informed through the day, we had a great time. Would recommend this tour

The trip itself was nice but long. The worst part is that we were dropped off at a big square that it took us 10 minutes to find our orientation to the hotel and another 10 minutes to get there. In the morning we were not picked up at the hotel either (despite what is written on Viator), but at least we were given a link to get there. The evening drop off was not at the same place and if it was not for Googlemaps and 5G we would be horribly lost.

Fact: Be mentally prepared for a 15 hour day trip with maximum time spent in the coach. Experience: Louisa & Valerie were both wonderfully warm and attentive throughout the trip. Highly recommend both of them for all kinds of trips in Albania! One complaint- there was a change of coach-transfer from a small one to a bigger one. The bigger one had food wrapper and crumbs stashed in the tray table and should have been cleaned before having new passengers on board.