Speciale tour "Wijnproeven - Blue Eye en Lekursi Castle"
Beschrijving
Startpunt: Saranda (Ophalen om 9:00 of 16:00 uur ) Pick-up van uw hotel of een centraal ontmoetingspunt in Saranda door een comfortabel voertuig met airconditioning. Stop 1: Blauwe ooglente Rijtijd: ~45 minuten Verken de beroemde Syri i Kaltër (Blauwe Oog) – een diepe, kristalheldere natuurlijke bron omgeven door weelderige bossen. Geniet van een korte begeleide natuurwandeling, leer over de geologie van de bron en lokale legendes. Stop 2: Lokale wijnmakerij ervaring Rijtijd: 30-40 minuten. Rondleiding door de wijngaard en wijnkelder. Wijnproeverij: proef 3–5 soorten lokale wijnen (rood, wit en raki), gecombineerd met Albanese kazen, olijven en zelfgebakken brood. Leer meer over de oude wijntradities en druivensoorten van Albanië. Stop 3: Lekursi kasteel & uitzicht op zonsondergang Rijtijd: ~30 minuten Aankomst bij Lekursi Castle voor een begeleide historische tour. Geniet van vrije tijd om Saranda, Corfu en de Ionische kust te verkennen, te ontspannen en te genieten van een adembenemend uitzicht op de zonsondergang.
Rondreisopties
Reisroute
De Blue Eye is een natuurlijke bron in het zuiden van Albanië. Het bevat het blauwste, helderste water dat je je maar kunt voorstellen. Van bovenaf gezien vormt de Blue Eye-bron een wervelende draaikolk die hypnotiserend is om naar te kijken. De lagen van de bron variëren van heldere, kleurloze ondiepten tot azuurblauwe wateren die grenzen aan het intense, diepblauwe centrum van het oog. Het park rond de Blue Eye omvat een meer, een brug, een rotsachtig pad en berglandschap. De prachtige bron ligt aan de bovenkant van het park en is de bron van het meer en de helderblauwe rivier die eruit stroomt.
Ervaar een exclusieve proeverij van lokale wijn, traditionele raki en heerlijke Albanese hapjes bij een lokale wijnproducent, Kantina Isak.
Je kunt niet zeggen dat je Saranda hebt gezien zonder het kasteel van Lekuresi te hebben bezocht. Het kasteel werd in 1537 gebouwd door de Ottomaanse sultan Suleiman I de Grote, die een periode van bijzondere uitbreiding van de Ottomaanse invloed op het gebied te danken had. Suleiman I viel Corfu aan en liet op de hoogste heuvel landinwaarts van Saranda een landhuis bouwen om de hele vallei eronder te kunnen controleren. Van Corfu en Ksamil tot Saranda en verder, richting Butrint. Rondom het fort van Lekuresi liggen de ruïnes van het gelijknamige dorp. Het vierkante plan van het kasteel vormt een grote open ruimte in het midden, een soort terras van waaruit het mogelijk is om een buitengewoon uitzicht te hebben.
Hoogtepunten
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Beoordelingen van reizigers
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Beoordelingen(19)
A very nice activity. An excellent guide who is attentive and highly invested in ensuring that everyone enjoys their experience to the fullest.
Thankyou
The staff were so lovely and shared so much knowledge of the wine and the history of Albania. We did a wine pairing with 3 courses and 3 wines. The pairings were excellent and the food was so good!
Thankyou so much🙏🏻
It's well worth it. Beautiful views and interesting history. Our tour guide, Faye, was very knowledgeable and friendly.
Thankyou
I booked the Wine Tasting - Blue Eye and Lekursi Castle Sunset Option (16:00) via TripAdvisor for Wednesday, at a cost of £89.26 for two people. Unfortunately, the overall experience was far from what was advertised, and I left feeling misled and disappointed. On Tuesday morning—the day before the scheduled tour—I was contacted by Visit Saranda and asked to reschedule because other guests had cancelled and I was told it was “impossible” to run the tour with only two participants. This was very frustrating, as I had booked well in advance and carefully planned my itinerary around this experience. My only option was to move the tour to Friday, and even then the start time was changed from 16:00 to 15:00. Communication regarding pickup was also unclear. The TripAdvisor listing specifies hotel pickup or a central meeting point in Saranda, but I was asked to provide a private address since I was not staying in a listed hotel. Fortunately, our guide, Mariglen Lici, arrived punctually (in fact, early), and throughout the tour he was polite, knowledgeable, and accommodating. His professionalism was the highlight of the day. The Blue Eye was a beautiful stop, but access involved an additional and unexpected cost. Visitors must either walk 25 minutes or take a road train at 300 LEK per person each way (approximately €3). For two people, this was a further outlay on top of the advertised tour price. Additionally, while our guide encouraged swimming, it was apparent from signage and from observing conflicts between staff and tourists that swimming was not permitted, which created confusion and discomfort. The visit to Kantina E Veres Isak was particularly disappointing. The description of the tour suggested that wine tasting was included, yet upon arrival I was informed there would be an additional charge of €15–€35 per person, depending on the package and timing. This felt misleading and contrary to the expectations set by the booking. Communication during the winery visit was also difficult, and the guide did not accompany us inside, leaving us feeling more like unsupervised customers than participants in a guided cultural experience. Furthermore, we were rushed in order to reach Lekursi Castle before sunset. The sunset at Lekursi Castle was indeed beautiful, and Mariglen ensured we returned safely to our accommodation. However, despite his efforts, the overall experience did not reflect what was advertised when I booked. Between the forced rescheduling, additional costs, lack of clarity about inclusions, and rushed pacing, I cannot recommend this tour in its current form. Summary: Positive: An excellent guide (Mariglen), punctual and professional. Negative: Misleading description of inclusions, last-minute rescheduling, unexpected extra costs, and poorly structured itinerary. For the price paid, I expected a much higher standard of organization and transparency.
“The reason you chose to block us after the tour was because you saw the clear proof that every point you complained about – such as the €15 fee at the winery and the small train at the Blue Eye – was already listed transparently on our TripAdvisor page at the time you booked. You also had no reason to pressure us by saying you would complain on TripAdvisor, because we never said anything offensive; we only sent you the screenshot of your booking confirmation, where everything was written clearly – not the false claims you later made. It is also important to note that in over 7 years of experience, you are the only guest who from the very first communication was extremely impolite, refusing to understand our explanation. Because another couple cancelled that day, and since our policy requires a minimum of 4 people, we kindly offered you the chance to join the tour on another day. You were the one who chose to reschedule, and this was done purely to accommodate you, not because we had an obligation. For future travelers, here are the facts: • The Blue Eye site has an optional small train (approx. €3) or a walking path – clearly noted in our product description. • Wine tasting at Kantina Isak is optional and charged directly by the winery (€15–€35), exactly as described online. • Start times can vary with the season and sunset, also explained on our listing. Regarding the price: it is visible before booking. Out of more than 120 guests this year, you are the first to claim it was “too high,” even though the tour covers three major attractions (Blue Eye, Lekursi Castle, and the winery) in a single day. If the price does not suit, the honest choice is simply not to book. Finally, our guide picked you up directly from your Airbnb address, despite your attempt to present the pickup location as confusing. We prefer guests to be sincere about such details, rather than acting as victims. We are glad you at least acknowledged the professionalism of our guide, Mariglen. Our goal remains to deliver transparent, high-quality experiences, and we encourage all future guests to read the full product description before booking
Great day trip! The Blue Eye is beautiful and the wine tasting and sunset were unexpected highlights! The wine tasting was at a cute vineyard with a lovely patio. You have 4 different wines and more rakia with great local tapas. The sunset at the castle was beautiful!
Thankyouu so much🙏🏻
We didn’t know what to expect of this tour however from the hotel pickup to the visit to the Blue Eye then the local Winery and lastly, the Castle for a sunset view….simply Lovely. Klajdi’s knowledge about his village/town/country was perfect for us since we knew very little. A wonderful experience.
Thankyouu🙏🏻
Klajdi is a great guide, told us quite a lot of interesting things about Saranda and took us to all places without any problems. The wine tasting was the part we have been looking forward to the most and the one that disappointed us more as well, so don’t expect amazing wines there. Otherwise the Blue eye was gorgeous, and the view from the castle is breathtaking. Get ready to take some pictures!
A besutiful part of southern Albania we were glad to see with our exceptional guide Klajdi. The drive to it was a beautiful glimpse into the Albanian landscape. Blue Eye is fascinating; the only sad part: not all tourists follow the signs of this beautiful but fragile ecosystem. The tasting was great and we got a hint how raki and local products are made. The castle has truly a nice view especially at sunset but it can get crowdy.
Thankyouu
This was a perfect way to experience The Blue Eye and Lekursi Castle! The guide was very nice and helpful. We had a really nice trip and the trip has good value for money! We warmly recommend this tour.
Thankyou girls
We had an amazing time and with such a diverse itinerary, we were able to experience a lot of the area in a limited time. I would highly recommend booking this tour for anyone wanting to taste and see all that the southern Albania has to offer!
