Planning your holidays by your own selves makes it harder for you to visit the whole highlights of a country. The reason I choose to offer different types of CUSTOMIZED experiences is to show you the best of my beautiful country from a local's perspective.
Prices change with the date; the lowest is shown.
Prices are per person when two book together; a solo traveller pays $160.
Larger groups pay less per person.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 9.
The ancient Ottoman town of Gjirokastër, a UNESCO World Heritage site, will be our next stop. We will go to the castle, which looks over the whole town and the rest of the Gjere mountains. visit the museum and listen to the history of this marvelous city. After some photography of the landscape, we will proceed to the 17th century Ottoman bazaar, which offers the perfect opportunity to buy some locally-inspired souvenirs. Another 18th/19th Ottoman structure, Skenduli house, has been preserved ever since it was taken from the wealthy Skenduli family at the start of communism in Albania. A 10th generation family member will show us around and explain all of its quirks.
The final stop is back in Saranda where I will take you to my favourite place to enjoy the breathtaking landscape as the sunsets. If you like, this can include swimming or eating locally grown fruits with some drinks, making for an unforgettable day.
Join me for a journey that goes beyond the ordinary sights and experiences that most tourists can find in Albania. My guided tour offers the perfect opportunity to become acquainted with the culture and traditions of my country, and to see for yourself the wild nature of the lonian land. Just as importantly, I can be your photographer so that every special moment of your adventure is captured. The journey starts from your accommodation, taking you along the scenic route amongst the mountains to the Blue Eye spring, a famous natural monument here, you have the pleasure of exploring the forest and finding the crystal clear source of the Bistrica river. Rebellious tourists may jump into the icy water but that is only for the brave! Maybe I can tell you about the most interesting legends about Blue Eye's origins instead.
We can pick you up at your hotel and drop you off there too. After booking the experience, you will be contacted by us in order to arrange the pickup.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 169 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Blue Eye, Gjirokaster & Lekures | Private & Small Group Tours lasts about 6h 20min–8h 20min. The itinerary has 3 stops.
Prices start at $137 per person for this Saranda experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. That is the per-person price when two book together; a solo traveller pays $160. There are 4 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 6:30 AM, 7:00 AM, 7:30 AM, 8:00 AM, 8:30 AM, and 9:30 AM.
Children aged 12–18 pay from $86, adults from $137.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Yes, pickup is offered. We can pick you up at your hotel and drop you off there too. After booking the experience, you will be contacted by us in order to arrange the pickup. Pickup points include Hotel Europa, Evelina Ernild Rooms.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 6 travellers can book together.
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap Specialized infant seats are available
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 4.9 out of 5 across 43 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Private Tours Albania.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Very good service of the Company. This was the highlight of our holidays in Albani. We had a paddle tour with our guide and he suggested us a day trip to Gjirokaster , a UNESCO site which was absolutely magnificient. You should try this tour. Note: book in advance. They are almost full in the summer and you'd badely find seats.
Ari was an excellent guide in Gjirokastra! Knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about the city’s history, Ari made the tour engaging and memorable. Highly recommend for an insightful and enjoyable experience!
Ari is everything you would want in a guide. Very knowledgeable, very friendly and easy going. Flexible to meet your needs. Great guy.
This is such a fantastic tour! Ari is an amazing guide and he kept my 2 teenage kids and myself entertained for the whole day. He is extremely knowledgable and adapted our trip to our needs. We took the tour from Tirana to Sarande which was a great way to make the trip without needing to do the drive myself while also seeing so much on the way. Thank you so much Ari!
Ari, our guide, was fantastic. Gave me a proper history lesson on the drive and had plenty of other knowledge during the day. All 3 locations were worth the time. Blue Eye has a train for those worried about the walk. My favourite part was gjirokaster bazaar, lovely place to walk around, and definitely take Ari's recommendation for lunch.
Ari is the only guide you need for Southern Albania - he is the most thoughtful, interesting, helpful and practical guide possible. Nothing was too much trouble as he effortlessly guided me through the complicated but fascinating history of his country, answering questions patiently and in a most captivating manner. He also expertly guided his trusty Nissan through the challenging streets of Gjirokaster! I would not hesitate to recommend this tour, particularly as Ari has such a passion for his job. I wish I could give more than 5 stars!
Ari is an amazing tour guide. Informative, kind, patient, funny. It was truly a treat to go on this tour and spend the day exploring the beautiful country of Albania. Thank you so much Ari for all of the memories and information about Albania. I learned and experienced so much in just one day. Highly recommend!
My family and I did a tour to Blue Eye, Gjirokaster and Lekursi Castle. All these places are must see. Our guide Valentina was very professional, talkative and very knowledgeable. We adored her passion and her love for her country. We would highly suggest this tour with Valentina.
We actually did a 3-day tour of Albania with Ari of A Tour to Remember. If you want a supremely knowledgeable, kind, fun, safe guide to share his deep love for his country with you, Ari is your tour guide. We were 2 couples, MDs and Ph.D.s all, and there wasn’t a question we asked that Ari couldn’t answer or a subject on which we engaged, from Dia Lipa, to Enver Hoxha-era bunker technology, to world religions, to Albanian pandemic-era vaccine perspectives and public health (and many more) which Ari didn’t lead the charge. He showed us breathtaking scenery and shared fascinating history and local customs during our time together. He was the perfect ambassador for Albania. Please feel free to message me if you have questions. I so very highly recommend booking with Ari!
10/10 recommend. We had limited time in the Saranda region and wanted to focus our tour in just the blue eye and Gjirokastra - Ari was able to customize a trip that fit our needs. Both locations were incredible - a must see. He is extremely personable and very easy to talk with. We enjoyed learning about the places we were visiting and Albania as a whole with him as he is very knowledgeable. Couldn’t recommend booking with him enough!
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Eye, Gjirokaster & Lekures | Private & Small Group Tours | 6h 20min–8h 20min | 4.9 (43) | $137 | |
 Gjirokaster and Blue Eye, Small-Group Tour from Saranda & Ksamil | 5–6 hours | 4.8 (204) | $45 | View |
 Tour Gjirokaster,Blue Eye & Lekursi Castle | 6–7 hours | 4.9 (182) | $35 | View |
 1-Day Tour in Blue Eye, Monastery, Gjirokaster and Lekursi Castle | 6–8 hours | 4.9 (146) | $34 | View |
 Ksamil or Saranda: Gjirokaster Old Town, Blue Eye & Lekursi | 7–8 hours | 4.8 (35) | $35 | View |
 Saranda:Lekursi Castle, Blue Eye, Gjirokaster & More Tour | 9 hours | 5.0 (33) | $34 | View |
 Blue Eye and Gjirokaster, Half Day Tour with Food & Drinks | 6h–6h 40min | 4.9 (13) | $114 | View |