Day Trip to the Shala River and Komani Lake From Shkoder
Description
Shala River journey is a great boat trip. The tour to Shala River is a special boat tour program exclusively designed to offer participants the best combination of pristine wild nature, unforgettable boat ride through the heart of the Albanian Alps, local folklore and traditions. During the tour you will be able to visit one of the attractions of Northern Albania, combining a variety of exciting outdoor activities with plenty of time to get acquainted with the local gastronomy and culture. On the day boat tour we get on a boat that will take us through Komani Lake to Shala River offering spectacular views of the Albanian Alps, waterfalls, rural villages and wild forests. It is considered by many as an exotic experience combined with the unmatched hospitality of the locals.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Travelers will have the opportunity to eat lunch in the inns around the lake that offer the opportunity to enjoy traditional food. You can develop other activities like swim in the transparent water, kayaking along the river, discover the wonderful landscapes, trek in the mountains and discover our local traditions.
The boat crosses the whole lake of Koman to reach the Shala river giving you the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of virgin nature. The blue and cold color of water is characteristic of this river, the steep cliffs that surround it, look as if they touch the sky.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(16)
Impressive trip. Good value. Bus driver texted in the evening all needed information. Recommended to take a jacket as in mountains colder. Near Rozafa hotel person with a list of names, looked at our reservation note and gave us ticket with all information on it and showed our bus. Drove about 1h and we had break for a coffee and toilet. Then beautiful views turned in to magnificent. Then we arrived to Albanian Thailand and took a boat. I fell comfortable in a boat as was wearing trouses , closed shoes, and extra cardigan . Wrapped my head in to the scarf, to protect from wind which occurs from speed boat. Those who wrote bad reviews choices wrong trip for them. They need to take a comfort taxi for €160 both ways and private boat €150 each way. All was perfect. Bumpy roads only where renovation going. Soon it will be fixed. Yes packed boats , but everyone has a sit, and it is part of trip to the heaven where you can hike, eat , take a sun bath or sweem in cold danger water . Little groups from the busses turns in to one big group who needs to return by same boat. While you swimming in calm place, don't panick if you dragged by water, try to relax and stay in flow by the flow become less agressive. There is some points where no flow at a shore. Be ready to stop with all body through stones. Enjoy bruised. If you see some one pass by in a river, do not think it is safe and don't try to repeat. I am sure they coming out with some pain as stones everywhere and current is strong. We had time to eat ,hike to balcony and have extreme swim. Before swim, plan where you will come out, as it possible to do without harming yourself. All needed information timewise was on the ticket. If something not clear, follow group.
I would appreciate some more details of time of the journez in the bus and on the boat. Additionally some details of the site- how it was created, who did it etc. Views are amazing, but some surrondings are little dirty (plastic bottles and slippers in water), they destroy the view in places. Some inital information of travelling time and how the whole visit will be looking would be great. The organizers could also contact participants earlier about what to expect from the trip. I would prepare differently if I knew what to expect. staff was friendly and was answering questions, but more details would be appreciated
Fantastic day trip well organised with great bus transfer. Bit of a long ride but we'll worth it once on the river and lake . Only criticism I would have is boat seats were very uncomfortable [ well the ones we had were ] take a towel or some sort of cushioning would be my suggestion. All in all Fantastic trip and our guy was informative and funny.
Very nice excursion. It was long but still very enjoyable.
Thanks 🙂
It was a nice experience but the setup of the trip is not the best. It's unavoidable, but the bus journey out to the boat is 2hr+ and then the boat ride (which is admittedly nice and fun) is another 1hr 15min+. The end point of Shala river was beautiful (slightly expensive - the restaurans often over-charge by €3 or so if not paying in LEK) but definitely worth seeing. We did unfortunately only get about 3.25 hours there since it took so long to travel out there. Would still recommend, but it is a long day (easily 10hrs+) to spend about 3hrs at the actual river. Guides were nice and fun though, and it's not a bad price.
Thank you very much for your detailed review and for recommending our tour. We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the boat ride, the beauty of the Shala River, and the friendliness of our team. The journey to Shala River is indeed long, as it is one of the most remote and untouched destinations in Albania. The transfer by bus and the ferry ride across Lake Koman are both essential parts of the experience and are included so visitors can enjoy the spectacular scenery along the way. Regarding the time at Shala River, the schedule is determined by the ferry timetable, which all operators must follow. We understand that many guests would like to spend more time there, and we appreciate your feedback. We’re also sorry to hear about your experience with restaurant pricing. The restaurants at Shala River are independently operated, so we unfortunately cannot control their prices. We always recommend paying in Albanian Lek when possible to avoid unfavorable exchange rates. Thank you again for your valuable feedback. We hope to welcome you back to Northern Albania in the future!
It was a very hot day and unfortunately the coaches air con was below par which made the 4 hours in total uncomfortable. On arrival there is a 400 m walk in a tunnel to the boats. The scenic boat trip lasted 1.5 hours each way. At Shala River there were plenty of restaurants and loungers and quite a few were paddling. A fun trip for youngsters.
Thank you for your feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed the boat trip and the beautiful scenery of Shala River. We would like to mention that the issue with the air conditioning was caused by an unexpected technical problem during the journey. The matter has since been addressed, and everything is now working properly. We appreciate your understanding and hope to welcome you again on one of our tours in the future.
The trip was well organized and the scenery was beautiful. Once we got to Shala River it felt tacky with so many boats and blaring music coming from several restaurants. We paid 10 Euro for a couple of sun-beds and an umbrella to relax under. We swam in the incredibly clear water but be warned it is coming straight from the mountains and it is freezing!
The trip from Shkoder to Lake Koman and Shala River was incredible! We had a 2 hour bus ride to the ferry pickup location, and we went on some very precarious roads. The driver was experienced and got us there quickly. Once on the ferry, our guide/captain was extremely friendly! He told us some Albanian history, and his own history growing up in a village on Lake Koman. He also stopped the boat in some scenic locations for us all to get some pictures. At the Shala River there were a bunch of restaurants, a hiking trail, and places to swim. We had about 3 hours to explore once we got there. Overall would give this trip a 10/10, definitely the best thing we did on our trip to Albania!
Thank you so much for your amazing review! We’re delighted to hear that you had such a memorable experience at Lake Koman and Shala River. It means a lot to us that you enjoyed the journey, the beautiful scenery, and the stories shared by our captain about Albanian history and local life. We’re especially happy that you had enough time to explore, swim, and enjoy the beauty of Shala River. Thank you for choosing us and for recommending the experience — we hope to welcome you again on your next trip to Albania! 😊
Such a great day out. Easy to find the pick up point. Amazing guides and drivers. Plenty of time at the river. Food was very reasonably priced. The views are incredible. Really recommend.
Nice trip, great scenery, nice crew
