3-Day Rafting and Hiking Tour in Albania with Vjosa and Gjirokastra

• Meet your hosts at Saranda Harbour at 9:45.

• Travel by minivan to Kakome Bay, only 13 km from Saranda. The beach has a 1-kilometre stretch of sand with a small port in the middle. The bay used to be home to an army base, and access may be limited during some periods. With its fine white sand and gravel, the changing shades of the blue sea and the surrounding greenery make it a true paradise.

• Visit St. Mary's Monastery. The building contains numerous architectural and decorative elements, such as arches, columns, frames, window sills, and other features made of carved stone. High stone walls and a well-protected entrance gate surround the monastery complex.

• Try kayaking and stand-up paddling in the crystal waters of the Ionian Sea, with a picnic lunch during your sportive activities.

• Depart for Saranda at 16:00 for rafting on the Bistrica River and the Ionian Sea, with sunset views.

• Travel by minivan to the Bistrica River for about 30 minutes.

• Enjoy 2-2.5 hours of rafting and swimming in Saranda's river and the Ionian Sea.

• Enjoy the sunset. This rafting trip is both your weapon and your shield... and it's not over yet. Going to the sea coast of Saranda in the Ionian Sea is your gateway to infinity, space, freedom, and quietness. You will feel lost for centuries; with the raft in the middle of the jungle, you'll experience ages, fight with the wilderness of the trees, embrace the adrenaline, and do it. So it starts with cold water, and it ends with it. The hot sun welcomes you into the crystal-clear water of the Bistrica River. You go back in time as the crawling trees, bushes, blue water, and sun are all you see around you. No, you are not in the jungle, nor the Amazon, but in the river of Bistrica. Five kilometres from Saranda, it is your gate to an experience that is quiet, yet still wild and challenging in the raft. This half-day tour will disconnect you from people, cars, noises, and the city's heat; in exchange, you'll get pure adrenaline. Nature, the lush wilderness, the bushes that struggle with you, and the cold water will challenge you to think of a way out.

• Eat a dinner of traditional dishes from Saranda and settle into your accommodation in a guesthouse.

For this activity, you should love the outdoors, be in good health, and have consulted a doctor during the year. Kids over 14 years old are very welcome.

• Eat breakfast, then the minibus will pick you up and take you to the small town of Permet, a 3-hour drive away.

• Feast on lunch, then prepare for an adrenaline-fuelled afternoon as you go rafting on the Vjosa River, one of Europe's last free-flowing rivers. Its 270 km course is wild, untamed, and adorned with beautiful canyons, braided river sections, islands, and oxbows.
  The Vjosa River is a class III rafting course.

• Prepare for waves up to four feet and narrow passages that send the boat shimmying and water gushing over the sides.

• As evening approaches, visit the Thermal Baths of Benja and hike to the Canyon of Lengarica, where you can relax and swim in their natural waters.

• Head to a local hotel for the evening in Permet, where you can enjoy a traditional dinner from Permet.

2.5 hours rafting, 3 hours hiking and swimming, 4 hours driving

• Wake up this morning and set out on a short hike around the village.

• Drive to Gjirokastra after being collected from the guest house and walk around this ancient city, where plenty of pit stops are sure to fulfil your appetite for history.

• Time to say goodbye after lunch as you head back to the seaport for your onward journey to Corfu airport. You can decide whether to spend your last hours at the beach in Saranda or Corfu before flying back home. The ferry departs at 16:00.

2 hours hiking