Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

There were many but the mountain scenery is stunning and there is plenty of it! Also the food was very good especially the excellent, wholesome lunch we had at the village house.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Edjon was really excellent. Obviously very passionate about his country, he made every effort to make sure we saw as much of Albania as he could and gave us a thorough understanding of how the country existed under a very repressive regime and how it is now trying to move forward.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go now before it changes too much. Also, very little time is spent in Tirana if you take the group flight via Vienna. If you take the direct flight from Gatwick a day earlier, by staying an extra night in Tirana, it gives you nearly a full day to explore the city yourself and also more time in Kruja at the end as it doesn't depart until around 9pm.

Suggestions

Although the lunch at the local house was excellent in every way and the family very welcoming, it did not really represent a typical local village home. Also, to cover as much as we did later in the autumn could prove difficult with the shorter day lengths. Maybe extending the tour by a couple of days would help. Certainly, 2 nights in Berat would be well worthwhile.

Most Inspirational Moment

Most days there were great experiences. Berat and Gjorokastra were stunning cities, beautiful mountainous scenery, the Blue Eye, the icon museum at Korce, having lunch with a lovely family in Dhoksat, archeological ruins at Butrint, etc. I could go on. And then there was friendly welcome from the Albanian people.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Klodi was an exceptional guide. Passionate about and proud of his country, extremely knowledgeable and professional, caring and very good company with a great sense of humour!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Nothing in particular.

Suggestions

Changing hotels every night might seem daunting but it was a thoroughly enjoyable and quite relaxing. Moving on was not a problem. I would thoroughly recommend this trip. Albania has so much to offer.

Most Inspirational Moment

The scenery.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very knowledgeable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't take too much luggage.

Most Inspirational Moment

My choices here might be influenced by the rather wet weather we uncharacteristically experienced. Our visits to the old churches at Voskopoja and to the world heritage site of Berat rate highly and the family lunch was an absolute delight! In a more general sense I was fascinated to gain some insight into Albania's recent communist past and to witness how the country is changing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I can't speak too highly of our group leader, Kledi. He is exceptionally knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our many questions. He did so articulately and with warmth and gentle humour. He is mild mannered, well organized and inclusive. Our driver, Genti, also deserves comment as an extremely competent and safe driver.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is not a physically active holiday but the itinerary is very full with a feeling of always being 'on the go', The hotels overall were of a higher standard than we anticipated and the roads, far from suffering the potholes we had been lead to expect, were new comfortable highways (with a few exceptions!)

Suggestions

I feel the trip would greatly benefit from allocating more 'down time' to independently explore each of the places we stayed. This trip could readily be extended to a 14 day holiday which would be much less tiring. Other advice would be to explore all options of flights to Tirana - the group flight required a 3 hour stopover both ways in Vienna which makes a relatively short trip feel like long haul! BUT don't let this put you off visiting this lovely country!

Most Inspirational Moment

Tirana was the start and was for me a summary of what was to come. The buildings old and new, side by side that says something of the state of Albania's pride in its past and its spirit in opening up to the future and tourism. It made me aware of the need to go on with an open mind and in this way I found it quietly exciting. Unesco sites of Girokaster and Berat survive with sensitive development of the buildings and locations that is a joy.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gledi was inspirational and exceptional. He was knowledgeable, articulate and accessible to questions and ideas with a modest manner and sense of humour. The very best.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It is an intensive on the go trip but each day is different. Be prepared for the unexpected and some reading for the long journeys

Suggestions

The trip could benefit from a couple of stops that are for two nights for example by the sea in Sarande and in Tirana and possibly Podgredec. Thanks to those who dared to set the trip up.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were several. Krujë was not only a beautiful city, with the Panorama Hotel being the best hotel of the trip, but it had historic significance for me. Porto Palermo and a stop in Himarë were also beautiful and meaningful for me. Gjirokaster was our first city where the weather was excellent and we could visit many historical sites. It was made all the more fun as we were one of the first tour groups of the season and were interviewed and appeared on local television. The ruins and our guide at Butrint were also very interesting. The visit to the Apollonia ruins with one of the chief archaeologists of the site was also superb. There was an overall good quality of food, with the lunch at the mountain restaurant just after the pass above Himarë standing out with its fresh lamb and homemade yogurt/honey dessert. We also tried many of the different sorts of raki, which was always an adventure.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Erion Puca was a very experienced and considerate guide with excellent English and Italian. He understood what we wanted as tourists. He had a good sense of humor. He also explained the history of Albania and how things really work on a day to day basis in the country. If he did not know something, he took the extra time and trouble to get us an answer as quickly as possible. He had good connections that got things done. He also inspired hope for the future of Albania. His efforts to help me understand my genealogical roots in terms of history and places were much appreciated and interesting to all. When the National Musuem in Tirana was closed due to holidays, so that we did not lose out on learning about Albanian history, he found time at the end of the trip to bring us back to the Bunker Art Museum that was not at all what we expected and we enjoyed it very much.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The weather started off a little cold in the first and northern most part of the trip, but as it got later in March and we traveled more to the south, the weather became warmer and we were definitely into a lovely spring. Shopping for Albanian items and souvenirs is limited and we really only had good opportunity for this in Krujë. The hotel in Permeti, the Hotel Permeti, was not that good, although it may have been the best option available. We all commented on the weird, squishy, wet bath mats that were in the bathrooms. In spite of that, the dinner of wild boar and local specialities and a quick morning walk in town on our own time before getting in the van were appreciated. There is a lot of time spent traveling in the van, but it was a good mix of sitting and walking when combined with the sightseeing we did when we got to our destination. Berat is a good city to walk around in and very beautiful, especially at night.

Suggestions

This was my first Exodus trip and it was done so flawlessly that I will definitely be a returning customer. Perhaps the Bunker Art Musuem should also be added into the Tirana stop, although that might mean too much museum time there as we spent more than one hour in Bunker Art.

Most Inspirational Moment

Lober Berat, lovely historic town and also the blue eye

Thoughts on Group Leader

See above very good, always recommended great places to eat.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Fairly long drives on windy roads, take precautions if you need to.

Suggestions

We stayed in different hotels each night and in the main all excellent bar one. That was the hotel in Vlore, the staff were very unhelpful and the hotel had a maintanence issue, we were on our 4th room in the end! luckily only one night. You should consider 2 nights in Berat I'm sure it could be justified, we didn't feel ready to move on.

Most Inspirational Moment

Starting the trip with small historic churches, onto prehistoric remains, recently abandoned communist villages, ancient civilisations and modern european style towns the trip has too many highlights to list. Add to this the magnificent sea views, wide open plains and snow topped mountains the countryside is equally fascinating.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Erion our leader and Goshi our driver were both highly professional, but also good fun guys. Noting was too much trouble.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Hotels vary through the trip from basic to modern or quaint. Food is mainly meat on the bone or fish (seaside/lakeside) with salads, grilled veg and potatoes. Often the food is served in bits e.g. salad, then meat, then veg, so this can be confusing. Raki is the local drink and "Raki O Clock" seemed to occur several times a day at the request of our tour group.

Suggestions

If you go to Albania in a few years, this will be very different. Areas are fast becoming more european, so try and see it before it changes too much.

Most Inspirational Moment

The inside of Orthodox churches especially in Voskopoja. The stunning mountains which went on and on. A brief chat with a local resident in the market in Permet who was so keen to talk but we had so little time.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Erion could not have been better! He fed us with a lot of information but this was gradual. His anecdotes were amusing. A delightful sense of humour too. The frequent check-ins were handled efficiently and swiftly by him. Apparently relaxed yet very efficient.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get there as quickly as you can before Albania is westernised! As yet there is no McDonalds but a KFC has already reached Tirana.

Suggestions

We had a most enjoyable evening in Permet when we were able to join in with local dancing and listen to native musicians. It would be good to have more similar experiences and chances to meet Albanians. The lunch at a private house in Dhoksat was a most memorable meal and experience.

Most Inspirational Moment

Enjoying the wonderful hospitality from an Albanian family in the tiny village of Dhoksat, where we ate their home grown and produced vegetables, cheese and wine. I also loved Butrint, even though we visited it in a spectacular thunderstorm and ended up wet through.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Erion Puca, was very good indeed. His historical knowledge was excellent and he went out of his way to ensure that all our particular interests were covered. Our driver Timi was superb and deserves a memtion too.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you travel outside the height of summer, waterproof jacket is essential. Take an umbrella too, those of us who had one during our Butrint thunderstorm fared better. In restaurants it is normal for side dishes and salads to arrive before the meat, fish or main vegetable. It took us a while to work this out. There are lots of ATMs but Albania is a cash economy and I didn't see anywhere outside Tirana where a credit card was accepted. However, compared with other destinations, apart from Kruja there isn't much in the way of traditional handicrafts to buy. The airport currency exchange office surprised us by telling us to exchange money somewhere else as their own rate was awful! On the downside, Albania certainly has a problem with litter, stray dogs and bad driving, but it is all part of seeing somewhere different.

Suggestions

I would go before it becomes spoiled. At the moment it is a land of contrasts. Some people are driving round in fancy cars, but round the corner someone else is leading a donkey along loaded with his produce. It is a country well worth visiting if you enjoy history, Mediterranean style food and wine and lovely scenery.