The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Taste of Albania 2022: Mountain, Coastline & Hospitality

September 22nd to October 3rd

Ride Coordinator: Kate Gordon
Report by: Karen Hass

Our Cycle Albania guide, Erlis, kicks off our opening meeting with this: “You are about to embark on three tours, a cultural tour, a culinary tour, and a bicycle tour.”  How very true, we quickly learn!

Taste of Albania begins in the capital city Tirana with a population of close to 1 million people, cars, pedestrians, scooters, and bicycles creating a chaotic vibrant energy.  Modern high-rise buildings under construction contrast with communist-style and Italian-style architecture, along with mosques.  The first day, we tour Tirana, including a guided tour of the National History Museum, which sets the stage for learning about the country we will travel in the coming days.

Our group departs Tirana on the second day of the tour via bus. After a ride of several hours, we unite with our bicycles and do a shakedown ride to Lake Ohrid, one of the deepest lakes in Europe and one of the oldest lakes in the world.  It shares a border with North Macedonia, and after a lunch by the lake, most of the group chooses to cycle across the border to visit the picturesque monastery of St. Naum.

Each day that follows unfolds with a new adventure. We next cycle to Korçë, a town of about 50,000 where our guide Erlis takes us on a walking tour that supplements our Happy Hour talks, providing glimpses into the complex history of Albania.  We are all learning more about the challenges of this long-isolated country and its struggles with poverty and corruption.

By now, we have consumed enough meals to be enthusiastic about Albanian food.  Family-style meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner are the norm.  The culinary tour is well underway and it’s hard not to “ooh and ah” as each new dish comes to the table, expertly ordered for us.  Vegetarians have abundant options at each meal with the Mediterranean-style cuisine.  Repeatedly we promise each other not to eat as much at the next meal which proves to be a promise impossible to keep.

Pavement had been smooth till we head to the remote Farma Sotira trout farm high in the mountains located inside the National Park Germenj-Shelegur. The further we get from Korçë, the narrower the roads become with extensive sections of broken pavement and gravel. Those with mountain biking skills or who enjoy challenging climbs are happiest, despite the fact that our previous glorious weather has morphed into rain showers.  On the farm, roosters take the place of alarm clocks and we enjoy rustic cabins and a roaring fire in the lodge to dry our bones. Dinner features trout plucked from the farm’s ponds, and some indulge in Raki, a homemade moonshine, to help warm themselves.

Several more days of rain plague us (and much of Europe), making our traverse of the mountains and the wild Vjosë river a very wet affair.  Still the meals, sights and happy hours keep everyone upbeat and in high spirits.  Finally, as we travel close to Albania’s border with Greece and head toward the coast, the weather gods give us a break. We enjoy excellent weather during our final tour days as we cycle the challenging mountain range that lines the country’s southern coast, Albania’s Riviera. Our ride from Sarandë to Himarë is through a dramatic landscape with mountains on one side and the sparking cobalt Ionian Sea on the other.  Our delicious meals now include more seafood featuring calamari, mussels, and shrimp risotto.  Pomegranates hang heavy in the local trees.  A funeral in a small village produces the heaviest traffic encountered on the lighted-used Albanian Riviera roads.  A rest day in Himarë before our final riding day gives us a chance to enjoy a dip in the Ionian Sea, sit on the beach, take a boat ride along the beautiful coast, or simply relax. 

The last day of riding is over the dramatic LLoggara pass, with over 5000 ft of climbing in just 12 miles.  Those with e-bikes (about half the group) are very grateful to have them for this ride.  Those cycling under their own power are challenged but hard work earns a tremendous sense of accomplishment.  A lovely descent brings us to our final seaside hotel where we celebrate completing this memorable tour with another outstanding Albanian meal.  The 2022 Taste of Albania, a culinary, cultural, and cycling tour is complete!