TRAIL RIDE
8 days | 7 nights

ALL YEAR ROUND
(excluding Jan & Feb)

ALL INCLUSIVE

NOT SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS

Overview

​Travel back in time following the medieval Zagoria caravan pathways into a land of myths, tales and ballads. Ride through ancient ruins of the Ilirian civilization, medieval villages and many remote churches and monasteries. You will see the mountain bridges built during the period of Ali Pasha. They are a wonder to see with their rare and unique design.

The culmination of this extraordinary eXperience will be the climb on Swallow’s Rock.

You will soak in rural Albanian traditions by staying with local people and riding through vibrant, unspoiled natural landscapes.

The horses you ride are local breed mix of Tarpan and Arab horses. They are small but perfectly suited to the rocky terrain being surefooted and accustomed to trekking long mountainous routes, allowing riders to feel confident, relaxed and free to enjoy the stunning views.

You will meet friendly locals and learn about their traditions while enjoying accommodation as guests in local homes. Your luggage will be transported by car with the most necessary things in saddle bags on your horse. The guides are professional and good company.

The main objective of this eXperience is to celebrate the harmony between humankind, horses and nature.

Itinerary

Day 1
Plan your flight to arrive at Tirana airport ideally in the morning, but no later than 15:00 - this leaves time for the transfer and to be able to visit the town of Gjirokstra with your guides. From the airport the transfer will be by mini-van or off-road car and will take around 3-4 hours (250km). Settle into your room at a traditional hotel in the centre of historical Gjirokastra before gathering for a welcome lunch. After lunch, riders are scheduled to have a walk around the historical town of the old Bazaar before dinner. Riders can also visit Enver Hoxha’s house, Gjirokastra castle, the church of the Old Bazaar, the mosque of the Bazzar and Skenduli house representing an ideal sample of Gjirokastra traditional life. Dinner will be served at a traditional restaurant. During dinner your guides will be able to speak to you about the trail: possible requests or needs, advice and things which are good to know. We recommend that you buy a map of the area before dinner in order to gain a good understanding of the itinerary.

Day 2
After a traditional breakfast at the hotel and allocation of horses, you will start to ride through the countryside towards the medieval village of Karjan. This village is traditional, a rural stop of the passing caravans with its famous church and old roman bridge. The road to reach this destination passes through a rural environment; small houses, gardens, traditional farming and cultivation of the land. The route combines hilly landscapes, valleys, small water streams and cliffs. This path also passes along the view of River Drino, “Tree of Life” river. It is the most important water basin in the area and part of ancient pagan beliefs. On your way you will meet the ruins of the castle of Santa Triada reconstructed during 1809-1810 by Ali Pasha, a strategic point to control all the caravan itineraries. The castle ruins were used later during the time of socialism for military issues. You will stop for picnic lunch just near the village of Erind. After around 5 hours riding you will reach Karjan where a traditional dinner and accommodation will await at a local family house.

Day 3
After breakfast you will continue further north to the villages of Small Labova and the valley of Cajupi. You will follow the ancient merchants stone road of Zhapa with its mountain panorama, wide view of the hills and valleys and ruins of an old market along the road. The first break will be in Small Labova, a village well known all over the south for its wonderful Church and the big houses belonging to the merchants which are now mostly ruined. Labova is the birthplace of Vangjel Zhapa, the organizer of the first Modern Olympic Games. Zhapa was a well-known businessman and philanthropist who lived around 200 years ago. After visiting the church you will start riding up the mountain. You will be impressed by the mountain's rare vegetation such as mountain tea, oregano, wild rose and other endemic plants like digitalis or 'Dig–Dag' as it's known locally. You follow the mountain path to the valley of Cajupi where you halt for a picnic under the trees. You will have the chance to taste the Brati famous spring water, a typical station of the old caravans with its small tower “karakoll”. After a nice gallop through Cajupi valley, the trail will follow the medieval Caravan pathway with its famous bandit hideout 'Hija e Mallkuar' or 'The Cursed Shadow'. From here, medieval thieves could rob the caravans passing through Zagoria. The final destination of today will be the village of Nderan, placed in the heart of Zagoria region. You will stay with a cow shepherd’s family and this will be your destination for two nights. Dinner will be a delicious mix of local products, raki and wine. You can join the local life and accompany the family during the milking process, dinner preparation or have a look at the families bee hives. This village is one of the most important producers of mountain honey in South Albania and offers nearly 10 different tastes of honey depending on season and bee pasture.

Day 4
This morning you will wake up feeling the effect of the mountain air. Breakfast will be traditional mountain food. Fresh homemade bread, cookies, butter, jam, eggs, cheese, honey and milk. A cup of mountain tea is very typical for this region. On your way to Lliar, Hoshteva, Koncka and Nivan villages you will encounter various terrain combining hard cliffs, rivers, woods and rolling hills. The beautiful scent of flowers, mountain fresh air, wild landscapes, shepherds and animals will also be part of your day. You will continue riding to the most important horse pathway of the XVII and XVIII century which used to connect the biggest commercial centres in Southern Albania. A very beautiful natural monument is the Rock of Zhej that can be seen along the way. You will stop for a short break at the water spring of Lliar, reconstructed by Ali Pasha in the early XIX century. You will take a challenging downhill route to the stone bridge where it is possible to take a refreshing swim during summer months. Hoshteva, a unique church which was built in 999AC, has a very particular style with lots of pagan elements in the wall paintings - the people of the village will be pleased to meet you and tell you all about this church. You will also pass by the byzantine church of Lliar and the monastery of Nivan Saint Mehilli, built in 1702. You will ride over the medieval bridge built in the same period to connect the monastery with Nderan village, one of the famous centres of medieval livestock fairs and which again will be your overnight residence. You will spend the night at the farmers house again and a delicious dinner in the garden with awaits you.

Day 5
This morning will be a really exciting equestrian eXperience. After a fresh country breakfast you will ride through a mountain valley, perfectly suited for gallops, passing small remote farms, wild cliffs and many historical monuments off the tourist trail. The route through Pogoni region is a true travel in time. You will be passing many Byzantine cult monuments, ancient ruins and mythical natural wonders. Your picnic lunch will be near the most famous stone bridge of Hllomo or Ciminxhi’s, which is the most isolated construction of the merchant’s period and can only reached by horse. In the afternoon, after 6 hours of riding you will reach the centre of the Pogon region, the mountain village of Polican is populated by a Greek minority. In this village you have the chance to explore some very particular cult monuments of the medieval period. Later in the evening you will enjoy local gastronomic delights.

Day 6
This morning you will leave the Greek minority behind to reach the town of Libohova. The route will pass through demanding but beautiful mountain landscapes with a vast finish at the Swallow Rock, 500m over the river of Suha. Your picnic lunch point will be the Church of Labova of the Cross - a rare monument representing the oldest church in Albania, built by Justinian the Great in 554. Justinian married Teodora his wife at the small chapel of this village and the villagers inherited her wedding dress for centuries. This church is decorated with an old wooden iconostas full of floral and symbolic animal scenes.
Later in the afternoon you will ride to Libohova, a small town nestled at the foot of the Bureto Mountain. The archaeological evidence indicates a very ancient settlement which reached its zenith in the 17th-century when it became an important commercial centre. You will overnight in a local family house and will taste delicious local food.

Day 7
This morning will begin with breakfast in the garden whilst enjoying a wonderful view of the valley. Before you begin to ride you can enjoy a guided walk through the town to the Bektashi cult object and to the tomb of Ali Pasha’s sister, Shanisha. You will ride through rolling hills, forests and fortified villages to reach the Antigonea National Park where you will stop for a picnic. You will reach the city of King Pyrrhus, built in 295 BC and named after his first wife Antigona, daughter of King Ptolemeus of Egypt. We recommend an extra car tour to a rare monument placed on a rock, or you can chose to ride back to the stable. You will be accommodated at the same traditional house Babameto. Your farewell dinner will take place in a small restaurant in the old Bazaar. Later in the evening you can have a drink in a local popular bar.

Day 8
After breakfast at the hotel you will be transferred back to the airport of Tirana.

Additional information

Transfers available | Tirana Airport 70 Euro p.p | Saranda Port 40 Euro p.p

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Following Zagoria Pathways

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