Albania Pre-Departure Info Pack

7 Nights 8 Days
Start Point: Tirana, Albania
End Point: Tirana, Albania

Ahoy, friend!

We’re SO excited that you’ve decided to join us on our Albania Adventure Tour 🙂

Get ready to explore one of Europe’s best-kept secrets. This 8-day Albanian Adventure is your invitation into the heart of the Balkans, a land of towering alpine peaks, crystal-clear rivers, and vibrant, welcoming culture.

Tucked between Greece, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, the tiny Balkan nation of Albania often gets skipped by travellers racing between more “popular” destinations. But that’s exactly what makes it so special.

Our route takes you far beyond the bustling cities and into the wild heart of Albania. You’ll kayak across the fjord-like waters of Komani Lake, trek the legendary Valbona Pass, and dive into the icy, turquoise springs of Theth. Along the way, you’ll share local meals, dance under the stars, and build real connections with your travel crew.

At Elsewheria, we specialise in taking curious travellers to the kinds of places that are hard to get to, and even harder to forget. These are not easy places to navigate alone, but that’s where we come in. With local partnerships, trusted guides, and seamless logistics, we take the stress out of the unknown so you can focus on what matters: connecting with culture, nature, and a like-minded crew of fellow adventurers.

Travelling to Albania with Elsewheria means going deep into one of Europe’s last untouched regions, with none of the stress and all of the soul. This isn’t just a trip. It’s an adventure into the unknown, the unspoiled, and the unforgettable.

This document contains everything you’ll need to join before we embark on our adventure. So grab yourself a cuppa and let’s get into it.

Getting Ready to Experience Albania

Over the next few months, we will be sending you a few forms and documents to return in order to collect necessary information from you. Please do your best to fill in and return these as soon as you can.

Visa Arrangements – General Info

Many nationalities can enter Albania without a visa for short stays:

EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Israel: Up to 90 days within any 180-day period
US citizens: Can stay up to 365 days visa-free
GCC countries (e.g. UAE, Saudi Arabia): Visa-free from May 1 to September 30

If you’re from a country not listed above, you’ll need to apply for a Type C tourist visa:

Valid for 90 days within 180 days
Single or multiple entry options

How to Get There

Yep, we’re going remote… that’s the point!

We’re not taking you to Mykonos or Monaco. This isn’t about overpriced beach clubs or pre-packaged tourism. This is a raw, far-flung adventure crafted for travellers who want to go beyond the norm.

Luckily, reaching Albania isn’t actually too tricky at all. Especially if you’re flying from Europe or the UK. The tougher to navigate parts of the trip are all organised by us, once you’ve touched down.

Flights to Albania

Arrival Airport: Tirana International Airport (TIA)

Departure Airport: Tirana International Airport (TIA)

Please start looking into flights now; this will allow you to get an overview of prices, routes, and possible connections. Keep an eye out for promo fares, particularly with low-cost carriers.

We recommend using sites like Skyscanner to help with your search. You can also look directly at the airlines’ websites.

There are very cheap direct flights here from the UK. Below are the best flights from London:

London Stansted (STN) → Tirana (TIA)

Airline: Ryanair
Flight time: ~2h 55m
Average price: from £15 one-way, around £41 return

London Luton (LTN) → Tirana (TIA)

Airline: Wizz Air UK
Flight time: ~3h 05m
Average price: from £17 one-way, around £35 return

Arriving in Albania – When do you need to be there?

To experience the full itinerary, you need to be at the meeting place in Tirana by midday on Day 1 of the trip. We will confirm the exact time and meeting place before the start of the tour.

Note: The included tour accommodation does not start until the evening of day 1. If you arrive in Albania in the days before the tour starts, you will need to arrange your own accommodation. We have listed a few suggestions below:

Guesthouse Doanesia (close to the bus station)
Retreat Apartments (close to the city centre)

Accommodation in Albania

During our Albanian Alps Adventure tour, we are heading pretty off-the-beaten path, into the wild and beautiful wilderness!

Although we aren’t going to be staying in the Ritz, the Elsewheria team have selected the best accommodation we can find in each location. All of the places that we stay will be either homestays or hotels that are very comfortable, and often the “nicest” palace to stay in town.

The rooms will be twin shares, meaning you will share a room with one other person throughout the trip. There are double beds available for couples upon request.

Single Room Supplement Costs: If you would like to reserve a private room for yourself throughout the trip, instead of sharing with another guest, the single room supplement cost is $500. Please let us know in advance if you would like to upgrade to this option.

Food in Albania

What to Expect

Albanian cuisine is a delicious blend of Mediterranean heartiness and Balkan soul, deeply influenced by neighbouring Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Expect fresh, seasonal ingredients including juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, wild herbs, olive oil, and rich cheeses.

Meals are often served as large, shareable portions. Below are some common dishes:

Grilled meats like lamb or beef are staples.
Tavë Kosi, a baked lamb and yoghurt dish, is pure comfort food.
Byrek, a flaky pastry filled with spinach, cheese, or meat, is perfect on the go.
Expect plenty of fresh salads and grilled vegetables.

Bread is always on the table, coffee is strong, and dessert often comes in the form of sheqerpare (syrupy cookies) or baklava.

Daily Meals

Many of the meals on the trip are included and will be Albanian dishes served by our hosts at our homestays. If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know in advance.

There are a few meals that will be at an additional cost during the trip. These meals will be eaten at local restaurants and should cost between 5-15 Euros (500-1500 LEK), depending on the restaurant and what you order.

Note: Alcohol is not included in the tour. If you would like to buy local beer along the way, you can expect to pay 2-5 Euros (200 – 500 LEK).

Personal Snacks

Once we depart from Shkoder, shops will be very limited throughout the trip. If you enjoy a snack while hiking (like most of us do), I’d highly recommend stocking up on these on day 1 of the trip, before we depart. If you get enough to share, you’ll no doubt become one of the most popular on the trip 😉

Staying Safe on this Tour

You may have guessed, but this adventure tour carries a certain amount of risk since we are heading into the Alps. This is not your average holiday per se.
Guest Safety is Elsewheria’s #1 priority, and our experienced ground team does everything within their power to set our group up for a safe adventure. The name of the game is security and safety first, and injury prevention. We take it very seriously.

Travel Insurance for Albania

You cannot join this Elsewheria adventure unless you buy travel insurance. We will ask for your policy information before the trip begins.
On Day 1, you’ll be asked to sign a standard waiver releasing Elsewheria, our guides, and our Albanian partners from liability. This is a common practice for group travel and helps ensure everyone’s on the same page.
Other companies we recommend: World Nomads or Safety Wing

Medical Considerations Before Travelling to Albania

Before heading to any overseas country, you should always check out your government’s health advice. Below, you can find links to various government websites that outline this for travel to Albania:

Most importantly, consult with a quality health care professional or travel doctors before departure to be sure you’ve got all the correct vaccinations, etc.

Money in Albania

The currency in Albania is the Albanian Lek (ALL). While some tourist hotspots may accept Euros or USD, you’ll get far better value by using Lek – especially in local restaurants, shops, and markets.

Albania is largely a cash-based society. Card payments are possible in upscale hotels or international chains, but most transactions happen in cash, especially in smaller towns and countryside areas (AKA where we are going!)

Make sure you exchange or withdraw enough Lek, as ATMs can be limited or unreliable in rural regions.

We highly recommend grabbing yourself a Wise travel card for minimising ATM fees and securing competitive exchange rates while travelling.

How much should you bring?

To cover additional meal costs, alcohol, souvenirs, tipping, luggage storage and whatever else you end up buying, we recommend bringing $500/ 430 euros. It’s better to come with more and spend less, than the opposite 🙂

Tipping Staff and Porters

The Elsewheria team, including our ground team in Albania, goes above and beyond for guests before, during, and after the trip to make sure that everyone has the best possible ocean experience imaginable.

So, how do you show your guides some love? Well, besides bringing good vibes, good hiking snacks, and laughing at their jokes, tipping is the next best option.

Below we have included the industry standard recommendation to offer our staff some additional compensation based on your overall experience and keeping in mind the length of the trip and how hard we work to ensure you have an incredible time in Albania. Show your staff some love!

A generous tipping budget for your guide(s) is around $5-10 USD per day. You can also opt to tip drivers, wait staff, porters, and other services if you think they have gone above and beyond.

SIM Cards and Internet Access in Albania

There are a couple of options for staying connected in Albania.

The cheapest option is often to get a local SIM once you’re on the ground. The most popular companies in Albania are Vodafone Albania and ONE (formerly Telekom Albania).

However, we highly recommend an eSIM card for Albania (and travel in general!) They might set you back slightly more, but they are so convenient. You can be connected as soon as you set foot in the country, without having to scout out the nearest phone shop.

For Albania, I’d recommend Jetpac if you’d like to opt for the ease of an eSIM.

Note: The hotels that we stay at will also offer free Wi-Fi.

Weather Conditions in Albania in June

June is a fantastic time for us to explore northern Albania. We can expect long, sun-soaked days. In Shkodër, Tirana and Fishtë, things heat up fast – daytime temperatures often climb into the low 30s°C, with evenings staying comfortably warm.

As we journey deeper into the mountains toward Valbona and Theth, the air freshens and the climate shifts. We’ll feel cooler daytime highs in the mid-20s°C, and nights might call for an extra layer.

All in all, June gives us the perfect blend of warm valley days and refreshing alpine escapes – ideal for hiking, ferry rides, and indulging in Albania’s rugged northern beauty.

What to Pack for Albania

Getting your Albanian Alps packing list right is the key to a comfortable mountain adventure. While there are many things you can buy in Albania, let’s just say that the mountains are not the most geared up with travel supplies. This means that coming prepared is extra important, even more so than your usual holiday.

We have collated an all-inclusive packing list that dives into everything you’ll need for our Albania Adventure tour.

IMPORTANT NOTE

When we hike the Valbona Pass, we will be hiking with our gear for 5+ hours. So our biggest and essential packing tip is to PACK LIGHT.

Please do not bring any more than a 40L backpack with you – a 30-35L backpack is ideal.

HOWEVER:

There is an option to get a horse to carry your luggage during the day of the hike. If you would like to book this option, please let us know in advance so that we can organise this for you at an additional cost.
It is possible to leave a separate bag in Shkoder (for a small fee), and we can pick it up in Shkoder on our way to Fishte on day 7 of the trip. If you would like to leave a bag here with clothing for the farm-to-table meal, you can also do this.

Laundry

Although you might get the opportunity to do laundry along the way through the homestays/ hotels, it is not guaranteed. We are not staying long in each place, so there may not be enough time for the hosts to do it.

Please pack assuming you will not have laundry available (unless you call washing your underwear in the sink, laundry – then yes, you can do this!)

Paying the Balance, Deposit and Cancellation Terms

Alright, it’s time to talk money and T&Cs, folks. Here are the nitty gritty details about payments and our terms:

Deposit Terms

All deposits are non-refundable. However, if the client cancels more than 60 days before the start of the trip, the full deposit may be applied as credit toward a future Elsewheria trip (one-time transfer only and must be used within 12 months).

If cancellation is made less than 30 days before the start of the trip, the deposit will be forfeited.

In cases where extraordinary, non-recoverable costs (such as flights, permits, or visas) are involved, these costs are never refundable by us, regardless of notice.

Final Payment Policy

Final payment is due at least 90 days before the trip start date, unless otherwise stated.
Bookings made within 90 days of departure require full payment at the time of booking.

Cancellation After Full Payment

90+ days before the trip: Full refund minus the non-refundable deposit.
51-90 days before the trip: 50 percent refund of total payment (excluding the deposit).
31-50 days before the trip: 75 percent refund of total payment (excluding the deposit).
Less than 30 days or fewer before the trip: No refund. We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance that covers cancellations, delays, and medical emergencies.

All refunds will be processed back to the original card or payment method used at the time of booking. Once a refund has been accepted by the bank or payment provider, Elsewheria has no further control over the release of funds.

If you are unable to attend this adventure, please inform us as soon as possible.

Organiser-Initiated Cancellation

Elsewheria reserves the right to cancel a trip if the minimum required number of participants stated in the provided itinerary is not met. In this case, all payments will be fully refunded, including the deposit. Notification will be provided at least 30 days before the start of the trip.

Early Trip Departure Protocol

In the event that a trip participant needs to leave the planned trip itinerary early due to illness, injury, family emergency, personal reasons, or simply because they want to, etc, then there are a few things to note:

Should a trip participant choose to leave the planned itinerary early for any reason, from the moment they leave the tour, all expenses from that point onwards are the responsibility of the trip participant.

This includes, but is not limited to, hotels/accommodation, transportation, emergency helicopter evacuation, internal flights (even if we have purchased you a flight for the trip you are attending), meals, airport transfer, guide services – everything that is normally covered by Elsewheria during your tour is no longer covered once a trip participant decides to leave.

Once the decision has been made to leave the tour, the trip participant must sign an “Early Departure Waiver Form” – formerly releasing Elsewheria of any further obligations to fulfil our tour/guide/transport/logistics services.

That said, in an emergency situation or in case of severe illness, Elsewheria staff will do everything within our means to aid the trip participant until they are in a safe/stable condition. When possible, Elsewheria staff can also help you book new accommodation, flights, transport, etc, but all of these expenses are for the trip participant to pay.

Point being, our staff will always be available to the best of our ability to facilitate the logistics of your departure, should you choose to leave the trip early.

Liability Waiver

All tour participants will be required to sign an industry-standard waiver releasing Elsewheria from liability related to any aspect of this trip. Waivers are issued on day 1 of the tour at our first team briefing. If you would like to request a copy of the waiver in advance, please email us.

Any questions?

Please check out our FAQs on the tour itinerary page, or email us at danielle@elsewheria.com.

Again, we are very excited to get to meet you in person in Albania soon!