Albania - Bikepacking the Backroads
Southern Albania Cycling Tour: Mountains, Coast & Culture
This 9-day bikepacking trip through Southern Albania and North Macedonia delivers the best of the Balkans by bike. The roughly 400km loop showcases dramatic mountains, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, glittering coastlines, and quiet rural roads that few cyclists have explored.
Starting near Lake Ohrid on the Macedonian border, we journey through national parks, olive groves, and traditional stone villages before reaching the stunning Albanian Riviera. Days bring coastal riding with opportunities for swimming, sunset views, and seaside meals that capture the essence of Mediterranean cycling. While this is a tarmac-focused route, the adventure factor remains high with varied terrain and immersive cultural experiences.
With a local guide in the support vehicle, you'll gain insight into the region's rich history, culture, and cuisine while experiencing the legendary warmth of Albanian hospitality. If you've been dreaming of a sun-soaked, culturally immersive cycling holiday through undiscovered routes—this is the trip!
Highlights
✔ Swim in Lake Ohrid and get a glimpse of neighbouring Macedonia
✔ Finish with a 1000m descent to the beach at Vlorë
✔ Experience local culture at a Sotirë farmstay
✔ Stay in the museum town of Gjirokastër, Albania’s “most beautiful” town
✔ Bathe in the thermal pools of Langarica and hike its incredible canyon
View Dates & Book
Questions about the trip or want to be kept in the loop on future dates?
Booking Info
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Click on your preferred trip date to be directed to our secure booking partner WeTravel who will process and manage your booking.
£300 deposit to secure your spot
Full balance due 60 days before the trip
💡 Tip: We recommend paying with bank details to avoid card processing fees.
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Bike hire: £130 or £250 for an e-bike
Single supplement: £300
Bikepacking bags: £25
Hammerhead Karoo navigation devices: £10
Luggage transfer: £100 if you don’t fancy carrying your stuff, we’ll have a limited number of luggage transfers upgrades available.
Airport transfer: £40 (per person + 1 bike)
All add-ons can be selected at booking or added later.
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⚠️ Important: This trip requires a minimum of 6 participants to run.
Please do not book your travel until we've confirmed the trip is running.
Your deposit is fully refundable until we confirm this number has been met.
You will see a guaranteed badge next to those dates we have already guaranteed to run.
Reviews
ITINERARY
Meeting Point: Tirana, Albania
End Point: Tirana, Albania
Carrying either all your gear bikepacking-style or just the day's essentials, we explore Albania's southern heartland, hopping between UNESCO heritage sites, iconic landscapes, and history-filled towns and villages.
Each day begins with breakfast together before loading up bikes and rolling out around 9am following a detailed route briefing from the guides. In advance of the trip, route files and descriptions are shared via Komoot with details on terrain, sights, safety, and resupply points to help plan each day. Whether riding with the guides and group or independently, there are excellent regroup points and recommended lunch spots along the way. Evenings bring the group together at the destination for shared dinners or local restaurant recommendations, plus a look ahead at the next day's route before settling in for a good night's sleep—ready to do it all again tomorrow.
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Sleep: 3* hotel
Meals: N/A
Lively, colourful Tirana is the beating heart of Albania. Arrive and check in at the hotel from 3pm. We'll share a rider WhatsApp group for you to meet up with fellow riders for dinner. For those bringing their own bikes, there'll be space to build either today or early tomorrow morning.
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Meals: B, L, D
We start the morning with a two hour transfer to the northern side of Lake Ohrid, with bikes loaded on bike racks. From here, we start cycling along the scenic shore of Lake Ohrid towards Pogradec. After time for lunch and checking into the hotel, we do an afternoon loop, crossing over into Macedonia and visiting the monastery of St Naum. Pack your passport!
Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest and most ecologically diverse lakes in the world.
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Meals: B,L
Leaving Lake Ohrid, we climb to a high plateau bounded by mountains. We continue following the gorge for awhile until the hills open up, leading to a vast plain and a colourful patchwork of individual farms. There will be time to explore the town of Korcë after our ride and take a walk around the ‘Paris of Albania.’
Korcë became an important trading and handicraft centre in the 18th century due to the development of trade with neighbouring regions. It has been an important religious centre for Orthodox Christians and Muslims for centuries and a centre of the growth of Albanian identity.
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Meals: B,L,D
We leave behind the agricultural plateau of Korcë, ascending steadily into the border mountains through a landscape of barren rock interspersed with wildflowers. Numerous cols and valleys lie ahead, climbing into the heart of the Grammoz Mountains and over the Barmash Pass at 1159m. We will stop for lunch in the town of Ersekë, the highest city in Albania at about 1000m above sea level.
We overnight at a farm stay guesthouse in Sotirë, nestled in its own tranquil valley. Dinner (and wine!) is grown in the valley and produced by local families. A special way to end a big day.
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Meals: B,L
We climb out from Sotirë to a high pine forest plateau surrounded by soaring peaks, before reaching the source of the River Vjosa and descending through its spectacular gorge to Leskovik. The 17km long descent to Çarshovë is one of the most scenic rides of the tour. We follow the corniche route high above the river to Përmet, famed for its cuisine and strong raki.
After time for lunch in the village of Bënjë, we continue cycling for another 4km to the thermal pools of Langarica and its canyon where we end our ride. You can hike upriver through one of the most magnificent canyons in Europe (and maybe find your own secluded pool for a skinny dip!).
After enjoying the thermal pools, we transfer by van to Gjirokastër (city of 1,000 steps). Gjirokastër, a ‘museum’ town, is considered to be the most beautiful in Albania and is high on most visitors list. After checking in to our hotel, there’ll be time to explore the town before dinner.
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Meals: B,L
We start the day with a brief transfer, skipping some road and starting our cycling at the top of Muzina pass towards Sarandë.
This is the gateway to southern Albania on the Ionian coast, sandwiched between the high mountains and the sea. A short ride on a rustic ferry brings us to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Butrint, one of the country’s most important archaeological treasures, where the influences of various ancient people are clearly visible. From here, we make our way along the coast heading north with the island of Corfu always at your side.
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Meals: B,L,D
We have a rollercoaster ride today! We leave as the early morning mist is burnt off by the sun, climbing steeply out of Sarandë to a rocky plateau. Then it’s over cols into bays and around headlands, always with the stunning mountain scenery to the right and coastal views to the left before descending to the long beach and the bay of Himarë, where there’s plenty of time for a swim in the clear blue waters of the Albanian riviera.
Along the way we pay a visit to Porto Palermo Castle.
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Meals: B,L
Our biggest day!
Today’s ride is not only the most challenging but also the most spectacular. For those riders who need a little boost, there’s always the option to hop in the support van for part of the climb.
Making use of an early start, we gradually climb from sea level up to 1000m through forests, gorges and hairpin bends, with constant views back to the ocean.
After celebrating our big ascent together, we begin our descent through the forest, to our lunch in the beautiful national park of Llogara. We still have lots more incredible descending to do to the end of our ride at sea level, where we toast the end of the ride with a celebratory drink.
We then load up the bikes and transfer back to Tirana (approx 2.5 - 3 hours) to share our final evening meal together.
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Meals: B
The trip finishes after breakfast. You can choose to spend time in Tirana and grab a taxi to the airport when ready or the hotel can help you with a taxi to the airport.
What’s Included?
Included ✓
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Our trip will be guided by our British Cycling and First Aid qualified Sisters in the Wild cycling guides, who will be riding with the group. There will be a minimum of 1 cycling guide per 10 riders, alongside a support vehicle.
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Our trip will be supported by a local guide and driver in a support vehicle. This van has 7 seats available, offering the opportunity for riders to take boosts on hills if needed!
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Accommodation includes comfortable guesthouses and hotels, on a twin room basis.
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Bikepacking bags and navigation devices can be added to your booking and we’ll have them ready for you on day one.
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Each participant will be provided with a specially curated collection of routes and route briefings via Komoot, and a free map bundle to access/navigate them.
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Meals listed in the itinerary.
B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner
Not Included ✗
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We’ll share some local recommendations or book a table for the group on the nights in Tirana.
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Any snacks you want throughout the trip are not included. We’ll make sure you know where you can pick up food on the ride.
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Riders can bring their own bike, or hire from our partners in Albania.
Riders should be equipped with basic spares and tools for their bike. See packing list for info.
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Travel and transfers to/from our hotel in Tirana are not included.
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Travel Insurance that allows multi day cycling as an activity, and covers medical emergency, repatriation, cancellation and public liability is mandatory for all SITW trips and is not included.
Read more about insurance here.
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Most travellers are allowed to travel to Albania for up to 90 days without a visa.
Check for your country:
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We recommend 50 euros per person.
Accommodation & Food
Accommodation
We'll be moving between accommodation throughout the trip on this point-to-point adventure. Eight nights accommodation is included in a mix of 2-4* hotels and guesthouses, on a twin room basis. These are all comfortable and well-located for our adventure. Most have private bathrooms, though there may be a night or two where bathrooms are shared. A single supplement is available for a fee.
You can choose to either ride bikepacking-style, carrying your own stuff between hotels, or if you prefer, luggage transfer can be added to your booking for a fee.
Food
Food in Albania is quite varied thanks to the many influences on the country and particularly Mediterranean combining Turkish, Greek and Italian tastes.
Under the leadership of Enver Hoxha (the communist leader of Albania from 1944 to 1985), Albania became a self-sustaining country due to its isolation to the world. However, owing to the fertile valleys, fresh mountain springs and Mediterranean climate, they are still very much a subsistence culture and show very few signs of changing. In the countryside, expect your food to have been grown not too far from your plate.
Breakfasts are typically eggs, fresh bread, jam, honey, and coffee or tea. For lunch and dinner, meat dishes are often goat or lamb, while fish dishes might include trout or whitebait. Vegetarian options are available on our trip too, as are vegan options, though dairy products, especially milk and yoghurt, are present in almost every meal. As such, vegan options may be limited in some of our smaller destinations. Courses often come in meze form, complemented by a variety of vegetables, salad, freshly baked bread, homemade cheeses, local wines and rakija.
About The Riding
Challenge Level
We’ve rated this trip as a 2 to 3/5 on challenge level. This trip is a purely tarmac/road based trip, which we hope will open up the opportunity for more riders to join us! Daily distances are moderate and there are some decent climbs, but the addition of a support vehicle with shuttle option means these can be skipped by riders if needed. If you are riding every mile we’d put this as a 3/5, or 2/5 with the shuttle.
Terrain
The riding on this trip is 100% tarmac/on road. The tarmac can vary in quality, with potholes and some stretches of poorer quality to be expected. We aim to use quiet roads where possible, although on occasion we need to pass busy sections to reach quiet roads beyond.
Climbing
The terrain is undulating with some long, gradual climbs. The climb on Day 8 (3,422ft/1,043m) is the most challenging, although there is always the option of the support vehicle to get you up to the pass.
Daily Distances
Average daily distance is 50km (30 miles) with a couple of bigger days around 70km. We will ride for 7 consecutive days, so we can expect to have tired (but strong!) legs by the end!
Remoteness & Weather
This trip is on tarmac roads and all accessible by a support vehicle, with regular opportunities for breaks and shelter. Heat can be a challenge in the summer, but we try to coordinate our trips with cooler shoulder season temperatures.
Support Style
Our SITW Bikepacking trips aim to strike the perfect balance of freedom and support. Riders are free to ride the routes at their own pace or with the guide and group. Regardless, our team will be out on the routes to support and cheerlead.
Guiding
Depending on our group size, we’ll have one or two SITW guides out on the bike, moving back and forth amongst the group and sweeping more remote sections. Our guides are qualified first aiders and experienced mechanics and can help troubleshoot issues on the trail. Riders should be equipped with their own navigation and not rely on following a guide for directions. Each participant will be provided with a specially curated collection of routes and route briefings via Komoot, to enable self supported navigation. Hammerhead Karoo navigation devices are available to hire for a small fee for the trip.
Support
In addition to the bike based guides, this trip has a local guide in a support vehicle to assist the group in case of issues (mechanicals, injury, etc). On this trip, the vehicle has space to fit up to 7 riders at one time, opening the opportunity for riders to shuttle harder sections of the route.
Bikes & Bike Hire
Bike hire is not included as standard in this trip and riders are welcome to bring their own bike or hire through our local partners. There’ll be space to rebuild the bikes at our starting hotel and we arrange storage of bike boxes whilst on the trip and delivery to the end of our trip.
Recommended Bike
This is a 100% tarmac trip, which means that it is suitable for many types of bikes including road bikes, hybrid bikes, touring bikes, mountain bikes. We’d recommend a good gearing range to help get you an your luggage up the climbs, and it is important that your bike is in safe working order.
Due to the condition of the tarmac in some places, we’d advise against extrmely skinny road tyres for comfort and safety.
Bike Hire
Bike hire is available through our partners in Albania for for the week. You can add this to your booking and we will coordinate. The bikes are Giant Roam 0/Rove 1 hybrid touring bikes with front suspension. E-bike hire is now available for the week, as well!
Read our Complete Guide To Bikes On Sisters in the Wild Adventures for tips on travelling with your bike, recommended spares, and more.
FAQs
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Our cycling trip starts and ends in Tirana, whose airport is a 30 min taxi ride from the centre.
Tirana is well served by budget airlines across Europe. In the UK, currently Ryanair fly from Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Multiple airlines fly from London.
Please do not book your travel until we have confirmed the minimum trip number has been met.
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Albania doesn’t have any international railway lines, but is served by long distance buses. Zagreb in Croatia is the closest train station, from which a series of international buses via Bosnia/Croatia and Montenegro are possible (but certainly not quick).
Alternatively, a ferry runs from Bari in Italy to the Albanian coast, where buses can be picked up or you can ride.
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We’ll have a max group size of 18, minimum group size of 6 to run.
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We will help to pass on any dietary requirements to places that we eat, and common ones such as vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free are generally fine (though may mean a more limited menu).
Unfortunately, it may not always be possible for our vendors to accommodate serious allergies or very restrictive needs, due to their limited ingredients, menus and space. We’ll try to work with you to find solutions. You can let us know any dietary requirements at time of booking. If you have serious allergies, please email us before booking on hello@sistersinthewild.com.
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In order to make the most of the riding on offer, we’d suggest that you are comfortable riding 30+ miles in a day in hilly terrain, for a few days on the run. Riding a loaded bike for multiple days on the run takes a little more effort, so we’d recommend trying a couple of bigger practice rides of 45+ miles with some weight/luggage on your bike if you plan to ride bikepacking-style.
Feel free to drop us an email at hello@sistersinthewild.com if you have any questions on this.
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Yes, you can book directly with our starting/ending hotel if you wish to stay earlier/later. We’ll share our hotel info once the trip is confirmed.
If you need to arrive late on Day 1, that’s also fine, and our first night’s dinner can be skipped. We can fill you in during our rider briefing.
If you wish to stay longer at the beach to relax at the end of the trip, that’s a great shout. You will need to arrange your own transfer back to Tirana, which is simple with public buses.
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Albania has a temperate, Mediterranean climate. The first day of spring is 15 March and things really start to hot up toward the end of the month when clear skies and balmy temperatures provide a nice way to ease into the heat of summer. Summer brings sunshine and maximum temperatures between 20C and 35C (68F and 95F), but increasingly hotter with days sometimes above 40C. September and October see a return to cooler temperatures, but tend to still see lots of sunny blue skies.
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Bike Stuff
The basics
Bike (or hire one!)
Navigation device (available to loan from us)
A secure bike lock if bringing your own bike
Lightweight lock for the rides
Capacity to carry at least 1.5 litres of water.
Bikepacking bags OR add luggage transfer! Bags can be loaned from us.
Bike tools/spares to carry
Simple bike tools and spares for your own bike. If hiring, these will be provided!
Personal Stuff
Travel insurance
Passport
Any personal medication needed
Mini toiletries (travel toothpaste, toothbrush etc)
Battery pack/cables to keep phone and nav device charged
Cash/card
Earplugs....just in case!
Lightweight towel for swims
Sun cream/SPF lipbalm
Electrolytes (optional but recommended)
Clothing.
Off the bike:
Swimsuit!
Clothes for post-ride
Cycling clothes:
We recommend 2 sets of that you can wash/swap through the week, plus a warm layer set.
Waterproof jacket
Extra layers in weather, especially on downhills e.g. leggings, long gloves, mid layer, windbreaker
Cycling gloves (optional)
Glasses
Socks
Cycling cap/hat to keep the sun off your face
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Don’t worry! You can hire bikepacking bags and navigation devices from us for a nominal feel. You can also choose to have your luggage transferred each day so you don’t have to worry about getting everything on your bike.
Read more about our add-ons here. -
Most travellers to Albania from Europe, US and Canada do not require a visa for entry. Please check the specific requirements for your country.
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Bike boxes/bags and any extra luggage can be left at the start of the trip and we will meet them again at the end.
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