Albania was one of top destinations during summer 2017 and will be among the most required even in the upcoming holidays, writes ‘Vacanze in Albania’ travel magazine on its tourism section on Tuesday.
“National Geographic also included Albania among top destinations of 2018, alongside Jordan, Tanzania, Switzerland, Cambodia and Madagascar,” the article writes.
National Geographic advises Albanian holidays specially to adventure seekers who look for active holidays, away from mass tourism, however, rich in authentic experiences and get in touch with nature and the country’s culture.
Berat and Gjirokaster are there to be discovered, Greek and Roman amphitheaters, beaches and especially unchartered panoramas such as alpine peaks, green plains, the flora and fauna.
Why chooses Albania?
The country is wealth-concentrated– Stretched in a surface not larger than Bretagne, Albania possesses a mosaic of people and traditions, mountains, lakes and two seas, big cities and further regions, coexisting religions and beautiful Mediterranean views.
Isolated to tourists for about 50 years until the ‘90s, Albania offers a heterogeneous view of coastal and mountainous tourism and has increasingly appealed foreign tourists in the last ten years. Given that it is called by them as “a huge Mediterranean love” and “Europe’s last kept secret.”
Albania is an unexplored country – National Geographic invites tourists to explore the country’s natural heritage, dive in relatively unchartered waters. Flooded water systems, shipwrecks and rare caves are some of the unspoiled hidden treasures awaiting divers in Albania. Decades of isolation under communist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha have restrained development and unwittingly have preserved underwater cultural heritage, especially off the southern coast.
Destination for adventure travel – Albania is increasingly focusing on adventure travel. The last initiative was last May when a hiking trail was launched in the Karaburun Peninsula Natural Reserve, an ancient military base accessible only on foot or by boat. Crossing the peninsula with a small boat, you can reach a small bay, perfect for scuba diving, located near a cave of 600 m2.
Last May, the authorities opened the island of Sazan in southern Albania. It was a military base that was used by the Italians until the WWII before becoming the most secret base of the country under communism, when it was fortified with bunkers and tunnels designed to withstand a possible nuclear attack that the Albanian communist elite feared.
The small uninhabited island of 5.7 km2 and the Karaburun peninsula offer to explorer’s ruins of Greek, Roman and World War II submerged ships, rich underwater fauna, steep cliffs and giant caves, ancient inscriptions of sailors on the beach, secluded beaches and breathtaking views of the coast.
It is not the first time that this country is named on the lists of travelers as one of the destinations not to be missed. National Geographic has also previously assessed Albania as among the top ten places which deserves more travelers and recommended Valbona Valley in northern Albania as one of the largest open spaces globally.
The ATTA association (Adventure Travel Trade Association) has included Albania as one of the main adventure travel destinations for 2017 along with Cuba and Portugal, while the French public broadcaster France 2 has dubbed Albania as the “Pearl of the Balkans.”
Source: Radio Tirana International
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