Hike the Coastal Trails of Albania

Marta Marinelli, raised in Italy’s serene Prosecco Hills, dreamt of global adventures, inspired by her father's travel stories. Her passion evolved into a career, backed by a decade of studies including degrees in international tourism and destination management. She’s worked in the adventure travel sector since 2012, living in Italy, the UK, and now sunny Portugal.

Over twenty years, Marta has explored over 55 countries, visiting remote areas like Ghana, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Haiti and Nepal’s Upper Mustang region. As a Senior Adventure Expansion Manager at Much Better Adventures, she focuses on creating life-changing experiences, ranging from multi-activity adventures, challenging treks to ultimate adventures in iconic places. She loves the challenge of finding the best local adventure hosts around the world, collaborating on adventures that offer genuine immersion, pushing beyond the beaten path and working on exclusive itineraries that challenge your comfort zone.

What makes her tick? Enabling people to live adventure-rich lives while positively impacting and empowering local communities around the world, generating sustainable opportunities for both the host, guides, community, and the environment.

The little known Southern Coastal Trail stretches along 74 kilometres of Albania’s beautiful southern riviera (approx 4hrs south of Tirana), between the towns of Dhërmi almost all the way to Saranda. Although the area is mainly visited in summer with local and a few international tourists flocking to its dreamy beaches, the cultural heritage, panoramic trails and culinary traditions of this region can be best experienced along a spectacular multi-day trek from village to village and beach to beach. We've picked the best combination of routes for this trip, with incredibly varied scenery featuring rugged mountain peaks, spectacular coastal trails, secluded beaches, rocky shepherds' paths, terraced fields, olive groves and plenty of charming stone villages. Views of the seemingly endless blue sea contrasting with the backdrop of dramatic mountain ridges will accompany the trek throughout, and you'll have plenty of opportunities for refreshing swims in the Ionian Sea.

Tap water in Albania is generally not safe to drink. You may find purified water in some of the accommodation which you can use to fill up each morning, so be sure to pack a reusable water bottle or two. To avoid plastic waste where filtered water is not available, we suggest bringing water purification tablets (or an alternative purification system) for extra safety.

Overall, weather conditions down by the coast should be pretty favourable in the months when this trip is scheduled to run, with plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures ranging from 18 to 26°C on average. However, as always, Mother Nature is unpredictable so the best you can do is to be prepared for anything and come equipped with sunscreen, a hat and waterproofs. Your host will be monitoring the weather conditions during the course of the trip and may suggest alternative, safer routes or activities should the weather get particularly bad, or change the order and timings of the hikes. The Llogara National Park sits on alpine heights and forms a weather divide between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas; as such, the park is prone to rapid weather changes and cooler temperatures.

This trip operates in areas where daytime temperatures can reach extreme highs, where limited shade and high humidity can also be a factor. These conditions can affect physical performance and increase the risk of dehydration or heat-related illness. Your guide will adjust the pace and monitor the group closely, but hydration, proper clothing, and sun protection are essential.

Before travelling, consider your ability to be active in high temperatures and consult a medical professional if you have concerns – especially if you have any cardiovascular or heat-sensitive conditions. Arriving a day or two prior to the trip may help you adjust gradually to the heat.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

• 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
• 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
• 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.

The best time to hike in this region is in spring from March to mid-June, or in autumn between September and November when temperatures are milder, reaching daytime highs of 22-26°C. While Albania enjoys a great amount of sunshine, rain can be expected at any time of the year so you should be prepared for all eventualities. In Spring, the flowers are in full bloom and the greenery is striking, with slightly fresher water temperatures but the weather can be a little less stable. In Autumn the sea is warmer, although the daylight hours shorten and the night time temperatures start to lower. The mountainous region of the Llogara National Park is always cooler due to the higher altitude, with temperatures between 15-19 °C in spring and autumn and the possibility of stronger winds. Whilst villages and beaches are usually very busy in the months of July and August, exploring the region during spring and autumn will allow you to avoid the crowds and have the trails and villages almost to yourself – bliss!