Take One of the Best Boat Trips of Your Life On Albania's Lake Koman
One of the world’s greatest boat trips is along Albania‘s Lake Koman surrounded by the ever-changing scape of dramatic mountain gorges that reflect in the calm water’s surface. Be sure to experience it soon.
Every morning along the Koman Reservoir the ferry station fills up with buses carrying local and foreign travelers who need to traverse the water. A few different boats of various sizes await at the small station, some big enough to carry a few vehicles. Lake Koman is a reservoir on the Drin River produced through the construction of a dam between 1979 and 1988. After the inundation of the area, a ferry service was established for the local population but soon became a popular tourist destination due to the beautiful surrounding forested hills, deep gorges, steep slopes, and narrow valleys.
One of the best ways of taking one of the Lake Koman ferries is to spend a night in Shkoder and catching the 6am bus that takes off from the main square (Sheshi Demokracia-Democracy Square) near the Hotel Rozafa. If you’re staying at a hostel or hotel in Shkoder, you can also ask the reception to call the bus driver, which means the bus will stop to pick you up directly at your accommodation. This bus ride is also quite the experience in its own right, because apart from the tourists in the city, it also makes a few stops in the many villages on the way to bring all the children to school. It’s quite the beautiful glimpse into local Albanian village life, which seems to have remained quite idyllic.
As the ferry slowly drifts along the lake, huge mountain gorges appear before you that are reflected in the water. You’ll often see single houses built into quite high mountain elevations, which will make you wonder who lives there and how they were possibly able to build a home in such a remote location. The small boats that are tethered to the shore seem to be the only form of transportation for many of the small villages that you’ll see along the way; an entirely different world where simplicity still reigns. By the time the ferry reaches Fierza, you’ll reluctantly get back on shore, taking a last long look at the lake before you show your ticket to the driver who will drive you to Valbona.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
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