Grand Canyon Albania tour on the Osum river with a stop in Polican

Half day tour from Berat to discover the Grand Canyon Albania

Visit Osum canyon, on the Osum River is for sure one of those attractions that you shouldn’t miss if you are visiting the country and want to experience Albania adventures. Certainly Albania is a land of water: rivers, lakes, streams and canyons are one after the other from north to south, at the base of the major mountain ranges. But the grand Osum canyon has an edge. On your way there you will be introduced to the greenery of the regional Albania, then the environment of the canyon takes you in a unique atmosphere. Over the course of millions of years, the flood water has formed the rock walls, millimeter after millimeter, creating a never to be repeated spectacle. Small caves, underground passages, huge caves that have not been explored today sprout along the entire path of the canyon.

First stop: visit to the "communist" town of Polican

You will leave in the morning at 8:30 from Berat to travel in the cooler hours, conquered by the breathtaking views of the valley of the Osum river. After about half an hour of travel, you will be ready for the first break. You will stop on the way for a coffee and visit the town of Polican, a center created from nothing in the sixties, under the communist regime. At the time the Chinese had arrived on site, who had built a mechanical production center, a factory intended for the production of weapons on a large scale. Here all the curious and nostalgic will be fascinated to discover what happened in the recent past, that today seems so far away. The stylistic code of this legacy is inscribed in the Polican architecture. Here and there you can see many bunkers, built to defend the inhabitants from a hypothetical nuclear attack. Polican's charm is all here, in its mystery. For a long time it was a ghost town, of which not much was known, for obvious security reasons. Those were other times and the Cold War had divided the world in two, the propaganda, phobias and paranoia of the leaders did the rest.

Second stop: the village of Bogova

You will set off again on our means of transport to reach the village of Bogova, part of the municipality of Skrapar. This small village is mainly famous for its waterfalls, but all lovers of genuine food and clean air also stop here. Fruits, vegetables, meat, bread and products from the undergrowth are the protagonists of the local cuisine, always accompanied by a good glass of wine or raki, which you will be able to taste.

Third stage: visit to the canyons

You will visit Osum canyon on the Osum River, where you will have the opportunity to take short walks with stops to take photographs and admire the most suggestive views along its stretch of 26 km. Here the rapids of the Osum River are class II, which means there is no great danger. Arranging your bags safely, you will proceed to explore the second part of the canyon, where you will have the opportunity to swim or bathe in natural pools and waterways. During the entire route you will have the opportunity to admire the edges of the canyon and their particular ecosystem. Along the sides of the gorge, Mediterranean bushes and shrubs thrive all year round. They mix with the particular rock formations that the erosion of water and wind has created over millions of years. The most particular rocks have been nicknamed, there is the Cathedral, the Eye or the mysterious one called the Demon Gate.

•We suggest this tour to customers who are able to climb and descend streets and stairs.

•This tour is not suitable for customers in wheelchair. 

•We suggest you to bring a cap with you, a pair of extra clothes and sunglasses

•Reach the meeting point 15 minutes before the departure time.