Vlore has a wall of mountains, isolating the city from the east and the sea to the west. In Albania, it is where the mountains meet the sea at equal beauty, ideal for hiking! When you climb up, it is full of locals going to feed the flocks of sheep and cows.
The mountains are cold and fresh air, hit by sea air, medium hiking difficulty, and excursions make the path exciting, well accumulated as you move from spot to spot.
Some of these mountains have old historic villages, and old architecture houses built stone by stone, testimony to an old mountainous style of living conditions and still populated by locals running traditional farms.
Hikes can last however long you want! However make sure to know that these are virgin, and no one hikes in the areas. And not many hikers have gone through as most of Albania is undiscovered.
This villa that I found online has a fireplace with real wood and it can accommodate over 10 people, hike in a group! Close to the villa, there is a small lake with a freshwater source, a 10-minute walk, If you fancy the challenge of diving in cold water straight from the tree branches this place will be to your liking, and go for it.
In January and February, the weather is amazing, and you can get this villa for less than 130 euros a night.
Close by is the archaeological site of Tragjas I vjeter, Lake Izvor, Mountain Cika, and Mountain LLogara.
The people that run this villa and hiking service have a few routes on their hands, just request after booking it.
