Mountain flora of Albania

Thursday 13 May – Saturday 22 May (nine nights)

The ancient kingdom of Albania became a socialist republic after the war and was very much a “hermit state”, surrounded by the fast-developing EU and the Balkan wars. In 1991 it had a bloodless revolution and started on the paths of democracy and westernisation. It has a rich cultural heritage, its own language and currency, very friendly people, and a largely unspoilt natural landscape. Bordering several mountain ranges on all sides, an intricate topography has a profusion of karsts, caves, springs, lakes and waterfalls. Albania has for its size the highest plant biodiversity in Europe, as well as a rich diversity of mammals, reptiles, butterflies and birds.
About 3,500 different species of plants can be found, both Mediterranean and alpine. The country maintains a vibrant tradition of herbal and medicinal practices. At least 300 plants growing locally are used in the preparation of herbs and medicines.
Surprisingly, nature holidays are a relatively recent comer to the country. This tour will be very similar to the 2025 tour, which was over-subscribed, and it is recommended you read the tour report at https://www.medpag.org/events/past-events/albania-in-spring-may-2025/. Our tour will be focused on wild flora, and does not include any garden visits. However the final day will be largely cultural, in the ancient city of Berat.
Our guide The tour will be led by Oron Peri a highly experienced guide and known to many, who has been several times to the places on our tour.

MPG organiser For any queries about this tour contact Andrew Mayo at andrewjmayo@gmail.com

Price per person
Shared double room: £ 1325
Single supplement: £ 150

This price is inclusive of:
Nine nights accommodation
All meals except one lunch
Drinks allowance (meals)
All transport and guiding
Water and some snacks
Gratuities

The price does not include:

Flights
Personal Items
Free day in Berat and lunch that day
Travel insurance (required)

Deposit
A booking deposit is requested at the time of booking of £250. The balance due date will be advised but expected to be early March.

Flights
The recommended flight from UK is BA 380 departing Heathrow at 08.30 and arrives at 12.35 local time. BA379 returns on the Saturday arriving at Heathrow T5 at 1100. At the time of writing, BA is showing £208 for Economy (no checked bag) return. If arriving on a different flight or from a different country please arrange to be at the airport by 1300 hrs so we can leave together to our first hotel.

Fitness
This is a trip to mountains. Most walks will be easy and no more than three or four miles walking in any one day, and always at a relaxed pace, ideally suited to photographers. On one or two days there will be some steep paths and rocky ground but there will be options to stay behind. There will be frequent roadside stops. The tour covers a lot of the country and requires a number of hotel changes.

Booking
Places are limited to 13. It will be a case of “first come, first served” and a place is not secured without the deposit.

If you came in 2025 and wish to repeat the tour, in this instance you are welcome but preference will be given to those who missed the earlier one.

You will be asked for flight and insurance information closer to the tour start.

ITINERARY

This map shows the planned journey, which is described below. Our guide has discretion to vary our routes depending on weather and season. Seasons are very variable and we cannot be sure of what we will see specifically.

(c) Google 2026

Day 1 – Thursday 13 May
Participants will all meet at the airport at “Arrivals” at around 1pm. There will be two seven seater minibuses, and members will head to the Qafshtame National Park, approximately 90 minutes drive north east from Tirana. They will stay at the lovely Shkreli Resort. The rooms are comfortable and the setting of the hotel is delightful.
En route there will be a stop for a late lunch and probably roadside stops for interesting plants on the way.
The stay at Shkreli Resort will be for two nights
Day 2 – Friday 14 May – Qafshtame National Park
After breakfast the group will go botanising on the mountain above the hotel, enjoying the beautiful views. They are likely to see several orchids, the yellow Alkanna pindicola, and many others depending ion the season. After descending for lunch and a short break, there will be another walk in the surrounding forest in the afternoon looking for the Birds Nest Orchid Neottia nidis-avis and other plants of interest.

Day 3 – Saturday 15 May
After an early breakfast the buses will head north to Valbone Valley National Park, a deep valley situated at southernmost part of the Dinaric Alps and bordering on Montenegro. it is a long day on the road with stops several times for flowers along the way. Examples of plants that may be seen are the rare Ramonda serbica, Daphne oleioides, Pinguicula hirtiifolia and the beautiful Moltkia petraea.

The scenery is outstanding; high mountains with their summits still covered with snow and the beautiful Valbone River with its lush vegetation. Lunch will be at a restaurant en route arriving in the late afternoon/evening at the Breezy Hotel. Some plants the group may see after lunch include Iris sintenisii, Lilium albanicum, more Orchids and Salvia ringens

Day 4 – Sunday 16 May – Valbone Valley National Park
After breakfast a local minibus will take the group up a mountain road. The valley is practically a vast gorge and there are only 3 places where it is possible to enter the high mountains. Walking farther up to botanise at higher elevations there is hope of seeing Paeonia arietina in bloom, and also Hepatica, Convallaria, Fritillaria, Gentiana and other alpine plants.

Some people would probably walk back down as it is really a nice walk; otherwise the bus will come up once more to fetch them. In the afternoon there should be time for a further short walk in the valley.

Day 5 – Monday 17 May
This will be another long drive towards the south going through the north eastern part of the country, following down the Kosovo border. The group will enjoy superb scenery, particularly near Mt. Korab, and have many stops on the way for flowers and views. Lunch will be at a local restaurant en route. Many plant options may occur, such as Hemerocallis lilio-asphodelus, Rosa glauca and Dichtamnus albus

In the evening the group will arrive at the town of Peshkopi for one night and stay at the Hotel Monopol

Day 6 – Tuesday 18 May
After breakfast the vans will continue south close to border with North Macedonia.
The destination will be the Shebenik Jablanice National Park. Roads in this area have been much improved of late and quite a few new Orchid species will probably be found as well as some interesting plants that are growing in the limestone areas.

Lunch will be in the excellent and most famous Trout farm restaurant in Albania. After lunch the group will be heading to accommodation in , Joen Village, in Fushe Studen. After depositing luggage there will be a walk out to the valley which has orchids, Narcissus poeticus, Arum maculatum and Paronychia albanica.

Day 7 – Wednesday 19 May
In the morning there will be a visit to the nearby lake and forest looking for more plants and wild life. Plants to be seen may include Orchis morio, Pseudofumaria alba and Saponaria cretica . Then the group heads south to the historic town of Berat, with the aim to get there in the late afternoon. The stay there will be for two nights.

Berat was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, and has a unique style of architecture with influences from several civilizations. Like many cities in Albania, Berat comprises an old fortified city filled with churches and mosques painted with grandiose murals and frescoes.

Day 8 – Thursday 20 May
The drive is less than an hour to go botanising on the wonderful and locally sacred mountain Tommori which contains approximately 40% of the entire flora of Albania, starting at the base with its Mediterranean climate and going up for Alpine plants, with many endemics and rare species. Examples are Astragalus autranii, Tulipa sylvestris australis, Arum lucanum and Viola albanica . Some can be found growing only on this mountain. A picnic lunch lower down, and then the group will head back to Berat in the afternoon.

Day 9 – Friday 21 May
After breakfast the day will be spent in the town and historic Berat Castle. This will be a free day and small groups/individuals may follow their own preferences. At about 4pm the vans will travel to Tirana Airport for about 2 hours for our last stay. Dinner will be together at the hotel

Day 10 – Saturday 22 May
The group transfers to the airport for the flight back to London (or elsewhere)

WEATHER and FURTHER DETAILS

Warm and sunny with blue skies for the most part. There may be some rain and cloud in the mountains and a readiness for rapid change should be prepared for.

A species list will be provided and our Guide will go through this list with those interested every couple of evenings.

Booked participants will be briefed with further details in due course and queries can be directed to the MPG Organiser, Andrew Mayo.

Booking Form

Please note that MPG events are open to members of MPG and its sister organisations only.

Bank Transfer

By bank transfer with reference  ALBANIA
Sort Code 40 40 32
Account 5161 4002
Account name: Mediterranean Plants and Gardens
IBAN  GB63 HBUK 4040 3251 6140 02

Euros

For those wishing to pay in euros, payment can be made directly into our euro account. If you wish to pay by this means please contact the treasurer, David Mason, for an exchange rate and payment instructions. If paying from a bank in the euro zone into our euro account, this can be done with minimal bank charges provided you use a SEPA (Single European Payments Area) payment method.