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Though Albania’s most well-known vacationer locations are its vigorous capital of Tirana and the beautiful Adriatic and Ionian Coast, the various stunning lakes in Albania even have implausible trip potential.
There are greater than 240 pure and an unimaginable 800 synthetic lakes in Albania, numbers which can be staggeringly excessive contemplating the nation’s comparatively small dimension. So, naturally, you’ve bought loads of alternatives to take pleasure in water sports activities, sunbathing, beach-going, wildlife watching and fishing when visiting Albania.
Mixed with its beautiful shoreline, the Albania lakes are what make the nation such an distinctive summer season vacation vacation spot.
Furthermore, Albania is house to a number of of crucial lakes on your complete Balkan Peninsula, our bodies of water which can be each economically (tourism) and ecologically essential. A few of them are protected as a nationwide park, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and/or UNESCO World Heritage Web site.
The 5 Most Beautiful Lakes In Albania
Though there are greater than a thousand lakes in Albania, the overwhelming majority of them are synthetic and lack historic or pure significance. That’s to not say they’re not fairly, although! Some are downright beautiful.
Nonetheless, the Albania lakes featured under all have one thing distinctive occurring, whether or not it’s wonderful biodiversity, historic significance or accessible magnificence from Tirana.
Lake Ohrid
Making up a number of the border between Albania and North Macedonia, Lake Ohrid is arguably the best and most well-known lake within the Balkans. This is likely one of the absolute pure highlights of Albania, an enormous physique of water of big cultural and pure significance.
With its most depth of 288 meters (imply depth of 155 meters), it’s the deepest lake within the Balkans and one of many deepest in Europe. Moreover, it’s additionally one of many oldest lakes in Europe, even on the planet, its origins going again 5 million years. (Different equally historical lakes elsewhere on Earth embody Lake Baikal and Lake Tanganyika.)
Lake Ohrid is house to no fewer than 200 endemic species, together with every thing from plankton to predatory fish and an incredible number of crustaceans and mollusks. In truth, contemplating its floor space, Lake Ohrid might be considered the world’s most biodiverse lake.
This historical historical past mixed with exceptional range in each plant and animal life is why Lake Ohrid is a UNESCO World Heritage Web site.
So far as lakeshore cities go, there are a number of the place you’ll be able to base your self to discover this beautiful Albanian lake. The primary city is Pogradec, which is house to a number of attention-grabbing cultural and historic monuments. Different notable resort villages alongside the Albanian shore of Lake Ohrid are Lin, Tushemisht, Drilon and Pojska.
Distances and Travel Instances to Lake Ohrid
- Tirana to Lake Ohrid: 110 kilometers / 2 hours
- Durrës to Lake Ohrid: 145 kilometers / 2 hours 30 minutes
- Shkodër to Lake Ohrid: 210 kilometers / three hours 30 minutes
- Sarandë to Lake Ohrid: 285 kilometers / 5 hours
- Skopje to Lake Ohrid: 170 kilometers / 2 hours 45 minutes
Lake Bovilla
Whereas the vast majority of essentially the most stunning lakes in Albania are pure lakes, there are additionally a number of synthetic ones which can be exceptionally fairly.
Arguably the perfect instance is Lake Bovilla, a small reservoir inside Dajti Nationwide Park that gives most of Tirana’s ingesting water. The lake lies solely about 19 kilometers to the northeast of the Albanian capital, making for a terrific day journey vacation spot from Tirana.
Though there’s not a number of biodiversity occurring within the lake—there are just a few varieties of fish—and swimming isn’t allowed, Lake Bovilla is undeniably photogenic.
A few of the hottest issues to do round Lake Bovilla are mountaineering, picnicking, tenting and mountaineering.
Distances and Travel Instances to Lake Bovilla
- Tirana to Lake Bovilla: 19 kilometers / 45 minutes
- Durrës to Lake Bovilla: 50 kilometers / 1 hour 15 minutes
- Shkodër to Lake Bovilla: 100 kilometers / 2 hours
- Pogradec to Lake Bovilla: 145 kilometers / 2 hours 45 minutes
- Vlorë to Lake Bovilla: 170 kilometers / 2 hours 30 minutes
Lake Prespa & Small Prespa Lake
A part of the Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Reserve, which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that additionally consists of Lake Ohrid, Lake Prespa is likely one of the most stunning lakes in Albania.
The lake lies on the borders of three totally different nations—Albania, North Macedonia and Greece—and is successfully break up up between these Balkan nations. Your entire Albanian a part of Lake Prespa is protected as Prespa Nationwide Park, which is house to all kinds of wildlife and crops, together with no fewer than 1,100 vascular plant species.
Proper subsequent to Lake Prespa lies its little twin, referred to as Small Prespa Lake, which is in each Albania and Greece. This shallow lake is legendary for being one of many highest lakes within the Balkans, however primarily for internet hosting the biggest colony of Dalmatian pelicans on the planet.
These twin lakes are a number of the most stunning pure locations in Albania, nice for out of doors actions like fishing, wildlife watching, mountaineering, and biking.
In contrast to widespread Lake Ohrid, each Lake Prespa and Small Prespa Lake are very quiet. You gained’t discover any big crowds of vacationers right here. As an alternative, it’s the proper place for a peaceable getaway in nature.
Distances and Travel Instances to Lake Prespa
- Pogradec to Lake Prespa: 55 kilometers / 1 hour 15 minutes
- Tirana to Lake Prespa: 180 kilometers / three hours 15 minutes
- Durrës to Lake Prespa: 215 kilometers / three hours 45 minutes
- Shkodër to Lake Prespa: 280 kilometers / four hours 45 minutes
- Skopje to Lake Prespa: 230 kilometers / three hours 15 minutes
Lake Shkodër
One other one of many border lakes in Albania is Lake Shkodër. Named after the city of Shkodër, which sits nestled on its southeastern shore, this lake lies within the far northwest of the nation, on the border with Montenegro. That is the biggest lake in all of Southern Europe.
Lake Shkodër is thought by many names, together with alternatively as Lake Shkodra in Albanian, Lake Scutari in Italian and Lake Skadar in Montenegrin. The a part of the lake in Montenegro is protected as a nationwide park, whereas the Albanian half is a RAMSAR web site and nature reserve.
It’s notably well-known for its range in freshwater species and is house to many alternative fish, reminiscent of eel, bleak and carp. The lake additionally supplies a habitat for about 270 hen species, together with pelicans, herons and cormorants, making it certainly one of Europe’s most essential hen reserves. Naturally, hen watching is a super-popular exercise right here.
Curiously, though they lie fairly far aside, there’s a hyperlink between Lake Ohrid and Lake Shkodër—the Drin River flows from Ohrid to Shkodër.
As most different Albanian lakes do, Lake Shkodër additionally gives numerous out of doors actions, from boating and fishing to mountaineering, tenting, and biking.
The city of Shkodër is house to many historic websites and buildings, most notably the Lead Mosque, Mes Bridge, Shkodër Cathedral and Rozafa Fortress.
Distances and Travel Instances to Lake Shkodër
- Podgorica to Lake Shkodër: 30 kilometers / 30 minutes
- Tirana to Lake Shkodër: 105 kilometers / 1 hour 45 minutes
- Durrës to Lake Shkodër: 110 kilometers / 1 hour 45 minutes
- Skopje to Lake Shkodër: 340 kilometers / four hours 15 minutes
Lake Butrint
Positioned within the far southwestern nook of Albania, close to the favored resort city of Sarandë, Lake Burtrint is a beautiful salt lagoon a stone’s throw from the Ionian Sea.
Surrounded by densely forests hills and lined with rock-strewn shores, Lake Butrint consists of freshwater wetlands and saltwater marshes. The lagoon is related to the Ionian Sea by the Vivari Channel. Due to this mixture of saltwater and freshwater options, Lake Butrint is an internationally essential wetland space, designated as a RAMSAR web site.
Moreover and importantly, the lake is a part of iconic Butrint Nationwide Park, one of many best nationwide parks in Albania. In addition to its simple pure significance, the park additionally protects numerous wonderful archaeological websites.
The ruins of Butrint embody a Roman theater, discussion board, aqueduct, Dionysus altar, temples and thermae. Due to this wealth of traditionally helpful ruins, Butrint Nationwide Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Web site in 1992.
Collectively, Lake Butrint and Butrint Nationwide Park are an outstanding day journey vacation spot from close by Sarandë.
Distances and Travel Instances to Lake Butrint
- Sarandë to Lake Butrint: 10 kilometers / 20 minutes
- Vlorë to Lake Butrint: 195 kilometers / three hours
- Durrës to Lake Butrint: 265 kilometers / four hours
- Tirana to Lake Butrint: 300 kilometers / four hours 30 minutes
Now, which of those lakes in Albania will you head to first?
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