Starting: 2 Jun 2012 for 9 days
Tour Status: Available
Land Only Price: £1,490
Single Supp: £100
Please note that a Wild Frontiers price means NO hidden extras, NO local payment or kitty, NO compulsory single supplement.
Download Dossier‘Land of Albania! Let me bend mine eyes on thee, thou rugged nurse of savage men’.
So wrote Lord Byron in his famous poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, where he chronicled the journey that he and his friend and diarist J.C. Hobhouse took through the mountainous regions of southern Albania in 1809. Along the way he passed through a land that many at the time considered nothing more than an illiterate backwater of the Ottoman Empire, ruled by a despotic vizier and inhabited by savage mountain tribes. What Byron found though was a land of fierce independence and unbowed spirit that appealed to his romantic ideals. This incredible journey follows the path they took through the mountains and the beautiful landscapes of the Vjosë Valley, en route to a rendezvous with Vizier Ali Pasha himself in his castle stronghold at Tepelenë. During the course of the 6 day horse trek we will take in the UNESCO splendour of the Ottoman town of Gjirokastër and the beautiful Byzantine church of Labovë e Kryqit, take lunch at a Bektashi monastery on the outskirts of Melen and ride through the dramatic Këlcyra Gorge. We will stand in Byron’s shadow and gaze down across the flowing waters of the River Vjosë from the citadel of Tepelenë, and journey through the villages of the Vjosë Valley. Byron described himself at the time as ‘the humblest of thy pilgrims passing by’, but the resulting poem that the journey inspired still remains one of English literature’s most eloquent works.
Today we will take a look around the city's grandiose 1930s design and Communist inspired urbanisation, enjoyingthe interesting architectural mix of ideologies. Later we will have dinner in a local, open-air restaurant.
Today we travel south towards the UNESCO World Heritage town of Gjirokaster, stopping en route firstly to visit the important Roman archaeological site of Bylis and secondly to take a look at the castle of Tepelene.
From Gjirokaster we will drive south to the Greek border where we will meet the horses, saddle up and head off on the old mountain trail, taking lunch at Bektashi Monastery and stopping for the night in Libohove.
Today's ride takes us on through the hills to the ancient site of Antigonea, a city founded by King Pyrrhus of Epirus in 295 BC and one that, before its destruction during the Macedon Wars 150 years later, was once an important trading centre.
Today we will continue on Byron's trail to the village of Erind, on the eastern side of the Drinos Valley. Taking lunch on the way we will ride till mid-afternoon when we will leave the horses, and jump into the minibus to visit the church of Labove e Kryqit.
For the next two days we will head northeast, high up over the mountains on a trail known only to the drovers and ancient pilgrims. We will explore local monasteries and churches and camp for two nights before heading down into the spectacular Kelcyra Gorge.
Today we will ride down out of the high hills and into the Kelcyra Gorge, a place that witnessed one of the most famous and pivotal battles of antiquity, providing us with some of the most enchanting vistas of our journey. A fitting finale we feel.
After an early breakfast we will drive back to Tirana (4-5hrs), heading directly to the airport for our onward flights.
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