Enduro in Albania

Albania through last couple of years has been becoming more and more widely known as a tourist destination. This small country offers the best possible combination of landscape – mountains meet there sea. We must admit that it is a very spectacular combination, because rarely we can find mountains exceeding 2000 m above sea level growing straight from the sea. Adding to this amazing variety of terrain, and it’s wilderness mountains I immediately thought that it can also be an interesting cycling destination.

Me with my wife are writing blog about Balkans, and we are quite frequent in Albania recently and in April 2018 it was our second time when we had our bikes with us. Last time in this country we did not make any spectacular routes, but now we were invited to the South Outdoor Festival. As participants for 3 days, we could participate in various activities like: trekking, swimming on SUP, kayaking, diving, climbing, jeep safari, XC and Enduro bicycle trips. I as a bike enthusiast immediately wanted to see what MTB Enduro looks like in Albania. Knowing the area from the previous expeditions I was expecting a lot of rocks and wildness. But I had no idea how Albanians can organize such trip. The only thing that was sure was that we are setting off around noon from the very center of the festival.

When I arrived at the meeting place, it turned out that the organizers, as well as the guides of our trip is the company “Albania off road cycling”, which offers bike tours throughout Albania and Kosovo. They also brought bikes to the festival, which they had to rent, so if you did not have your own equipment, it was not a problem. After a quick review, it turned out that the groups signed for a simpler XC trip and more difficult Enduro begin to ride together and will separate later. So we set off… in Albanian way, so our start was slightly delayed ;)

The beginning was a quick ride down the main road to Jale, from where along the coast we continued through a gravel-stony road that climbed the coastal cliffs to offer an interesting downhill ride back to sea level at Livadh Beach. On the way, we could observe some small bays with the crystal clear water of the Ionian Sea.

Then we had a long uphill to the town of Himare, where the XC group was going on a simpler and shorter route variant, while the enduro group led by Andi set off into the mountains, leaving the blue sea quite far below. Our goal was the monastery of Saint. Maria Athliotis located at an altitude of 379 m above sea level. The road leading there, obviously rocky, was gently climbing by the serpentines. However slowly gaining altitude our bicycle group reached the destination. At the top, of course, a longer stop and rest was planned. In the monastery there was a well with water, which was not suitable for drinking, but you could always cool down a bit. There were amazing views of the surrounding mountains, the city of Himare and the sea in the background.

After some rest, the time has come for what I like the most – downhill. We drove down the same road, because it was the only passable route leading to and from this monastery. Maybe it does not seem like the most interesting option, but at least as I was riding down I knew when and what to expect. Certainly it was not the most ambitious trail in my life, but it had its interesting moments, and the amazing views wherever I looked. After getting to the bottom, it turned out that some of the group gave up riding on bikes and decided to return to the beach. Together with Andi, we planned to climb the mountains again into the different place, but due to small drinking supplies, temperatures above 30 degrees and total lack of shade we gave up on a longer trip. Instead, he showed me an interesting path, that goes from the surrounding cliff up to the main beach in the town of Himare. There was already parked AORC bus which takes me and my bike back to the festival.

To sum up, it was a very cool experience, the planned route was not some super technical or outstanding, but it mainly resulted from the fact that at the festival a lot of people signed up for Enduro without any experience in this type of a riding. As for the trails in Albania, obviously there aren’t any smooth “flow trails” there, but if You like typical wild paths or mountain trails bristling with stones and roots, it is everywhere there, and the team of “Albania off road cycling” for sure will help you find the best ones. The guides tell me that the best terrain for riding a bike is in the area of Tirana. There is also a gondola lift from which there are 2 routes available. If someone is looking for places on their own, traces in the “Trailforks” application are slowly starting to appear, but there isn’t a lot of them there and it is best to contact the locals. Of course, it is also worth remembering the climate, which in the summer can be merciless when it comes to heat. This trip took place at the end of April, and the temperature was still above 30 degrees. Bike is a very nice way for exploring the interesting places in this country, especially being on the coast it is worth to go a few kilometers inland to see the more natural and less touristic Albania.

Tours organized by AORC can show the country in a very interesting and active way. The office really works all year long, as soon as the conditions allow you to ride a bike. Tours are tailored to the customer and they can be easy loops on asphalt roads, but also mountain trips for advanced enduro riders. They are organizing trips along the entire Albania and in Kosovo. If you do not have a way to take your bike over there, it does not matter, because the company offers rental bikes from ordinary “hardtail”, through full suspension trail bikes, up to the downhill bikes. There is also option for “Shuttle bus”. In my opinion Andi showed a great knowledge of the whole area that we were riding around and all the places I asked him about. If someone is considering a bike trip around Albania, it’s definitely worth taking a look at their website, and if the offer sounds good to you, then I think you will not be disappointed. I truly recommend them!