Blue Eye National Park & Lekurësi Fortress Tour: Exploring Albania's Natural and Historical Beauty
4.4
21 Ratings
Sarandë
Discover the natural beauty of Blue Eye National Park and the historical significance of Lekurësi Fortress on this engaging tour in Albania. Explore crystal clear springs, lush vegetation, and immerse yourself in the rich history of the region.
Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • The Blue Eye - As unexpectedly spectacular as the coast of Southern Albania is (and it is magnificent!) what you would expect to see there are sights reminiscent of the Mediterranean more so than the tropics. Yet, as we know by now, Albania is the land of the unexpected! The country hides its small tropical paradise, aptly called the Blue Eye (in Albanian: Syri i Kaltër). Perhaps the most breathtakingly beautiful sight in Albania, the Blue Eye is located about a 30-minute drive away from the coastal city of Saranda on the road to Gjirokastra (all places to see, by the way!). Surely, the surprise factor adds to the beauty of the entire experience. To find the tropics in Albania is no small feat!

Perhaps describing the multidimensionality and depth of this surreal beauty is futile, but one must try! The landscape leading to the Blue Eye uncovers this anomaly of nature as you will find yourself surrounded by palm trees, wild ferns and tropical plants, as well as dense, mountainous forest vegetation of oaks and sycamores, all at once! This vegetation is kept lush and glorious by the spring flowing down the mountain into the Bistrica River. A total of eighteen springs are dispersed along the site! The freshwater spring from the Gjerë (in English: Wide) Mountain flows into the Blue Eye and creates a natural pool with depths of about 50 meters. Or, so they say! The actual depth has not yet been determined. Many divers have tried to get to the bottom of it, to no avail.

What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • All fees and/or taxes
Additional Information

On this journey, we’ll visit the ‘Blue Eye’ National Park and Lekuresi Fortress. These two locations are popular tourist destinations, rich in history and natural beauty. The area is exceptionally scenic, with crystal-clear water springing from the Mali i Gjërë mountain. Among the 18 springs on Mali i Gjërë, this particular one is the biggest and also the most compelling. Its unique oval shape which resembles an eye, and its incredible depth of 50 meters have made it declared as a Natural Monument. The spring is set amidst lush and verdant vegetation. The location provides a fantastic trip for adults and children alike.

Location
Leka Tours & Rent a Car Sarande
Rruga Mitat Hoxha
This is the physical location of our agency,
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(21 Ratings)
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Larryk139
Aug 17, 2023
Well worth doing! - Would definitely recommend! We had our own driver who was very polite and helpful and kept to himself. It is a very easy way to see two of the best tourist attractions in Saranda, both of which are definitely worth seeing. The value is great and it includes the price for entry to the blue eye
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pgdennerstein
Jul 15, 2023
Efficient and pleasant afternoon trip - Friendly professional service from Kevin. An easy and affordable way to visit these 2 sites in a short period of time when we were also very tired and wanted someone else to do the thinking for us!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travel55091648493
Jun 16, 2023
Beyond ours expectations - We had a great time, we had a private tour while we expected a group tour. The guide was really nice and jumping into the cold water was refreshing:)
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Fearless60254141003
Jul 27, 2022
Blue eye !! - What a experience !!:)))) Cold water and best place for swimming :)) We Really enjoyed this trip with my best friends . We will go back again!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Albanian
Jun 27, 2022
The best tour guides - They were the best for tours in Saranda. With very good knowledge of English they offers the best for their guests. Was our pleasure to be their guests. High recommended
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Wella_1987
Aug 2, 2021
Made our day much better - Kevin is very nice, polite and cooperative.. he did his best to make our tour exciting. He was on time and has excellent navigation skills
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Renatogj20
Feb 9, 2021
Trip to Blue Eye National Park and Leather Forest. - We spent a wonderful day in Saranda. We have visited different places. We went to Blue Eye National Park and Leather Forest. We had a great time and the staff was very friendly. I recommend this travel agency to all of you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Biggerpassportplease
Aug 6, 2023
Nice View from Lekuresi - This is not really a tour, but rather transportation to Lekuresi and the Blue Eye. This was convenient as we had limited time since we were visiting via cruise ship. Pick up was a bit confusing because the area outside the Sarande cruise port area is congested and crowded. A more specific meeting point would be helpful. We thought this was private transportation, but there were 4 other people with us. Our driver did not speak much English. The views from Lekuresi are beautiful. The Blue Eye is a bit of a drive from Sarande, but it was nice to get out into the countryside. There is a good 20 minute walk (no shade) on a road from the drop off area to the Blue Eye. Be prepared for a crowded, touristy experience. The water is very clear and pretty though. Wear your swim suit if you are planning on getting into the water.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ann_f
Nov 3, 2023
The national park was... - The national park was absolutely beautiful and we loved the hike! However, we were supposed to be picked up at 9:30, at 9:50 I finally called the telephone number and he said they thought it was at 10:30. Somebody showed up, at first his sign said Someone else’s name… Then he came up to us. He didn’t speak any English at all, so on our ride to the park, we asked about a couple of trees, etc. he couldn’t talk to us at all. I was very disappointed, my previous experience with guides is that they could speak English, and they could converse with me. He seems like a very nice young man, but I don’t think he’s been trained.
Review provided by Viator
David_w
Jul 16, 2022
Not satisfied. - We arrived for our excursion to find that we had a non English speaking guide (driver) in a car that had partially drank water bottles and some trash in it. Our driver did not know that park fees were included (a nominal amount, but still!). He was very nice, but could not communicate with us. He took us to both destinations and back to our hotel. I contacted viator and was told that our guide had gotten sick so this guy filled in, and when I requested a partial refund viator agreed to $50. I did not think $162 was a fair price for a ride. Not satisfied with how viator handled this.
Review provided by Viator
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2 Adult
June 2024
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