If you are visiting Tirana for a few days and want to explore the wild beauty outside of the bustling city, jump on this day tour which will take you around 20km out of the center. Don’t forget to wear comfortable walking shoes and get ready to explore!
Our tour leader will pick you up from your hotel in the morning from where we start our adventure. We will pass through Petrela village on the way where you can look up to see Petrela Castle on a hill, built in the 5th century AD. The castle was used mostly to watch for Ottoman troops marching towards inner Albania.
Our destination for today will be the ancient cave of Pellumbas, located uphill at the heart of Erzeni Canyon. Initially this ancient cave used to offer shelter to wild bears, about 40,000 years ago. After this, the cave became home for ancient humans dating back to the Midd Palaeolithic era (circa 30,000 years ago). During the First and Second World War, the cave was used as a hiding place for the locals of the surrounding villages. The cave portrays a long history and is nowadays an interesting and beautiful place to visit. This destination offers an amazing view of wild mountains, valleys as well as the Erzeni River and Erzeni Canyon. The hiking to the the Cave of Pellumbas takes about 1 hour one way, elevation up to 600 meters and you will enter to see stalactites and stalagmites. The entrance of the Pellumbas cave has a wooden platform, so it is easy to take a moment to soak in the area.
You will have some free time to relax after this hiking experience and choose to enjoy a traditional lunch in Petrela village before heading back to Tirana.