We had seen pictures of Albania's Osum Canyon online, and it looked really cool. There are several viewpoints along the road, and we were looking forward to heading down there for day trip. There are also a few other things in the area we were also wanting to see.
Then we read that the only way to see the best parts of the canyon is river rafting! Coincidentally, April and May are the best time of year to do the river rafting in Albania, so we looked into it a little further.
The last time we went river rafting was in the 1990's on the Ottawa River near Pembroke, Ontario. And we still remember that as being an awfully lot of fun.
So it didn't take much convincing to sign up for the all day tour with Albania Rafting Group. The price was €60 ($89 CAD, $70.50 USD) per person and included lunch and transportation from Berat.
Saturday would have been a perfect day from a weather perspective, but I had my dentist appointment. So we ended up going on Sunday even though the forecast was for cooler temperatures and even some rain. But they dress you up in wetsuits and the proper gear, so it shouldn't matter.
The van picked us up at 9:20am right outside. There was the driver, five rafting employees, four guys together, and a single girl by herself. The rafting guys all spoke decent English, and the girl spoke perfect English with hardly any accent. So we got to talking to her, and it turned out she is married to a Canadian from Calgary! He was also coming rafting, but meeting us there on his motorcycle.
When we arrived, there were several other people already there who would also be rafting. They brought us all into a big new building (so new, it wasn't completely finished yet) and got everybody set up with their gear.
In the rafting gear room.
Ruth, getting her life jacket fitted.
Me with my brain bucket on, ready to go!
And there are the rafts, ready to go.
Heading down to the river.
And getting in the boats.
We weren't exactly sure just how adventurous this trip would be. Some rafting excursions are more leisurely than others. But when our guide said that he needed me in a certain position on the boat, and that I should let Ruth handle the camera, I figured that I would be doing some hard paddling at times, and I wasn't wrong. In fact, we were all doing hard paddling at times, and often we were too busy paddling to take photos!
We were put in a boat with a family... the mother, father, daughter (16), and son (12). They were from Tirana, and all spoke decent English.
Heading out on the river.
So, the photos are real... and not perfect. There is a lot of splashing water going on, and we had our waterproof camera with us, but that doesn't prevent water drops from getting on the lens... and the boat was moving around a lot, so some are blurry or not in focus. But you will get the idea...
The water is moving pretty fast here.
Look at those cliffs!
Some sections that you go through are really narrow.
In fact, the boat only just squeezed through!
A big waterfall!
Wow!
There's a reason they put you in all this gear. You will get wet! And the water is cold! And I'm not a cold water person, but it's all part of the fun. And the temperature was only about 17C (63F) and there was no sunshine. But really, the only time I actually felt cold was when the trip was over.
That's a lot of water coming down!
Ruth, having fun.
These people don't mind the cold water. Too cold for me though!
Here's a calmer section.
The scenery was amazing.
Our guide Deni.
Our guide Deni was really good. Sometimes we thought he was getting mad at us for not paddling hard enough, but then we realized he was only kidding, and the next thing you know he's got us purposely paddling around in circles. It was too funny.
We were amazed by the number of waterfalls.
Another waterfall up ahead.
Deni sent us a few photos from his point of view.
This part looks pretty skinny!
Yet another waterfall!
And another.
Yes, Deni is guiding us right into that waterfall!
Everybody having a great time.
Lots of good fun.
And the scenery was nothing short of spectacular. The pictures really don't do it justice. There were at least ten different waterfalls. We were in the canyon for about an hour and forty minutes and to be honest that was enough. It was actually pretty hard work!
Totally glad we went though.
Only one screw up... they forgot about our lunch. We were supposed to stop somewhere after the rafting trip, but they had several groups each with different options, and we were the only ones scheduled for lunch. They simply forgot about us. When we got back to Berat, they brought us to the beautiful
Castle Park Hotel which is owned by the same group, and manager/owner Alma personally brought us into the hotel restaurant for our late lunch. We were hungry by this point, but the meal was more than we expected!
Local cheeses.
More local delicacies.
Roast lamb with potatoes.
Delicious meal. We were stuffed!
Us, with Alma.
What a fun day we had. And then, walking home from the Castle Park Hotel, we had a beautiful rainbow over the city!
Rainbow over Berat.
We are heading back to the canyon today on our own. There are a lot of different viewpoints and overlooks from the top of the canyon, and a few other things we want to see in the area.
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And in Canada...
I thought you would be having a day of rest after all that excitement!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures!
We were fine and it was the only day that we could go for a drive to the canyon because Kevin has his dental appointment on Tuesday and we leave on Wednesday.
DeleteThat would have been a true Easter adventure. The meal looked tasty. Great Pictures.
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
We had a great Easter Sunday! And yes, our late lunch was delicious. We left there stuffed and didn't need any dinner.
DeleteGlad that you enjoyed our pictures. :-)
I would enjoy a leisurely float but no way I am doing whitewater rafting. I did a lot of inner tube floating as a kid, on a glacier fed lake too, only a bathing suit, no wet suit! I was young!
ReplyDeleteWe have done whitewater rafting on the Ottawa River and this was pretty tame compared to that but we still had to paddle a fair bit but honestly it really wasn't scary. The scenery was gorgeous.
DeleteBetween July and the end of November they do treks through the canyon because the water level is too low to go rafting but you still need wetsuits as the water is still pretty chilly even then and you sometimes get quite wet. I think we may have to come back during the summer with our motorhome and try that out. :-)
Awesome rafting! Lunch looked delicious too.
ReplyDeleteYep, it was a great day all around! Loved our lunch. :-)
DeleteGreat stuff!
ReplyDeleteWe had a blast! :-)
DeleteLooks like this was a highlight of your trip! Very exciting! Good thing you had the bucket on, we wouldn't want to lose any information.
ReplyDeleteSo far we would have to say that it was but there is still more to see here in Albania so you never know if we will find something else to beat this. We had such a great time and the scenery in the canyon was fantastic. :-)
DeleteYep, it was a good thing, we came up to the rock walls a couple of times and had to duck quickly.
What a great rafting adventure. And the "lunch"!
ReplyDeleteIt sure was, the company was great fun and the scenery was spectacular.
DeleteOur lunch was amazing, more than what we expected. :-)
What an amazing day and scenery! You kids always have so much fun!
ReplyDeleteIt was a fantastic day, we really had a blast. Looks like you guys are having lots of fun and great weather too! :-)
DeleteNow that's one for the memory book. I would love that. Thanks for the trip!
ReplyDeleteIt sure was! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and loved the scenery along the way. We would highly recommend this trip to anyone coming to this area, in fact it should not be missed! :-)
DeleteThis was by far my most favorite blog of yours since you arrived in Albania. There was no way photos could do justice to those awesome cliffs and waterfalls! I can relate to the feeling that there was no time to take pictures. I went white water rafting a few years back on the Red Deer River...the water was icy cold and the river was so swift with a lot of bumps and curves along the way....it was a full day trip so I needed a whole day or two to recover from it. hahaha! But certainly...an experience worth having and never to be forgotten! Thanks loads for the fabulous ride!
ReplyDeleteThis has certainly been one of our most exciting days in Albania and one of the most scenic. We absolutely loved the rafting. We would also really enjoy the trek through the canyon in the late summer months when the water is to low for rafting. There would certainly be a lot more opportunities for picture taking and just enjoying the scenery rather than watching it fly by as we are busy paddling like madmen! :-)
DeleteIt sounds like you had a great experience as well. We will have to try that one day when we are back out in Alberta. Lots of memories, for you.
Im going to have to try that trip! When I was younger, in my 50's, I did a lot of whitewater kayaking...love it! (as my little photo shows!)
ReplyDeleteYou would love it then! It was a fun trip through the spectacular canyon. Kevin included the link to the rafting company in the post, so just email or talk to Alma and she will get you all fixed up, plus the fact at Berat is a beautiful little city/big town with lots to offer.
Delete