Cycle Albania

This was the toughest cycling I’d done in a while. An e-bike would have made it more enjoyable for me. I misjudged my fitness vs the described difficulty. Albania is historic, scenic, and most worthy to visit. Very interesting experience for me. Mountains, seaside, ancient sites

Generally well organised. Booking through Explore was straight forward, though I had to chase over flight arrangements. All contacts were well handled by helpful staff. My bike and my wife's were mixed up at the start which was awkward but sorted out very quickly for the second day. The trip itself was an interesting view of Albania, I hadn't realised it was so mountainous, some of it quite barren, other parts forrested. The itinerary covered the coast as well which has some lovely villages and bays. The cycling is challenging with some long steep climbs, on three days in particular and there is some cycling on busy roads. There were stops for coffee, lunch and a breather/photos, but the week is mostly cycling rather than sightseeing. Enjoyed the week, had a great group to cycle with and would be happy to try another cycling break.

This was an excellent adventure, my first biking experience. The itinerary was fantastic, although it changed occasionally due to unexpected circumstances such as road, construction and weather; however, all of this was explained each day by our leader and everything turned out fantastic. I have had no experience in foreign travel, so really didn’t know what to expect as far as accommodations, but they were fantastic. The meals were amazing and very indicative of the area as we were traveling in.

Fantastic scenery, challenging bike rides through mountain passes. Great guide a real ambassador for Albania. Amazing group ,Friendly locals and good food what more could you possibly want

The experience of cycling in Albania was very interesting as far as seeing different parts of the country, interacting with Albanian people, learning about the culture and history and cycling through forests and fields and down to the beaches. The cycling itself was quite hard in terms of the hills, but because of the bikes/gears it was very attainable. We were able to stop and rest, as necessary and always had support and encouragement from our guide and the van.

Absolutely recommend cycling in Albania, its a truly stunning country to cycle through, from snow capped mountains to stunning turquoise seas and everything in between. Our primary tour leader, Bes, was wonderful, a great host, and ambassador for his country. The food was excellent, abundant, tasty, and fresh (a week completely free of ultra processed food, was wonderful!) I hired an ebike which meant the climbs into the hills were accessible, but my fellow travellers all did the trip on regular bikes - impressive! The only downside for me was the standard and quality of the accommodation for single travellers; all other trips I have been on the single occupancy supplement gets you the same room as others, but without having to share. On this trip despite paying a supplement I was given tiny rooms, no view, balcony, and often poor facilities, unlike my fellow travellers traveling as a couple. My advice would be to not pay the supplement and take your chances.