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Blue Eye and Lekuresi Castle Tour: An Authentic Albanian Culture and Nature Experience
4.5
13 Ratings
Saranda
Immerse yourself in Albanian culture and nature on a private tour to Blue Eye and Lekuresi Castle. Experience stunning landscapes, traditional food, and local drinks.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Lekuresi Castle - Perched on a strategic hill, the castle offers panoramic views of Saranda, the Ionian Sea, and the islands of Ksamil. Explore the historic ruins and hear tales of its past from your guide.
- The Blue Eye - Visiting the Blue Eye, you’ll experience one of Albania’s most stunning natural wonders. This mesmerizing water spring is renowned for its vibrant, deep blue color and crystal-clear waters that emerge from a mysterious, deep karst hole. The surrounding nature reserve enhances the sense of tranquility with its lush oak and sycamore forests, creating a serene backdrop perfect for relaxing or taking a leisurely walk.
As you approach the spring, the sound of water bubbling and the cool, fresh air add to the ambiance, making it an ideal spot for nature lovers and photographers alike. The water’s intense color and clarity are captivating, inviting visitors to ponder the untouched depths below. This visit not only offers a chance to see a unique geological phenomenon but also provides a peaceful retreat into nature, allowing you to unwind and reconnect with the environment.
- Kantina E Veres Isak - At the Wine Canteen “Isak,” you will delve into the heart of Albanian viticulture and culinary tradition. This charming venue offers a cozy, authentic setting where you can taste a variety of locally produced wines, each with a unique flavor profile that captures the essence of the region’s terroir. The tasting is accompanied by an assortment of traditional Albanian dishes, carefully prepared to complement the wines.
The experience is not only about tasting but also learning. You’ll have the opportunity to see firsthand how the wines are produced, from grape selection to bottling, gaining insights into the traditional techniques and modern practices that define local winemaking. The canteen’s warm and welcoming atmosphere makes it a perfect place to relax and enjoy the leisurely pace of life in the countryside.
What's Included
- Private transportation
- On-board WiFi
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- All fees and/or taxes
What's Not Included
- Personal Expenses
- Snacks
Additional Information
Embark on an exclusive, customized journey featuring genuine local elements. This expedition allows you to appreciate Albanian natural wonders, the pristine water of the Blue Eye spring, and striking panoramas from Lekuresi Castle. Experience traditional Albanian cuisine and beverages including wines and raki.
At least two travelers are required per reservation. Additional charges apply for solitary travelers.
Location
Rruga Mitat Hoxha
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(13 Ratings)
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Lacastadiva
Jul 4, 2024
Dreamlike - The tour was absolutely perfect to enjoy the beautiful nature of Albania. We were particularly impressed by the black eye
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kurt_l
May 22, 2024
Fun Tour in Sarande - We started our tour at Lekuresi Castle. The castle is historic and it gives a beautiful view of Sarande and from across the water Corfu. Next we went to the Blue Eye. It is about a 1 km walk to the Blue Eye. It's gorgeous. Lastly, we finished with a wine tour. Our favorite was the white wine. The food accompaniment was so-so. Overall, our guide was fantastic and had a great sense of humor. I would definitely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Coen_s
Sep 22, 2023
Great tour and great guide - We had a great time doing to the trip as first we went to lekuresi castle and enjoyed the amazing view from there. Then we went to the blue eye wich was beautiful. Our guide Klajdi was the best. He could tell us alot about the sightseeings and surroundings. Also you can have a good laugh with him. Definitely recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Samantha_m
Aug 20, 2023
Fantastic day - so glad we did it! - I didn’t actually end up on this trip, as my 2-year-old and I were the only ones wanting to do it. Instead, we did the Blue Eye, the castle and Butrint National Park. However, we’re so glad we went on the different one anyway. Our guide - Kacey (probably spelt very wrong) - was brilliant. My son was in awe of her, and wanted to hold her hand at every stop. She was brilliant with him and the rest of the group, making sure that we were all well informed and saw the right things from the right places. Can’t recommend this tour company enough.
Review provided by Viator
Sali
Jul 16, 2023
Beautiful place - Beautiful place, immersed in pure nature, clean and tidy; full of vegetation; lots of places to relax and have some delicious local food. Blue eye is something amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
One2one
Jun 25, 2023
Interesting trip and lovely insight into Albanian culture. - Our guide Elvis eventually found us and a meeting point would have been helpful.
The walk up to the castle in the heat was challenging after issues with the car meant we were let out half way up the road. Elvis soon caught us up and told us some of the history of his country and some amusing stories of life in Albania.
The wine tasting was good and the wine rather pleasant.
The Blue eye I hadn’t researched well and it was a 20 minute walk in intense heat with no shade to the site. It was lovely but you need to be relatively fit and have stamina in the heat.
Elvis left us to walk the final 30m and went and secured a table in the shade for when we returned. Then came the hike back to the car in even hotter temperatures.
He was really good company and made the trip throughly enjoyable.
I would recommend the trip if you have a day in the area and taxis wait at the port are double the price we paid via TA
Review provided by Tripadvisor
248polly
May 27, 2022
Brilliant tour, highly recommended - The best organised tour we’ve done in Albania. Mara was extremely kind and helpful and took us to lovely places. Couldn’t recommend more.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kenneth_m
Apr 24, 2024
Albania in a day! - Very nice trip packed into 3.5 hours. We booked at the last minute. Car was small but fine. Driver very nice but pretty quiet. Each of the stops were as expected, but not much guidance. Overall happy with the experience and it was very reasonably priced but if you are expecting a Mercedes and a guide, you might be disappointed.
Review provided by Viator
Amber_i
Jun 3, 2024
Good for sightseeing, bad for wineries - The first two stops were nice. The castle had a great view and the blue eye is very beautiful. Our tour guides were very accommodating & their English was fantastic.
I was quite disappointed with the winery, price & some other elements. The description was unclear and there’s an extra cost if you would like to have small paired foods with the wine. Nothing was set up for us when we arrived, it seemed like they were too occupied with the other larger groups on the property. There wasn’t really an explanation of the wines and wasn’t really a classic ‘tasting’. It felt like an inconvenience that we were there. We just received 3 jugs of wine and helped ourselves. We weren’t taken to any crops like in the photos. They seemed very overwhelmed and busy and I think we would have had a better experience with a larger group. This was a shame given you spend a little more to get a smaller group and we ended up being forgotten about. Being a wine lover I was very excited for this part of the tour and was very disappointed.
I always see ‘wifi onboard’ in descriptions and never seem to get it. The ‘Private car’ is actually a mini bus. They had no room left for me on the way back and I was alone in a separate transfer from the group. As a young female in a foreign country I felt a little unsafe alone and I purposely booked a ‘tour’ so I was with other tourists.
Review provided by Viator
Rachel_m
Jun 8, 2024
Driver, not a tour guide and plastic wine - Went on the tour in May, saw the castle, blue eye and the wine tour.
The driver was very quiet and didn’t tell us his name. He didn’t give a lot of explanations for the sites, the blue eye was beautiful and quite short and the wine tour is something I would probably not recommend. Had to pay €2 per raki bottle and there was no explanation of the wine except for “red, white and rosè” The wine was also all warm which didn’t make for the best experience, and food was a paid extra and it was quite expensive and not great and not fresh. The windows didn’t work in the car and there was no wifi as advertised.
Review provided by Viator
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