Today in the early morning, we left Greece. We could not postpone the trip any longer. We checked the rooms one last time and locked the doors. The host of our house was waiting for us outside. Last hugs, goodbyes and we left with tears in our eyes. It was one of the hardest goodbyes during our travels around the world.
Now our road leads towards Albania. Since the war is going on in Ukraine, we decided to avoid the shortest route and go home through other beautiful countries. Our first stop was in Ksamil. We wanted to stop just for food, but then we went on a walk that lasted a couple of hours.
Albania is a country that not everyone will go to for a vacation. When my sister found out that we were going home via Albania, she was very surprised and asked "why?" However, tourist sites say that Albania is a real find, the resort charm of which is only just beginning to be revealed.
As a rule, tourist sites promote Ksamil, saying that it is the Maldives of the local variety. And yes, indeed, there are photos of places that resemble the Maldives. However, the Maldivian beach has soft sand, while in Ksamil it is shell rock, and quite hard. It is uncomfortable to lie on it.
The main attraction of this small Albanian town is, of course, the beaches of extraordinary beauty. The beaches have small, snow-white, crushed pebbles, reminiscent of sand. The transparent water against the background of the white beach seemed unusually blue.
Ksamil is a southern town in Albania, located on the border with Greece (only 24 km from it). The dominant elements of the Ksamil landscape are white sand, azure water and small green islands that you can't help but admire. In addition, the scorching rays of the sun, friendly people and well-prepared tourist infrastructure - and you have the shortest description of this city.
The sea here is truly very beautiful - bright blue, and in some places, emerald, combined with the white sand of the coast. In fact, these are white stones crushed to the size of sand grains. The purest transparent water to a depth of several tens of meters. Because of this amazing beauty of nature, Ksamil is called the Albanian Maldives. The city was built relatively recently, in 1966.
The sea is clean and calm, there are no waves during the day, they may appear only in the evening, when the wind picks up, but this is rather an exception to the rule. Basically, complete calm and tranquility - this is not Asia. And it is also quite clean, almost crystal clear, and you can see the bottom - this is due to the fact that the beaches are mostly pebbly everywhere, not sandy, and the water is not turbid.
But the beaches I wrote about above are not the best in themselves. What makes them so is the Tetra Islands archipelago, or rather, the incredibly beautiful view from the beaches of Ksamil to these islands. The Tetra Islands archipelago, or as they are also called the Ksamil Islands, consists of 4 uninhabited islands.
Ksamil is a small and quiet town. The fact that they call it the Albanian Maldives is, of course, a bit of an exaggeration. Well, it doesn't smell like the Maldives and I wouldn't even compare it to them. Ksamil doesn't have the same service and beauty as the Maldives, as well as the sky-high prices, actually. Yes, the water in many places has a beautiful color, and the water is clean when there are no algae. Those tourists who have been to the Maldives will surely say that Ksamil is not the Maldives at all. The sand in some places was brought in specially. In many places, the sand is small pebbles. This is, of course, absolutely not Maldivian sand.
There are many beaches in Ksamil itself, but the beach lines are not wide and not large. There are also a lot of sun loungers at every approach to the water. On some beaches, you can't even leave your things on the shore unless you buy a place on a sun lounger. The beaches in Ksamil are quite lively and crowded. And hotels rarely have their own sun loungers, so you either lie on a towel or you pay money and lie down on sun lounger.
By the way, the sun loungers are very primitive, to be honest, for paid sun loungers - even some really poor ones. In general, Albania has very beautiful beaches and the reluctance to make them beautiful and well-groomed surprises me. There are more and more hotels, but no one wants to improve the area around then and the beaches.
In July and August the resort is overcrowded. There is no point in going there. But June and September would be a great choice for a vacation.
There are many cafes in Ksamil where you can eat. Prices vary. Some are expensive, some are cheaper.
In Ksamil, you can basically only sunbath and swim, and you can also explore and walk to wild beaches where you can't swim, but you can admire the beauty.
Well, why do many tourists want to get to Ksamil? It is because Butrint is very close. Literally 10 minutes and you are there. Butrint is an archaeological museum-reserve and the oldest historical museum. It is so beautiful here, a real touch of antiquity. Many directors and filmmakers shoot their films within the walls of the ancient city. And in the ruins of the theater, they still hold performances and musical concerts.
In general, our walk in Ksamil can be called calm and relaxed, and that is why it attracts tourists from all over the world, especially older ones. They arrive in mobile homes, have a great rest there, and enjoy stunning views.
If we talk about shopping, then of course there is nothing to catch. Well, this is mainly in the capital, and not in Ksamil. Here you need to bathe in the sun and enjoy the cool sea, as well as food in a café, since the prices are quite budget.
You can take a catamaran or swim to the islands near Ksamil - there are restaurants with good seafood, you can see a variety of marine life, wearing a mask. In the summer, special boats run between Ksamil and the islands. From here you can see Greek Corfu - between Ksamil and the Greek island there are only a couple of kilometers by water, ferries depart daily.
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With love, @madeirane
Photos are taken by me.
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