We were on a small group tour of 13 and had a great day with Mariana from Joel Travel as our guide. Highlights of the day were Butrint National Park with all of its archaeological history and seeing the Blue Eye — a water phenomenon that is not to be missed. Saranda is still developing as a tourist destination but it hopes to capitalize on its natural beauty.

Our group required assistance with mobility issues, and so we chose to take a private custom tour of Saranda, Albania through Viator that included The Lëkurësi castle, Blue Eye, the Albanian countryside, and a fabulous lunch on the coastal restaurant that has incomparable food and staff. Our guide, Costadina, was a lovely, accomplished young woman who gave us lots of insights into to history and culture that we were looking for on our trip. She and the driver went out of their way to help us with mobility issues and made it possible for us to maximize our time while visiting the most beautiful places we could have asked to see. The lunch was the highlight of the entire day, and Costa helped us navigate every stop to ensure comfort and enjoyment. It was a terrific day!

Loved the range of places and activities on the day. We misread and believed that private transport meant just our party but it was a lovely group of about 12 of us. The tour guide was great and would adapt the trip as needed. Very informative and lots of information about the locations before the beach. We were unaware we’d have to pay an additional 1000 Lek PP for the national park (it’s very worth it though) and the drop in Ksamil was challenging to get much out of it as it was later in the day and lots of beaches etc were taken. Overall though, a great addition to our trip and we would recommend others go! Thank you :)

Communication before the tour was good and pick up went smoothly Van was comfortable. Unfortunately, the PA system was broken. The young guide spoke facing front in a normal voice so the back of the bus could not hear him. He said he could turn and speak loudly as it hurt his voice. He did the same thing when walking thru sites. Talked and walked but those in the back could not hear. He said he would repeat later. Not sure how often that happened. He needed headsets if he was going to operate the tour in that manner. The castle on the hill has a good view. The Blue Eye is beautiful. There is a train to the site for extra fee. Restrooms are awful. No paper or water. Rough. No time for snacks. Butrint is filled with Greco Roman ruins. To see it is an extra cost. There is a fort and museum up a steep hill. Lots of stone steps. Albania is still developing their tour infrastructure so things are a bit rough. The beach stop was last and 45 min. Not long enough to go in the water. This was the lunch stop. There were no snack stops and it was a long day. There were 3-4 restaurants and a path to the water. Not sure this was worth it. Hiring a driver on your own might be better as you could do your own pace as the guide really had little to say and most if the time we could not hear him

Great private tour! We were met at the port by Mara, the owner / manager, and I knew immediately we were in good hands. She walked us a short way to their office where we met our driver, Neri. He was the height of professionalism. Such a kind person, so considerate of our every need, knowledgeable and willing to go off the beaten path when I asked. I'd been to the Blue Eye before and I had no idea there was a beautiful hike through the forest above. We left the crowds behind and I got to see meadows, wild flowers, incredible views, with no one else around. It was the same at Butrint. I had been there before but this time I got to see so much more. I'm very grateful to Mara and Neri for making this an amazing experience!