Berat Activities: Canyon, Wine, Old Town

Planning your days in Berat

Berat is a compact UNESCO town on the Osum River in central Albania, with an inhabited castle on the hill and two Ottoman quarters below it. Most of the active things to do sit outside town, in Osum Canyon, at Bogovë Waterfall and in the wine villages, so plan one day for the old town and one or two for the countryside. Prices in town are in Albanian lek (ALL) and small places expect cash. Adventure operators quote in euros.

Albania carries a US Level 2 advisory for crime, and the usual city precautions apply. In an emergency call 112.

Osum Canyon by raft or on foot

The Osum Canyon near Çorovodë is about 13 km of gorge with cliffs up to about 100 m, roughly 60 km from Berat. What you can do there depends on the month.

  • Rafting, February to June. Snowmelt keeps the river high enough for rafts. Albania Rafting Group , which is based at Hotel Castle Park in Berat, lists rafting with equipment only at €45 per person (€39 for children), meeting at its base near the canyon. With transport from Berat and lunch it is €85 (€65 for children under 12). The transfer takes about 1 hour 45 minutes and the time on the water is about 2 hours.
  • River hiking and tubing, June to October. Once the water drops, rafts give way to walking and swimming through the pools. The same operator lists river hiking from €30 per adult and €25 per child aged 4 to 12 at the base, or €65 per adult with transport from Berat and lunch. Expect 2.5 to 3 hours in the water and a steep climb of about 15 minutes to get out of the canyon.

Wear shoes with grip that can get wet, and bring a change of clothes. Rafting is a spring activity only: in summer the canyon is for hiking, tubing and swimming.

Bogovë Waterfall

Bogovë Waterfall drops about 20 m into a clear pool in the Osum valley, about 35 km from Berat on the road toward Çorovodë. Allow about an hour’s drive and a forest walk of roughly 20 to 40 minutes each way. The water is very cold all year. Get in slowly, feet first, and never dive from the rocks. Entry is free.

Wine and food

Berat’s wine country is close to town. Çobo Winery in Ura Vajgurore is listed by Albania’s national tourism agency , Nurellari Winery is in Fushë-Peshtan, and Alpeta Agrotourism and Winery is in Roshnik village, about 10 km away, with a farm restaurant and rooms. Book a tasting ahead and ask the price when you do; none of them publish one.

For food, Hotel Castle Park runs a cooking class and Slow Food dinners. Dishes to look for anywhere in town include tavë kosi (lamb baked in yogurt), byrek pastries and pulë me përshesh, chicken with crumbled cornbread.

Evenings in town

Before dinner, much of Berat walks up and down Bulevardi Republika by the river in the evening stroll called the xhiro. It costs nothing and is the easiest way to see local life. Coffee and ice cream are cheap and paid in lek.

Booking

Search Berat activities on GetYourGuide to compare canyon and wine tours from several operators.

Read more: Berat sightseeing and day trips from Berat .