TIRANA, Jan. 10 – With much of Albania covered in snow during the first days of this cold January, southeastern Albania is the sole and perfect destination that ski lovers can enjoy in the country.
Despite the country’s mountainous terrain and plenty of opportunities to develop winter sports, Albania has only one ski resort which is located in Dardha, a tourist village in the southeast Albanian region of Korà§a, some 112 km off Tirana that can be reached in a two-and-a-half-hour drive.
Located in Dardha, a village with much history in Albania and whose residents were among the first Albanians to settle in the U.S. in the late 19th century, the Bigell ski resort has been operating since 2012 offering skiing and snowboarding for both amateurs and professionals in 2 km of slopes at an elevation of around 1,600 meters above the sea level.
The village is a popular destination both in summer, as an escape from the heat wave in much of Albania, but becomes almost overcrowded in winter, with visits by local and foreign tourists and travel agencies offering three-day package holidays starting at €90.
However, the underdeveloped winter sports often take Albanians to neighboring countries such as Montenegro and Macedonia with a much earlier tradition in ski resorts.
“It’s Albania’s sole ski resort, even though small, modest and with minimum conditions with only two cable cars which is a pity, but at least we have one, to entertain ski lovers,” a tourist says.
“It’s a pity that most Albanian ski lovers travel to Montenegro’s Kolasin, which is a four-hour drive from Tirana at a time when Dardha is only about two-and-a-half hours away, but we have to admit they offer better conditions,” she adds.
Snow-covered landscape, warm homes under the lights of fireplaces, traditional cooking and hospitable people make Dardha an ideal getaway spot for many, travel experts say.
“Its proximity to the touristic ‘center’ of Korà§a makes a visit there even more worthwhile. Plus, there are plenty of skiing opportunities and other outdoor sports in this village for all the winter sport enthusiasts,” says the IntoAlbania portal.
“It’s extremely clean air revives both body and soul and, during the winter, the green forests and houses made of stone are all covered in snow, granting the place a fairy-tale appearance. This 300-year old village is a cozy place that looks and feels like home,” it adds.
Nicknamed ‘The small Paris of Albania’ and the ‘City of serenades,’ the southeastern Albania city of Korà§a, also features a prehistoric museum and a national education museum where the first Albanian language school opened in 1878.
Its Dardha and Voskopoja villages are also famous Lakror pies and Kernacka meatballs.
The Dajti national park, situated just 25 km east of Tirana, is another destination for central Albania residents and tourists to Tirana, to enjoy snowfall, a rare phenomenon downtown Tirana.
Located atop Mount Dajti, the Dajti national park is a magnificent and beautiful park spanning a 3,000 ha area. It boasts much lush vegetation and has groves of 200 year-old beech trees. There are significant archaeological monuments nearby, and opportunities for hiking and climbing, as well. A cable car built a decade ago transports visitors from the outskirts of Tirana to the park in just a few minutes.
Albania made it to Lonely Planet’s top 10 affordable adventure destinations for 2019 as one of Europe’s final frontiers that offers hiking amid beautiful mountain scenery, superb beaches and a unique history.
Several outdoor tour operators in the country offer hiking, rafting, biking, horse riding and birds watching adventures in the country, while cross-border tourism is gaining an upper hand with the opening of several mountain hiking trails.
The communist past is also what fascinates tourists about Albania, which was cut off from the rest of the world under a hardline Stalinist dictatorship.
The country’s tourism industry still remains heavily reliant on summer, when Adriatic and Ionian beaches are packed with tourists. Plans to switch to a year-round industry have been slowly advancing.
