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With glorious national parks and a traditional way of life, the Balkan country shows how green travel can benefit both locals and visitors.
In the hills above the village of Tragjas in Vlorë, southwest Albania, I'm running after a farmer named Sofo, a glass of brandy in one hand and a triangle of fresh pancakes in the other. Dusk is pulling the daylight out of the sky, we are late and the goats must be milked.
Sofo and his wife Dhurata are waiting for us for dinner in their "restaurant" in the village. We walk up to the farm from the road through knotweed, gorse and rampant sage - and are greeted with brandy. The gift gives me pancakes filled with homemade goat cheese and I rush after Sofo.
"This is what happens in Albania", says our guide, Elton Caushi. "People want to give you stuff all the time and it slows you down."
It's true. Everywhere we go, doors open and conversation and offers of refreshment come our way. Driving around I meet hikers, campers, a group of students from Bristol University exploring by car and a semi-retired British couple cycling. All of them have nothing but praise for the Albanian hospitality.
I'm here with tour operator Intrepid, to try part of their nine-day trip, run in partnership with Meet (Mediterranean Ecotourism Experience). Meet encourages residents in protected and vulnerable areas to develop authentic experiences that benefit conservation projects and local communities. Accommodation is in guesthouses, small hotels and agritourism, and experiences are guided on site.
In recent years Albania has begun to lure sun seekers to coastal resorts including Saranda, Himara and Vlora. But it is a place of impressive natural beauty and ecological importance, as our visit soon reveals.
The full itinerary takes in the azure waters of Lake Koman and the tranquil Shala River in the north of the country for sublime diving. There is also an optional walk to Molle in the foothills of the Albanian Alps, as well as time in the capital Tirana and the tourist beach of Vlora.
In addition to measuring and monitoring the visitor footprint, the inclusion of Meet in the tour has increased engagement with local people and distributed spending to local communities. The place where we stay, our activities, what we eat and how we move (by electric vehicles and on foot, bike and boat) are highly appreciated.
Udhëtimi ynë përfshin një ndalesë në kompleksin e kalasë në majë të kodrës së Beratit, i cili i ka rrënjët që në antikitet; është po aq e bukur sa çdo tjetër që kam parë, me shumicën e ndërtesave që datojnë nga shekulli i 13-të. Qendra historike dhe dy kodikë të Beratit të zbuluar në Muzeun e njohur Onufri mbrohen nga Unesco. Kisha më e vjetër e qytetit, Trinia e Shenjtë, ka pamje panoramike mbi luginën e lumit Drinos dhe masivin e Shpiragut.
Ndërsa Liqeni i Shkodrës, i cili ndahet me Malin e Zi, është një nga rezervatet më të mëdha të shpendëve në Evropë, ne vizitojmë një rezervat më pak të njohur, por po aq të rëndësishëm në parkun kombëtar Divjakë-Karavasta, dy orë me makinë në jug të Tiranës. I pasur në biodiversitet, parku ka identifikuar rreth 25 lloje gjitarësh, 29 lloje zvarranikësh (përfshirë breshkat e detit), 29 amfibësh dhe 230 lloje shpendësh. Qendra e saj e rehabilitimit të shpendëve, e vetmja në Shqipëri, ka trajtuar pelikanë, shqiponja, kukuvajka, zuzar dhe lejlek.
Ekosistemi i lagunës së Karavastasë, brenda parkut, është shtëpia e pelikanit dalmat nën kërcënim - një nga zogjtë më të mëdhenj të ujërave të ëmbla në botë - dhe një strehë për speciet shtegtare. Kalojmë nja dy ditë duke eksploruar grykëderdhjet dhe shtigjet e tij me varkë dhe biçikletë, duke kaluar natën në hotelin e vogël me tre yje Hotel Pelikan, buzë parkut.
Pamja jonë e parë e ligatinave dhe zogjve është nga maja e një kulle shikimi prej druri gjatë një drekë pikniku. Rrugës për atje, Eltoni thërret në një shtëpi fshati për një lakror (një byrek popullor shqiptar) dhe një enë me kos të kripur të shkumëzuar, ose dhallë .
"Është një vend joortodoks," thotë Eltoni, "Por peizazhi është i mrekullueshëm." E ndjek me dhallën në njërën dorë. Eltoni shpalos një qilim dhe ne ulemi nën rrezet e diellit duke ngrënë pastë të mbushura me qepë dhe domate, të lara me qumësht të thartë. Më pas një shkëlqim flamingosh më të mëdhenj ngrihet në qiell.
Në qendrën e rehabilitimit, rojtari në detyrë, Ervin Allushi, na tregon se grupi i parë i entuziastëve britanikë të zogjve e ka vizituar në vitin 2016. “Kemi kormoranë pigme, çafka të vogla dhe 255 palë çakall të artë. Një grup erdhi vetëm për t'i parë ata," thotë ai.
Numri i pelikanit dalmat është rritur nga 27 fole në 2014 në 85 në 2020, por lajmet se një aeroport i ri do të hapet në fund të vitit të ardhshëm në Vlorë, 45 milje në jug të Divjakë-Karavasta dhe brenda peizazhit të mbrojtur që rrethon një lagune, ka befasuar organizatat e ruajtjes. Ance Švajnzger i Intrepid Travel thotë: “Aeroporti jo vetëm që përbën një rrezik potencial për jetën e egër, ai gjithashtu nuk do të ketë një ndikim pozitiv në Shqipërinë rurale nëse udhëtarët nuk hanë, qëndrojnë dhe blejnë me biznese në pronësi lokale”.
Ne marrim një varkë të vogël përgjatë një delta të një lumi të njelmët për të dalluar jetën e shpendëve, duke ndalur për të parë me dylbi ishullin me rërë ku kanë folenë pelikanët.
The next morning we cycle on a boardwalk through a pine forest to the village of Babunje, where Eva and Adriatik welcome us to their home. Adriatik, a woodworker and stonemason, shows us his work and we drink Turkish coffee while we watch him carve the stone.
Lunch is chicken pilaf, stuffed eggplant and duck in yogurt soup. Of course, it is freshly prepared: "Yesterday I killed the chicken and the duck", says Adriatiku. "The wine is from my neighbor. My other neighbor is on vacation. Next time I'll serve you his wine—it's better.” We leave with arms full of fresh pomegranates.
Our immersion in nature, especially in the national park, has been a highlight; our knowledge of rural simplicity an unexpected bonus. At Sofo and Dhurata's farm, where cheese is baked on goat skins, pots are cooked over coals and flames, and neighboring farmers play the fiddle, I feel like I've stepped back in time.
In the UK, when I speak to Meet's Arnau Teixidor, he tells me that he is excited about the organization's partnerships in Albania – not only because of the work to protect the Karavasta lagoon: "It has this uniqueness and a character that is hard to beat. found in Europe now – traditional ways of doing things and artisans that provide a sense of place.” After five days in the country, I knew exactly what he meant. Translated by The Guardian
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