Preferred Period: mid-April – mid-June
About Our Program
Divjaka-Karavasta National Park is the home of the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), the largest bird of Europe. The National Park is the only breeding place for the species in Albania with a colony of circa 80 breeding pairs located in a lagoon island. We will visit the colony from a safe distance with the possibility to take pictures of the breeding pairs and their chicks. The lagoon is a breeding site for other bird species too including: nesting colonies of Little Tern, Common Tern, Yellow-legged Gull & Pied Avocet as well as passerines such as the Black-headed feldegg race of Yellow Wagtail.
The park host also a large colony of Pygmy Cormorant as well as Squacco Heron & Glossy Ibis etc.
Dinner & Overnight in Divjaka
We start our morning birdwatching with a visit to of the abandoned farmland in the southern part of the park where we hope to see some of the ground nesting birds such as Collared Pratincole, Eurasian Thick-knee (Stone Curlew), Kentish Plover & Tawny Pipit etc. This area is also used by other interesting species such as Woodchat, Red-backed & Lesser Grey Shrike, Zitting Cisticola & Red- rumped Swallow etc. In the afternoon we leave for Vlora with a stop along the way for nesting European Roller, White Stork, Olivaceous Warbler, Black-eared Wheatear (melanoleuca), Spanish Sparrow and other passerines. Close to Vlora we will stop again in Akernia plain where we should see breeding Calandra, Short-toed & Crested Lark, as well as Tawny Pipit, European Thick-knee, Little Ringed Plover and Collared Pratincole.
Dinner & Overnight in Vlora
Panaja hills, close to Vlora are covered by olive groves and Mediterranean macquis. They shelter different passerines, notably Sardinian, Subalpine, Olivaceous & Olive-tree Warbler. After this our morning walk, we reach the dike dividing the Salinas and the lagoon of Narta. It is a great site for plenty of breeding and resident birds. Some colonially nesting birds are present here in high numbers, such as: Avocet, Collared Pratincole, Gull-billed, Little & Common Tern, Black-Winged Stilt, and other birds including Stone Curlew, Dalmatian Pelican, Eurasian Spoonbill, Mediterranean Gull and migrating Curlew Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper and Mediterranean Gull. After lunch we leave Vlora for Orikum and Saranda with a number of stops to see Ferruginous Duck, Shrikes, Black-Headed Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting & Rock Nuthatch.
Dinner & Overnight in Saranda
We will leave Saranda in the early morning to reach Butrint National Park, a historical world heritage site and wetland ecosystem close to Mile peak at c. 700 m above sea level. Apart from the brackish wetland sites, the area is covered by Mediterranean macquis and oak forest. The visit to the Park is because we hope to spot Somber Tit, Rock Nuthatch, Sardinian Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, a colony of the Spanish Sparrow, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk, Turtle Dove, and Black-head Bunting as well as waterbirds.
Dinner & Overnight in Gjirokastra
Day 5 – Visit the Globally Important Area of Gjirokastra, Vjosa valley, Carshova and overnight in Korca and overnight in Korca
The site was designated a ‘Globally Important Bird Area’ due to the pre-migration flocks of Lesser Kestrels. 2-3 % of the global population can be present in the area in late July. Here too, there are three breeding pairs of the Globally Vulnerable Egyptian Vulture. During the morning walk we will check the valley for passerines, particularly Lesser Grey Shrike, Alpine Swifts and Alpine Cough. Following this we will look for Egyptian Vulture, Golden & Short- toed Snake Eagles, Peregrine Falcon, Levant Sparrowhawk, and Turtle Dove etc. Other species that occur in the area include: Little Ringed Plover and White Stork, & Black Stork etc. In the evening, we check another that is an Egyptian Vulture territory and before we leave for Korca.
Dinner & Overnight in Korca
Prespa National Park is a tectonic, fresh water lake, with limited reedbeds, surrounded by oak forests and the high (2,890m) Dry Mountain. The site offers spectacular landscapes and great views of both land and waterbirds. At the lake it’s easy to see mixed flocks of Dalmatian and Great White
Pelicans, Goosander, Little Bittern, a number of Grebe species. There is also a colony of Alpine Swift as well as Bearded Reedling and other reed-bed specialists. mThe area around the lake offers the possibility to observe other species including the Eastern Orphean & Barred Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Rock Nuthatch and if we are really lucky, Cretzschmar’s Bunting.
Dinner & Overnight in Korca.
We will start with a morning walk in Korca urban park seeing urban birds as well as woodland species. The park has breeding birds such as the Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Woodchat Shrike, Eurasian Wryneck, Syrian Woodpecker, and European Serin etc. We leave Korca and visit Maliq Marsh where we could see Ferruginous Duck, Pygmy Cormorant, Green Sandpiper, White Stork and birds of prey including Hobby and Short-toed Snake Eagle. In Pogradec, at Ohrid lake we should see Goosander, Little Bittern, and other waterbirds as well as Crag & Sand Martins, and Red-rumped Swallow etc. Our final stop in Krraba will be focused on species present on Krraba cliffs where we hope to see Blue Rock Thrush, Little Owl and Rock Nuthatch as well as other species resident in the surrounding vegetation such as Sardinian Warbler, and Golden Oriole.
Dinner & Overnight in Tirana
Our morning walk will start at Tirana Lake Park with Syrian, Middle Spotted, Great Spotted & Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Wryneck, Icterine & Cetti’s Warbler etc. Close to the park, at the adjacent urban areas, we will try to distinguish between Pallid and Common
Swift. We leave Tirana for Dajti National Park with stops along the way to see Warblers, Blue Rock Thrush, Black-eared Wheatear, Marsh Tit and forest birds. Dajti National Park is the end of our eight-day birdwatching itinerary in Albania.
Find the Perfect Fit for Your Budget
Choose from our range of flexible pricing options that cater to your specific needs.
1-3 Pax Plan
The option is dedicated to a group of maximum 3 People and accomodation not included
€ 2400/group
4 – 7 Pax Plan
The option is dedicated to a group of maximum 7 People and accomodation not included
€ 3200/group
Testimonials
What Our Customers Say
Hear from our satisfied customers who have experienced the quality and value of our products and services.
I had to go for a business trip to Albania and wanted to combine it with a two days birdwatching tour. I found AOS on the internet searching for guided birding tours in Albania.
Everything met my expectations.
Bernhard S
Erald is a phenomenal guide, we felt very comfortable and above all we were able to take very good photos in places we would never have found on our own. In addition to flamingos, cuckoos, hoopoe, etc., we were also able to observe various eagles (migration time), owls and stone owls and take pictures in very good quality. Through the tour with Erald we were able to learn a lot about nature, the existing problems (coastal development, destruction of near-natural habitats, etc.), but also about life in Albania itself.
Martin L
Fantastic 2 days birding with Kladji & Kato. Wonderful to see Black Headed Bunting & Dalmatian Pelican at Divake, Karavasta along with more usual birds. Kladji was also able to get us onto Roller (a much wanted lifer) & Turtle Dove before returning to Tirana on day 1. Day 2 took us to Natre and Calandra Lark, Golden Oriole and Great Spotted Cuckoo (38 years after my last sighting). An Ice Cream on the way back to Tirana made for a great end to the trip..
Saffia4
Other Tour Ideas
Explore our tours
Birding Albania / 8 Days
Ealy morning trip to the southern part of the National Park for Collared Pratincole, Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra) and Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachidactyla), Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola), Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) etc.
Birding the Dalmatian Pelican / 7 Days
Morning boat trip to the Dalmatian Pelicans colony where the group would engage in monitoring of the Dalmatian Pelican in accordance with the species monitoring protocol. The group will monitor the number of adult, juveniles and pullis (chicks) as well as their activity including brooding, feeding, resting, flying etc.
Birding the Albanian Alps / 8 Days
Transfer early to Valbone via ferry boat and birding in lake Koman for Birds of prey, Goosander, Cormorants and Gulls. Lunch in the boat. Afternoon birding hike to see Larks, Swallows and Martins, Wagtails and Pipits, Dippers, Wrens, Accentors, Thrushes, Old World warblers, Old World flycatchers, Nuthatches, Tree creepers Shrikes, Crows, Starlings, Buntings, Siskins etc.
Birding Lake Shkoder / 1 Day
Shkodra Lake is an Important Bird Area known to many for its evergreen colors. The water surface offers excellent ground for thousands of wintering waterbirds whose population is dominated by diving species, including Pygmy Cormorants, Tufted Duck, Pochards, Crested Grebes, Goldeneyes, and Coots. .
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