Western Balkans
Designed by adventurers for adventure sellers. Join us for AdventureWeek Balkans, a specialized, nine-day journey in the ancient cultural crossroads and rugged lands of the Western Balkans featuring Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia.
Albania
LOCAL // Overhear the ancient chant of Albania and the calls to Muslim and Christian prayers in historic towns, while enjoying farm-fresh food experiences.
CULTURE // Visit UNESCO World Heritage sites, Byzantine churches and Ottoman-era mosques, a rare, surviving Ottoman town with cobbled streets and a port on the Straits of Corfu, where the Greco-Roman theater stages ancient dramas.
ADVENTURE // Access rafting, cycling, hiking, paragliding, and diving throughout Albanian’s mountains, canyons, wilderness, rivers and still-pristine waters and shores of the Adriatic and Ionian seas.
Kosovo
LOCAL // Europe’s newest country showcases a land steeped in handicrafts and architectural tradition, surrounded by the regionally acknowledged warmth and friendliness of the Kosovar.
CULTURE // Tour UNESCO World Heritage monasteries and churches glowing with frescoes. See the mosques and lodges built by Ottoman rulers who, after 450 years, have left imprints in the food, music, dance and handicrafts.
ADVENTURE // Explore on foot or pedal the mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and scattered villages in Kosovo’s remoter areas, including Kosovo’s highest peak and the spectacular Rugova Gorge and Valley near Peja (Peć).
Macedonia
LOCAL // Follow in the paths of ancient civilizations and stay in preserved villages and enjoy slow-cooked local cuisine in one of Europe’s oldest wine producing regions. The emphasis here is on rural communities and local providers.
CULTURE // Spend time with the discoverer of the Bronze Age observatory and holy mountain of Kokino. Share a pot of tea, and perhaps find spiritual enlightenment at Arabati Baba Teke, with Macedonia’s last Dervish of the 13th Park.
ADVENTURE // Walk on mountain paths belonging to bears and lynx, bike through ancient villages and forage for wild herbs, mushrooms and berries as part of a class on local foods. Hike to the base of Zlatovrv peak, currently one of Europe’s best bouldering, rock climbing and paragliding locations.