Airport pickup and a gentle guided walk through Tirana's centre — Skanderbeg Square, the colourful facades, and plenty of fun facts pitched at younger travellers. In the evening, a welcome dinner of Albanian classics like byrek and tavë kosi. Overnight: modern central hotel in Tirana.
Drive to Karavasta Lagoon, an Important Bird Area, for the butterfly museum and a boat ride along the lagoon canal spotting pelicans, cormorants and herons. Picnic lunch on the shore, then on to Përmet in the Vjosa valley — your family base for the next four nights. Overnight: family-friendly hotel in Përmet.
Rafting day! Full safety briefing and equipment from the professional river team, then a route chosen to match your family's ages and appetite for splashes — calmer or wilder, you decide. The family sections of the Vjosa are gentle Class II–III water, suitable from age 6, and the river guides make the final call on the day's conditions. Riverside picnic afterwards and a free afternoon by the river. Overnight: same hotel in Përmet.
Saddle up: experienced guides match each rider to a suitable horse — children from 6 ride with a guide leading — and the trail is chosen for the group's comfort: rolling hills, valley views and village lanes. Afternoon free to relax at the base. Overnight: same hotel in Përmet.
A gentle walk suitable for all ages to the village of Bënja and its natural thermal pools beneath the old Ottoman bridge — a warm, shallow soak that children remember for years. Return to Përmet for a free evening. Overnight: same hotel in Përmet.
Leave Përmet for Gjirokastra, stopping in a mountain village where local women run a hands-on family cooking class — everyone cooks, then everyone eats what they made. Afternoon exploring Gjirokastra's stone old town, the castle and the Skenduli House. Overnight: stone-built hotel in Gjirokastra's UNESCO old town.
Travel north with a stop at Apollonia, the ancient Greek colony where Roman students once studied — Julius Caesar mentioned it in his writings. Then Berat: wander the Mangalem quarter's window-filled facades and climb the castle walls for the family photo of the trip. Overnight: family-run hotel in Berat's old town.
Free time for souvenirs in Berat's old bazaar before your transfer to Tirana airport. Ask us about extra nights in Tirana or Berat either side of the trip.
This is a family holiday designed around a mixed-ability group. Activity days are shorter than on our adult tours, with a vehicle nearby and the option to shorten or skip most active sections.
Some activities have minimum ages or height requirements, and a few natural sites are not step-free. We will tell you exactly which parts of the itinerary suit your family before you book.
If you or anyone in your group has specific accessibility needs, tell us before you book. We will give you an honest answer about what this tour can accommodate — including saying so when the answer is that it can't.