Horse Riding in Albania's Forgotten Zagoria Valley

ANCIENT ZAGORIA TRAILS Horse Riding in the Footsteps of the Caravan Traders Revised itinerary 2014

About Us We are a horse riding center located in Southern Albania’s historical town Gjirokastra. Our group is composed of four experienced guides who speak English and French. Four years ago we started offering professional tours, specializing mainly in long riding / horse trekking tours we recently developed our flagship product - the “Ancient Trails of Zagoria”.

Two centuries ago merchant caravans still used these paths to cross through the mountains of Lunxheria, Zagoria and Pogon. Now riders can experience the same journey, connect with a land encompassed by myths, tales, and traditional balladry, experience local lifestyle staying in familyrun guesthouses and find harmony among human kind, horses and nature.

Tour Facts The Ancient Zagoria Trails: 8 days / 7 nights / 6 riding days      



Length of the tour: 180 km Trail difficulty: challenging Riding skills required: very good Rides: 6 riding days, with an average of 7 hours of riding per day Luggage: personal items carried in saddlebags, luggage is transported by car to the next destination Accommodation:  5 nights in different village family houses  2 nights (the first and the last) in a hotel in Gjirokastra Board:  dinner & breakfast at restaurants and family houses,  usually picnic lunches except the first welcome lunch in Gjirokastra

Pricing & Dates 8 days / 7 nights / 6 riding days 979 EUR / person, three riders is considered a normal group small group supplement for two riders: 166 EUR / person single room supplement: 112 EUR / person (subject to availability) Included  5x accommodation in family run guesthouses  2x accommodation in historic hotel in Gjirokaster  meals, including full-board and mostly picnic lunches  horse and equipment  transfers during the journey  luggage transport  guiding  entrance fees Excluded  airport transfer, depending on number of persons, from Tirana 70€ return  drinks that accompany the meals other than that served by the families  gratitudes and tips  personal expenses  airfare  travel insurance Departure dates  Weekly departure from first Sunday of March to the last Sunday of June  Weekly departure from first Sunday of August to the last Sunday of November  January, February, July and December no tours are offered

Equipment List

Riding Gear      

Clothing

Riding pants or Jodhpurs Riding boots (short) + Minichaps Riding helmet Riding gloves Hat (with chin strip) for sun protection Lightweight Rain coat

        

Jacket or sweater for cool evenings Comfortable T-Shirts/Shirts Jeans Shorts Underwear and socks Pyjamas Bag for dirty clothes Trekking boots / comfortable shoes Swimsuit

Additional personal items            

Personal Toiletries Insect protection Personal medications Sore cream (for an emergency) Sewing kit Torch / Flashlight Adapter for electric appliances Camera and extra memory cards or batteries Belt pack Address book and pen (for postcards!)

Sun glasses with strap Sun protection lotion and lip balm

Visitors are expected to respect the wildlife, leave what they find, dispose of their waste properly and to be considerate with locals.

1

st

Ismail Kadare’s City of Stone Welcoming in Gjirokaster and tour of the old town

Please plan to arrive in Tirana in the early morning till midday. Our driver will await you for the private transfer to Gjirokaster, a drive 220km drive that will take approximately four hours and offers already great views of the landscape you will be riding. After check-in at your hotel in the historical center we meet for a welcoming lunch. On foot we explore the world-heritage listed old town, visit the bazaar, a mansion that serves as an example of the vernacular Ottoman architecture, ethnographic museum in the birth house of Enver Hoxha and castle that overlooks the city. During dinner we will introduce and discuss the itinerary of your trip and possible requests and needs.

2

nd

First Ride through the Drinos Valley Rural Life in Southern Albania & the first Archaeological Treasures

After a traditional breakfast we allocate the horses and ride through the countryside to the village Palokaster and its ruined castle. The ride takes us through rural area dotted with small houses and gardens where we observe traditional framing and cultivation of land. One section leads along the Drinos River, which means “Tree of Life�, it is the most important river in the area and part of many ancient pagan beliefs. We also pass the ruined castle Santa Triada, constructed in 1809 by Ali Pasha at a strategic point to control the caravan routes, it became during the communist era a military installation. We picnic half-way in near the village of Erind and arrive in Paleokastra after a five hours ride. The castle is built with quadratic stone blocks, which gave the castle an early medieval appearance. Based on the special way of building, historians have classified this monument as the 6th century AD but it is believed to stem from earlier period of Imperator Licin. Overnight at a local guesthouses and dinner with the family.

3

rd

Across the Cajupi Mountain into Zagoria The villages of Lunxheria and Danger of Caravan Travel

Today we continue further North, pass several remote villages of the Lunxheria region, ride through local farms, where we may stop for a Turkish coffee, and past small churches such as the beautiful example in Labova where we have our first break. The village is the birthplace of Vangjel Zhapa, the organizer of the first Modern Olympic Games, a well-known businessman and philanthropist who lived round 200 years ago. Starting the ascent to the saddle of Mt. Cajupi you will be impressed by the panoramic views to Gjirokaster and later of the Zagoria Valley as well as diversity of medical plants and mountain herbs such as mountain tea, oregano, rosehip or endemic plants like digital and “dig-dag”. After 5h of arrival at the more than football field sized “Field of Cajupi”, a huge plain located on an altitude of 1250m at the Lunxheri Range that is the perfect terrain for gallops. As the caravans would have we stop for picnic at the springs and visit a small tower, that offered protection from robbers, called “karakoll.. The trail follows the medieval caravan route into Zagoria and to a point called “Hija e Mallkuar” or “The Cursed Shadow” from which thieves used to start their attack. Arrival in Nderan and two overnights in guesthouse.

4

th

The Stone Villages of Zagoria Byzantine Churches and Ottoman Stone Bridges

After a hearty breakfast of homemade bread, cookies, butter, cheese, honey and milk that are accompanied by mountain tea and Turkish coffee we start refreshed into the clean mountain air.

The route passes through the villages Lliar, Hoshteve, Koncke and Nivan and covers a variety of terrain, combining rocky paths, river crossings, forested, up and down hill sections. The routes used to be the main connections between the major commercial centers of Southern Albania such a Gjirokaster, Permet and Korca in the XVII and XVIII century. Points of interest along the route are the “Rock of Zhej�, a stone bridge built by Ali Pasha, Byzantine church of Lliar and monastery of Saint Mehilli from 1702. The highlight is the church of the Apostles in Hoshteve, very particular in its style with many pagan elements contained in the frescoes and iconostasis. From here we turn back to Nderan, once famous for its livestock fairs, where we spend a second night at the guesthouse. In the evening there will be long dinner fueled with old stories, myths and ballads that our hosts like to share with you.

5

th

The Greek Pogon Region and its Folklore Heritage Greek Epirots - Their History and Stories

Today’s itinerary makes for another exciting equestrian experience. Our ride starts with a gallop through the mountain valley, takes us passed farms and pastures, above cliffs and seemingly forgotten cultural monuments into the Pogoni region. The pathways connected the locally important trade centers and take us back into the time of caravan travel. Byzantine ecclesiastical buildings, most works of art but now almost ruined, and fountains hidden-away in the forest shrouded in pagan myth line the trail. Picnic break at one Ali Pasha’s most famous architectural monuments, the stone bridge of Pogon far away from the villages and only reached by horse. After 7 hours of riding you will reach Polican in the afternoon. It is the center of the Pogon region inhabited by the Greek minority. Accompanied by our host family we explore cultural monuments of the medieval period. Later in the evening we learn about and taste the regions gastronomic delights stemming from 500 years old traditional cooking tradition accompanied by sampling of local wines and old stories. At then of the day a cup of mountain tea makes for a calm ending and good night’s sleep.

6

th

In the Footsteps of Lord Byron Ali Pasha and the Bektashi of Albania

Leaving the Greek-influenced Pogon area we move onward to Libohova, the next caravan station that provided protection to travelers. Nestled below the Bureto mountain large wall sections remain, built in the 17th century when it was an important and mentioned by Lord Byron who rested in the shade of the giant “rrapi� (platane tree) marveling about his own journey by horse. It was in 1809 that Byron together with his friend Hobhouse followed the exact same route, traveling from the Greek coastal town Preveza to Gjirokaster to meet Ali Pasha of Tepelena. The trail lost its significance after Ali Pasha built a number of bridges and a coble stone road through the lower part of the valley. Nearby rectangular and polygonal blocks are thought to belong to a fortification of the 5th century, possibly Justianopolis, its exact location remains unknown as no excavations were ever undertaken. For our picnic lunch we visit the Sufi monastery of Melan where the dervish (monk) tells us about the Bektashi belief and history of his religion. In the afternoon we return to Libohova, home to a namely called Albanian noble family, Ali Pasha married his sister Shanisha to them to forge an alliance and her grave can be visited. Overnight in a local family house.

7

th

A Pyrrhic Victory Bygone Glory of Antigonea and Return to Gjirokaster

A ride through hilly terrain will take us to our last destination, the archaeological part Antigonea.

Our first point of interest is a protective tower in the village Suha, its ruins are still visible and we create a lively image of the custodians that watched the road. In the green hills we ride past villages, pastures, a small forest and old churches and follow the road to Saraqinishta at the entrance of Antigonea. The city was built in 295 BC by King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who coined the term Pyrrhic victory, and named after one of his wives, the daughter of Egyptian king Ptolemy. The city rose with the help of his love but soon was destroyed by the hate of war. After the RomanMacedonian War the empire went on to punish those who have sided with the enemy, Antigonea was among them. We enjoy a picnic lunch inside the park and visit the monuments by horse. After one week your ride ends at this point. We suggest an optional drive to the medieval Monastery of Spilea that was hewn into rock. You will reach Gjirokastra in the afternoon and are accommodated at the same hotel. After the farewell dinner we can have a drink in one of the bars in downtown Gjirokaster.

8

th

End of Your Journey Farewell from Albania

After breakfast and depending on your departure time you can further explore the city before a car will return you back to the airport in Tirana. We hope you enjoyed your ride on old caravan routes with us and wish you a safe journey home.