Ksamil is a Hidden Gem of a Kayaking Destination

Today was another beautiful day in the paradise that is Ksamil, Albania. We packed up early and headed to the beach for a quick breakfast before some paddling.

I wasn’t sure what the kayaking would be like here, because we couldn’t find any real sea kayaks for hire. However, we quickly realized that this didn’t matter: the water was so glassy smooth that you could paddle around on the door from Titanic and be fine.

Ksamil has three, small, uninhabited islands that are part of Butrint National Park. They are closer to the main beach than we realized, and we made it to the first island in only a few minutes. We then took our time exploring the island’s crystal clear water and beautiful rock formations.

The second island is really a pair of islands, with a shallow gap that you can just barely paddle through without portaging.

This island has sun beds that you can rent for the day. It’s a much quieter beach than the main one, so we would have considered staying here if we didn’t have a kayak to return. Maybe we’ll try to swim to it tomorrow.

What do you think, should I leave him stranded? It wouldn’t be the worst. There’s a little bar on the island.

Things became slightly choppier as we came around the second island. But still, the water was reasonably calm. This bay seems to be really well protected by the surrounding mountains.

James likes to set foot on each island.

Seriously, is this New Zealand? No, it’s Albania. What an underrated place.

Time for a post-paddle swim.