Swimming Through Albania’s Osumi Canyon

Osumi Canyon is a 26km river gorge in Southern Albania. We visited the canyon as a group tour from Berat.

As you know, I prefer independent travel when possible. But, I think Osumi Canyon would be tricky to fit in that way. You would have to rent a car and drive a considerable distance, as this gorge is not really near anything else.

Luckily, our tour guide Soni was extremely knowledgeable about Albania. The 90 minute drive flew by as he shared fascinating tidbits about Albanian history and culture. For example, we learned about how all religion was banned during the communist regime, leading to some lost traditions that were never recovered. Religious celebrations were also banned, but not New Years, which is why New Years is such a huge deal here. Learning about local perspectives like that is an underrated advantage of tours.

The tour first stopped in Bogova Waterfall. To be honest, the waterfall was a bit underwhelming and crowded. But, the cold water was refreshing (Berat had a high of 37 degrees that day!)

We then visited a viewpoint that offered our first glimpses of Osumi Canyon.

After a delicious Albanian lunch, it was time to explore the canyon itself, which did not disappoint. We walked/waded/swam through about 5km of the canyon in a couple of hours. Soni kept all our phones in a dry bag, and handed them back out to us at various picturesque spots along the way. I even got to try a bit of cliff jumping!

Look at this gorgeous place! Worth the visit for sure.

No glasses were donated to Osumi Canyon.