Walking Albania's coastal trails small group holiday

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION
Rather than tour around the whole of Albania we've decided to restrict this walking holiday to a more in-depth exploration of a small region of the country's southern coastline where we stay in two centres from where there are just short transfers to and from our hikes. This helps limit the kilometres travelled in our vehicle. We also choose to travel in a minibus rather than a large and less fuel efficient coach.
During the week we'll eat out exclusively in local family-run restaurants, the vast majority of what they serve being locally grown or caught and hence with a minimal carbon footprint. There's also an additional bonus of ensuring that much of the economic benefit of our visit goes directly into the local communities which we visit and is distributed among a number of people rather than there being just one beneficiary such as an hotel.
As a travel company we're acutely aware of our impact on the environment. Each one of our tours displays a carbon footprint, and we're working to reduce our emissions by regularly reviewing our itineraries and embracing lower-impact styles of travel such as trains, public buses or walking – which aren't just better for the planet, but we believe offer a more enjoyable and authentic travel experience too. We're a Certified B Corp that's committed to creating unforgettable adventures while protecting our planet for future generations.


ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE
On this trip some of our hikes are in the protected environments of the Karaburun and Sazan Marine Park and the Llogara National Park. Our visit, along with those of other travellers, helps to encourage the Albanian authorities to protect the flora and fauna of these unique areas.
Our tour leader always briefs our groups on our company environment and sustainability policy which includes guidance on how to behave on tour and ensuring that we leave zero impact as we hike through these fragile environments.
Our chosen Albanian partner recently they received the Golden Bee Award for Touristic Entrepreneurship Excellency from the Albanian Government. They were chosen due to the great work they do to help make Tirana a greener capital. They’ve done this by planting new trees and promoting cycling, green energies and recycling practices.
We strive to support nature and biodiversity through protection and regeneration projects, and for every customer that travels with us we make a donation to Rewilding Britain and Cool Earth.
We encourage customers to avoid single-use plastic on tour, and our leaders give advice on refill points each day. Where tap water isn't safe to drink we recommend Water-to-Go bottles, a filtration bottle allowing you to drink water from any source.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY
The hotels that we stay in on our trip are all Albanian owned and run and we work with an Albanian tour operator to secure the accommodation and transport services for the tour.
On this trip we will hike through rural areas including a number of small villages such as Kudhes, Qeparo, Lukova and Borsh and may purchase small items from shops and drinks and food from local cafes, thus helping ensure that the economic benefit from our trip reaches further than just the larger tourist centres.
Our leaders are the heart of tours. They bring passion and unrivalled knowledge of the destinations and communities that we visit. Their guidance ensures we observe the cultural norms in a destination, they act as a bridge between travellers and the local community and ensure that tourism is a positive experience for both host and guest. We believe in supporting local; staying in locally-run hotels, exploring markets, buying snacks from street vendors, and by doing this we add money to the local economy and enhance our connection with the local community.

Our Albanian partner who runs the trip for us locally employs only local staff, including our tour leaders and drivers. They are committed to paying a fair wage and increasing the number of female tour leaders working with them.
We believe that diversity is to be celebrated and as a Certified B Corp we're committed to championing equity and inclusion throughout our entire supply chain. We believe that an inclusive approach is essential, and that the best results occur when contributors have different opinions, experiences and backgrounds to bring to the table.