n the hills above Tragjas village in Vlorë, south-west Albania, I’m running after a farmer called Sofo, with a glass of raki in one hand and a triangle of pan-freshin the other. Dusk is leaching daylight from the sky, we’re late and the goats need to be milked.
In recent years Albania has begun luring sunseekers to seaside resorts including Sarandë, Himarë and Vlorë.The full itinerary takes in the teal waters of Lake Koman and tranquil, beach-fringed Shala River in the north of the country for sublime dips. There’s also an optional hike to Mollë in the foothills of the Albanian Alps, as well as time in the capital Tirana and the beach resort of Vlorë.
While Lake Shkodër , which is shared with Montenegro, is one of Europe’s largest bird reserves, we visit a lesser-known but equally important reserve at At the rehabilitation centre the ranger on duty, Ervin Allushi, tells us that the first group of British bird enthusiasts visited in 2016. “We have pygmy cormorants, little egrets and 255 pairs of golden jackal. One group came just to see those,” he says.