Day 1: Arrival Airport – Tepelena
Upon arrival at Tirana International Airport, meet the local host and transfer at the hotel in Tepelena, with stop en route for refreshments.
In the evening, we meet at hotel reception and enjoy a Welcome Drink
Accommodation in Uji i Ftohte Hotel 4*
Day 2: Daily tour to Kelcyre – Permet – Benja Thermal Baths
Breakfast, and start the day by driving to Kelcyre. Photo stop to Dragot Bridge, an important reference point in the history, which speaks to the creativity and engineering skill of its time on the Vjosa River, one of the largest and most beautiful rivers in the country. Later on, admire magnificent Kelcyra Gorge, with a length of 13 km and a depth up to 1000 meters. Our drive will proceed to “Meshini” Dairy Cheese: Altin Meshini is a successful organic cheese producer. Housed in a large bunker built by Mussolini's in 1939, but for Altin Meshini, passing down wartime memories is an important step towards understanding the preciousness of life and peace. "Look at my dairy," he said: "it was built to take life in an absurd war; I use it to nourish life in peacetime". Testing different productions as: white goat cheese, sheep cheese, mixed sheep and goat cheese, kackavall cheese, cottage cheese, butter. Our tour will continue to Alipostivan Bektashi Tekke, rising above a beautiful hillside, overlooking the village of Alipostivan. The beautiful tekke, in addition to having spiritual value for Bektashi (Sufi) believers, is also viewed as an object of rare cultural value. Head on to Permet town, surrounded by mountains, rivers, and beautiful countryside and lied along the Vjosa River. Famous for delicious recipes (especially sweets like gliko), and rich history, visiting Përmet is like taking a trip into nature's wonders. Meet a local family and know more about the lifestyle in the southeastern part of Albania, mean time that you enjoy testing of Raki (traditional Albanian grape) and Gliko (sweet jam). Lastly for the day, a leisure to thermal baths of Benje. The heated water flows down the river unless it gets diverted into one of the several human-made pools. They're a splendid spot for a hot soak. Drive back to your hotel, relax and prepare for dinner
Accommodation in Uji i Ftohte Hotel 4*
Day 3: Daily tour to Gjirokaster
After the breakfast, drive to Gjirokaster, a medieval town listed under UNESCO Heritage, slate-roofed houses, vertiginous streets paved with limestone and a castle assembled from rock hewn from the surrounding mountains. Albania’s ‘Stone City’ is a silvery beauty that shimmers in the rain. Of a great importance and interesting to be visit, are the Castle; typical house, as local architecture of 18 - 19th century, and the old bazaar, with its characteristic shops and great opportunity to interact with local folks. Lunch will be organized in an agritourist restaurant “the Barrels”, bio food, from the land to the table. Drive back to the hotel and time at your disposal
Accommodation in Uji i Ftohte Hotel 4*
Day 04: Daily tour to Blue Eye Natural Park & Butrint Archaeological and Natural Park
Breakfast and drive to Blue Eye NP. Take a walk in the beauty of the Blue Eye Park, with a natural spring with vibrant blue waters so clear you can see all the way to the bottom. The lighting in the early morning is particularly magical. The spring is an easy hike from the parking area on paved roads, through lush vegetation along the way. Please note: there are 4 km easy walk both ways. There is no possibility of driving by taxi to the Blue Eye Park
Proceed driving to Butrint. Afternoon visit of Butrint Archaeological Park, boasting a fascinating blend of freshwater lakes, wetlands, and historical treasures. From the Iron Age to the Middle Ages, Butrint has witnessed a rich history, leaving behind a wealth of archaeological artifacts and structures. Today, the park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Ramsar Wetland Site of International Importance, highlighting its significance on multiple levels. Drive back to the hotel.
Accommodation in Uji i Ftohte Hotel 4*
Day 05: Tepelena – Berat – Tirana
Today, we’ll check out from the hotel and drive to Tirana, with stop in Berat, UNESCO Heritage Medieval Town. Experience the magnetic charm of Berat, surrounded by rugged mountains and towering hillsides, witness an iconic assemblage of white Ottoman houses which climb to the highest peak of this ‘town of a thousand windows’, before exploring the expansive grounds of Berat Fortress. Visit Onufri Iconographic Museum. Before leaving the town, enjoy wine testing in a local family wine maker. You will have the opportunity to taste four different types of wine, produced from indigenous grapes, carefully selected by the winery. To enhance your wine tasting experience, you will also try a type of raki, a traditional Albanian brandy, and local foods that perfectly complement the wine. Proceed driving to Tirana
Accommodation in Hilton Garden Inn Hotel 4*
Day 06: Tirana & Cable Car
After enjoying the breakfast at the hotel, we start this day by visiting the capital city of Albania, a modern metropolitan city full of colors, and mix of buildings from Ottomans, Italians, Communist and Modern skyscapes that make Tirana a unique capital in the heart of Balkans.
Located just 20 minutes from the center of Tirana, “Dajti Express – Cable Car” offers its visitors an unforgettable experience. Take the 15-minute ride to Dajti Mountain on the longest cable car in the Balkans and enjoy stunning views of the city. Once you reach the 1400 m altitude, relax, take a walk and admire the surrounding views of the Dajti Natural Park! The rest of the day, leisure by your own
Accommodation in Hilton Garden Inn Hotel 4*
Day 07: Daily tour to Kruja
Breakfast and late departure to Kruja. Exuding an enchanting authentic ambience, wander through the cobblestone streets of this quaint town before browsing a collection of beautiful antiques, hand-crafted rugs and masterfully made copper objects in the Ottoman bazaar. Visit the fortress and Historic Museum dedicated our national hero George Castriota Skanderbeg. Time at the old bazaar for shopping
Enjoy traditional dishes in a local restaurant (not included)
Later on, drive back to Tirana. Time at your disposal
Accommodation in Hilton Garden Inn Hotel 4*
Day 8. Tirana – Airport
Breakfast, check out of the Hotel and time to say goodbye. Departure to the Airport. End of Service
Entrance Fees (price per person):
Kruje: Museum of Scanderbeg – 5 euro /Ethnographic Museum – 4 Euro
Berat: Berat Fortress – 3 euro /Onufri Museum – 5 euro
Sarande: Butrint Archaeologic Park – 10 euro
Gjirokastra: The castle – 4 euro/Ethnographic Museum – 2 euro
Everything left as optional in this program
Based on Law 7850, date 29.07.1994 “The Civil Code of the Republic of Albania” amended, Law 9734, date 14.05.2007 “On Tourism” amended and other effective legislation.
1. Preamble
1.1. VAS DMC (hereinafter “the agency”) is the first Albanian tour operator which offers vacations all year long. The agency operates with highly qualified staff and a long experience in the service field.
1.2. The agency operates with a network composed of 550 member agencies based in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia and offers accommodation in more than 100,000 hotels worldwide.
1.3. The agency offers its services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The offices’ working hours are open from Monday to Saturday, from 08:00 am to 06:00 pm.
2. Definitions
2.1. In this agreement, the following terms will be explained as:
2.1.1. Agency: Registered legal entity which offers, finds and makes possible touristic travel, travel tickets of different types of transportation and tickets to sport, music and showbiz events, in exchange of a fee.
2.1.2. Reservation or booking: the act of ordering or guarding a product like travel, accommodation or package tour. This is done by the agency, with a request from the client.
2.1.3. Reservation or booking is done through the online page www.albtoursd.com, through the contact with one of the offices of the agency or through the contact with one of the members of the agency.
2.1.4. Confirmation:a) The verification of the availability of a reservation or booking, orb) the final agreement by the means of which the client liquidates the obligations toward the agency and the agency guards with a final act the reservation or booking of the client.
2.1.5. Hotel: An establishment or a connected group of establishments, independent from any other construction, with no fewer than 6 rooms, within a single piece of land, in which accommodation, complementary services and commodity are offered for the public by a qualified staff.
2.1.6. Reimbursement: The amount of money the agency is obliged to return to the client in case of nonfulfillment of the agreement on the part of the agency without any reasonable cause or if the reasons stated in this document are present.
2.1.7. Package tour: The prepared combination of services, which is sold or offered for sale and which covers a period of time longer than 24 hours or which includes one night of accommodation. The package tour includes two or more components such as:a) Transportationb) Accommodationc) Other touristic services, independent from the transportation and accommodation. These services constitute a considerable amount of the package and they are included in the prepared combination and are billed or invoiced separately.
3. Obligations of the agency
3.1. The staff of the agency is obliged to explain all offers for which the client has expressed an interest. The staff, within the opening hours and in the way set in this agreement, is obliged to answer all questions and requests of the client.
3.2. The staff of the agency is obliged to explain the procedure to be followed in order for the tour to take place, according to the client’s request. One of the procedures is also the preparing of the documents that the client must present to the agency.
3.3. The staff of the agency is obliged to answer in the best possible way to the needs of the client regarding the reservation of the hotel, the transportation etc. If the client has chosen one of the packages prepared by the agency, the staff will answer only for the hotel and transportation set in the package.
3.4. If the request is made within the limits set in this agreement, the staff of the agency is obliged to enable a change in the accommodation according to the requests of the client. If this change comprises a financial cost, this cost is to be borne by the client.
3.5. If the request is made within the limits set in this agreement, the staff of the agency is obliged to enable a change in the transportation according to the requests of the client. If this change comprises a financial cost, this cost is to be borne by the client.
3.6. The agency declares to be responsible for every offer made public in the online page www.albtoursd.com, in the brochures and catalogs produced by the agency and for every offer advertised by the staff of the agency.
3.7. The agency is not responsible for the condition of the hotel rooms if they are not in the condition in which they appear in the official hotel online page or for the actions and behavior of the hotel staff in the destination chosen by the client.
3.8. The agency is not responsible for the cancellation of the tour in case of major force, natural causes, people’s protest or declaration of war in the destination chosen by the client and for every accident that happens as a result of these causes. The solution will be achieved with an agreement between the agency and the client.
3.9. The agency is not responsible for the damage or loss of luggage or personal items in the plane, airport, port, ship or hotel.
3.10. The agency is responsible for the damage or loss of luggage or personal items in the means of transportation offered by the agency for the transportation of the client from and to the airport or port or for the city tour.
4. Rights of the agency
4.1. The agency reserves the right to ask every necessary document for the realization and the reservation of the tour.
4.2. The agency reserves the right to receive, in the way set in this agreement, every payment that the client owes.
4.3. The agency reserves the right to cancel a reservation if the client does not liquidate all payments as set in this agreement.
4.4. In case of cancellation, the agency reserves the right to withhold from the amount paid by the client, expenses and commissions which are made prior to the cancellation.
5. Obligations of the client
5.1. The client is obliged to liquidate all payments according to this agreement.
5.2. The client is obliged to be present at the departure in the time and day set by the agency.
5.3. The client is obliged to give the exact number of participants in the tour if the client is responsible for the group.
5.4. The client is obliged to declare if animals are to participate in the tour.
5.5. The client is obliged to declare if underage people are to participate in the tour. Underage people that travel in the presence of other people are to take a proxy by both the parents.
6. Rights of the client
6.1. The client has the right to profit by the offer made by the agency, according to the data given by the staff.
6.2. The client has the right to ask all information on the tour. This is to be done during the opening hours of the agency and according to the terms set in this agreement.
6.3. The client has the right to ask for a reimbursement in case of cancellation of the tour, change in the hotel or the transportation or in case of nonfulfillment of the agreement on the part of the agency without any reasonable cause or if the reasons stated in this document are present.
7. Deadlines
7.1. The deadline for a reservation or booking is at least 14 days prior to the date set for the tour. The agency is not responsible if, even within this deadline, there are no vacancies in the hotel or in the means of transportation.
7.2. Cancellation deadline
7.2.1. If the reservation or booking of the client is cancelled by the client himself 21 days or more prior to the tour, the client is reimbursed the full amount paid to the agency. The agency reserves the right to withhold from the amount paid by the client, expenses and commissions which are made prior to the cancellation. Expenses include the bank fee when payment is made via credit or debit card.
7.2.2. If the reservation or booking of the client is cancelled by the client himself 10 to 20 days prior to the tour, the client is to bear transfer fees and 50% of administration expenses. Expenses include the bank fee when payment is made via credit or debit card.
7.2.3. If the reservation or booking of the client is cancelled by the client himself 4 to 9 days prior to the tour, the client is to bear transfer fees and 70% of the administration expenses. Expenses include the bank fee when payment is made via credit or debit card.
7.2.4. If the reservation or booking of the client is cancelled by the client himself in less than 3 days prior to the tour, the client will not profit any reimbursement.
7.2.5. If the client is not present or leaves the tour before the date set by the agency, the client will not profit any reimbursement.
7.3. Cancellation procedures In order for the cancellation to be valid, the client must complete a required form found in the offices of the agency. The client must be present personally or be represented by a member of the group registered to travel with the client. In this case, the client must call the agency to confirm the cancellation, while the representative of the group is still in the office.
8. Price and payment
8.1. Setting the price: The price made public in the online page www.albtoursd.com, or the price given by the staff of the agency is the final price of the offer or package.
8.2. Responsibility of the agency in case of change in price
8.2.1. The agency is not responsible for the change in the final price if this change is made by the hotel, in case of an increase in taxes to be paid in the destination and other impositions made by the Albanian or local authorities.
8.2.2. The agency is not responsible for the change in the final price in different periods of time during the year which are considered to be peak in tourism in the destination chosen by the client.
8.2.3. Charges for children vary according to the policies of the hotel. The agency is not responsible for these charges and for the variations in the price.
8.3. The whole amount of the payment is to be liquidated by the time the reservation is made. In agreement with the agency, the payment will be liquidated 50% by the time the reservation is made and 50% will be liquidated 14 days prior to the departure day. In case of delay in the payment, the agency reserves the right to cancel the reservation. In different periods of time during a year, the agency reserves the right to change the deadline of 14 days.
8.4. The reimbursement in case of a change of the package
8.5. Bank fee
8.5.1. When payment is made via credit card, the fee is paid by the agency.
8.5.2. When payment is made with a card in the office of the agency, there is no fee to be paid by the parties.
8.5.3. When payment is made by cash, there is no fee to be paid by the parties.
8.6. Liquidation of the price is to be made via the following procedures:
8.6.1. Cash in the agency office or in the offices of member offices.
8.6.2. Via credit card Visa or MasterCard, accompanied with an authorization form, a copy of the passport and the necessary data of the card, including the three digit code sent by fax if the client is not present in the office.
8.6.3. Via credit or debit card Visa, MasterCard, Visa Electron and Maestro using our machine if the client is present in the office.
8.6.4. Via bank transfer. The details of the agency’s bank account can be found here. In this case the client must send via fax or e-mail a copy of the invoice.
9. Settling the disputes
9.1. In case of a dispute, the agency will make every effort to achieve a solution with a quick agreement with the client.
9.2. The agency will ensure that every correspondence will be answered within the following period of time:a) no later than 14 days from the receiving of the request of the client; and b) no later than 28 days from the receiving of the request of the client for a detailed answer.
10. Copyright
10.1. VAS DMC declares that the online page www.vasdmc.com is property of the agency. The agency is responsible for each material posted in the page.
10.2. VAS DMC declares that the information on the accommodation and means of transportation is property of the official online pages of said accommodation and means of transportation. The information on www.vasdmc.com is updated frequently. The agency is not responsible if the information on the official online page of the accommodation or means of transportation is not accurate.
10.3. VAS DMC declares that on the online pages of the agency the only information posted is the information allowed to the public by the owners of the online pages of the accommodation and means of transportation. The information is not documented personally by the staff of the agency.
10.4. VAS DMC declares that the agency does not own any content cited in 10.3.
11. Approval of the agreement
11.1. The approval of this agreement is made by the shareholders of VAS DMC..
11.2. Any change in this agreement is made by the shareholders of VAS DMC .