South Albania: Butrint, Blue Eye & Gjirokastër

The Butrint National Park, is protected by The Ramsar Convention. It was declared a world heritage center by UNESCO in 1992, and it covers an area of 12 hectares. The city was built around the XIII century BC by the Trojans according to mythology. The strategic position of Butrint next to the Ionian sea made it desirable for major European powers since the First Peloponnesian war in the V century BC, followed by many conquests from different powers such as Rome, The Byzantine Empire, The Ottomans and so on. Every wall of Butrint shows and reflects the long history and different touches of different civilizations which flourished in different periods of history .
The Blue Eye, located just 25 km away from Saranda City, is a karst spring , the most famous and unique in Albania. Many legends revolve around the spring , but the most popular one is that of a beautiful girl who was sacrificed to the gods for their gift of free pure water source. The place offers the possibility of a special bond with nature as it is possible to explore many areas of green centuries old plane-trees, dense shrubs and other several water sources. Gjirokastra – known as the "Stone City", is situated in the southern part of Albania just 1 hour from Saranda city. It is built on the eastern slope of mountain Mali i Gjere. The original cobbled streets spread through the whole city bringing us up to the fortress in top of which The “Saint Sotira “ Church, of the 18 th century, is located. Within the walls of the fortress we will feel once again the Albanian religious tolerance and coexistence as two different mosques lay not far away from the church.