The Benja Hot Springs are undoubtedly the most popular attraction in Permet, in fact it’s probably fair to say they put Permet on the map when it comes to tourism. And who wouldn’t be awed by blue thermal pools scattered amongst one of Albania’s most stunning canyons? However, the hot springs have become a controversial site due to the rapid development that’s taken place, changing the look and feel of the springs forever.
Whether you enjoy the experience will partly come down to your expectations. If you’ve seen pictures of how the hot springs used to look, I believe you’ll come away feeling a little sad. If you haven’t, you will probably think they are some of the most beautiful thermal pools you have ever seen.
My advice is, if you haven’t seen what was, do not look it up! Come with the managed expectations of what they are like today and I think you will have a good time - so long as you follow our advice for avoiding the crowds, because who wants to sit in an exquisite canyon pool shoulder to shoulder with dozens of other people?!
Here’s our take on the Benja Hot Springs (Llixhat e Bënjës), the good, the bad and the ugly!
The Benja Hot Springs (Llixhat e Bënjës)
I am going to take you through the pools and the walk to get to them one by one, but to start, here’s what to expect from a visit to the springs more generally.
An overview of the site
There are 7 thermal pools located along the Langarica River. The first few are just before the start of Langarica Canyon and the rest are located within the canyon itself. The main pools begin around 550m from the parking area (there’s a very small one before this but it’s rarely used) and the final one is 900m from the car park.
There are no longer any natural damned pools, they are all manmade tubs (I feel sad just writing that!). The tubs are not sympathetic to the environment, but the views are simply sensational and that’s why I believe they are still some of the most incredible thermal pool views you will ever see.
The water temperature
As you near the pools the smell of sulphur ‘perfumes’ the air but unless it’s very cold you won’t see steam rising from the pools and that’s because these are the coldest hot pools I have ever been in!
The temperature varies between the pools, but as a rule of thumb the ones around the bridge have warmer water than the ones further into the canyon.
But when I say warmer, I mean tepid, not hot. The ones further into the canyon are cool, warmer than the river water, but not even tepid.
Perhaps this changes throughout the year but we visited another ‘hot’ spring in Albania in the height of summer and it too was cold, so I think it’s best to think of these pools as having healing properties but not true thermal water.
If you’re visiting when the air temperature is hot that will probably be welcome news, but at cooler times of the year you may actually feel a touch chilly.
The crowds: early vs late
The hot springs are by no means a hidden gem anymore, they get very crowded, especially in peak and shoulder season. One look at the development going on and the huuuuuge car park and you know it’s only going to get busier.
The majority of people come in the middle of the day so that’s the time to avoid if you’re crowd averse. We visited twice, once in the early (ish) morning and again in the late afternoon. We also passed by in the middle of the day which is how we know it’s way busier then.
In terms of which is better between early and late, it’s early. We visited at 8am and there were around 20 people scattered amongst the pools, you can probably treble that number by the time 9am rolled around.
Around an hour before sunset it was also much quieter than during the day, but still a lot busier than the early morning. If you wanted a very quiet experience I would come at sunrise and you’d probably be alone or close to.
In the middle of the day the pools were heaving and I mean heaving, I wouldn’t recommend it unless you really don’t care about crowds.
Don’t visit after rain
The water in the pools runs brown after heavy rain and it’s full of silty run off from the mountains. It doesn’t take too long for the pools to run clear again but I would leave it a few days if possible.
Accessibility
If you have accessibility issues I am sad to say only one pool would be suitable and it’s the cold small one at the very start. All other pools involve negotiating a small amount of ascending and descending on uneven terrain. That’s not to say they are difficult to access, but they won’t be suitable for anyone with mobility issues.
Facilities, parking and fees
The area is very much still in development as I write this today, so I will update the article when I hear things have changed, but as it stands in October 2026 there are no toilets on site. There is no doubt in my mind this will not be the case for much longer though. Many, but not all of the pools have a little changing area beside them.
At time of writing these are wooden boxes with stalls, but there are no doors on the outside of the stalls (I presume this will change in time!). With that said I didn’t see a soul use them, the walk is so easy that most people just come down in their swimwear.
Looking at the size of some of the unfinished structures it looks like a restaurant may also be under construction.
There is a huge car park which costs 200 Lek (€2) for the whole day (it’s a flat rate). It looked to be that there was a entry ticket booth being built too, I could be wrong on that as the springs are free of charge at the moment. However, given how much work is being done I can’t imagine it will remain that way.
The road to the car park is fully sealed and easy to drive.
The Langarica Canyon hike
If you visit all the pools you will have walked a few hundred metres into the canyon proper. However, you can continue for several kilometres through the canyon which has some amazing narrow slot sections.
It’s much more rugged than the walk to the pools and involves walking on rocks, through slippery mud and in the river.
It’s a much more challenging walk than say Holta Canyon near Berat but it’s pretty spectacular. It may be less muddy at other times of year and that would make it a lot easier, but it’s still a proper hike and is best done with grippy shoes.
I won’t go into more detail here as we have a whole guide dedicated to Langarica Canyon here.
A pool by pool run down
Pool one
Distance from the car park: 450m
The walk to the first pool is all on a paved path and it’s very easy. However, though the water is exceptionally blue in this pool, it’s the smallest and coldest pool.
It’s also right on the main walkway so it’s not very atmospheric. Dare I say the first two times we walked past, I didn’t even notice it. The water is relatively shallow but enough to bathe in and it has a small changing room.
Pool two - recommended
Distance from pool one: 100m, or 550m from the car park
This pool is one of the warmest and also one of the prettiest! It’s set just beside the old Ottoman bridge and the water is nice and blue.
To access it you need to walk over the bridge and then head left down some stone steps and into the pool. The bridge is made up of cobblestones and it’s quite steep.
I personally found it fine to walk over with dry shoes but was more cautious when wet. I saw some people turn back on the bridge and instead cross the river below. If water levels are low this is easy, but most people will probably prefer using the bridge.
There is no changing hut at this pool and it’s very small, but if you get it to yourself it’s great! The water is around chest height and though it’s in shadow for much of the day, the warmer water means you shouldn’t feel too cold.
Pool three
Distance from pool two: a one minute walk
This little pool is quite cute with a view of the river and bridge, but it gets very busy as it’s one of the first pools you will see from the walkway.
It’s to the right of the bridge, very close to the biggest pool of them all. There are proper steps leading down into it and the water is warm and chest deep.
It’s nice enough but I prefer the more secluded options. There’s a changing area very close to it, beside the biggest pool.
Pool four
Distance from pool three: a few seconds
This is the biggest and busiest pool of them all. It has two tiers and though there are nice river and mountain views, you’re also looking at all the buildings and ugliness of the new development.
The steps down into the pool make it easy to access and as with pools two and three, you can cross the river instead of using the bridge if preferred. It was quiet in the morning but very busy around sunset.
The water is warm, the same temperature as pools two and three and a similar depth.
Pool five - recommended
Distance from the car park: 630m (roughly 130m from the bridge)
This little pool is a beauty with vivid blue water that’s very clear, much clearer than any of the other pools mentioned so far.
It’s absolutely tiny but what a view! You have a good view of the canyon walls and the bridge and you can see the mineral water rushing directly into the pool.
There’s a little wooden platform beside it and access is via steps, but it’s not manicured to the same degree as some of the earlier ones.
The water is warmish but a bit cooler than pools two, three and four.
To get to the pool requires crossing some water, you can keep dry shoes as there are rocks to use as stepping stones. You also need to walk down a set of uneven stairs beside the bridge to reach the river and then across the stony riverbed.
Pool six - recommended
Distance from pool five: 150m, or 750m from the car park
You’re really heading into the canyon now and if you don’t mind a mandatory rocky water crossing, it’s oh so worth it. Though, alas, the last two pools are very cool, they don’t feel thermal at all to be honest. They feel warm only in relation to the cold river water. However, for me they are the most beautiful of all the pools.
This pool is the second biggest, you can actually have a little swim if you wanted to! The view of the canyon is sublime, real pinch me territory. However, the manmade nature of the tub feels perhaps at its most criminal at this pool (and the next).
But that and the cold water aside it’s just stunning. You have to climb a little rocky slope to get up to the pool and then there are steps leading into it, but they were a bit more weedy and unkempt than the earlier pools.
I got this one to myself for a while a little before sunset and I have to say it was a bit special.
To reach it you’ll need to cross the river twice. This was only ankle deep on our visit, but would be higher after the snow melt. There are lots of rocks in the water so you want decent shoes or you’ll likely slip and slide a lot.
Pool seven - recommended for the view
Distance from pool six: 150m or 900m from the car park
The final thermal pool is perhaps the most fabulously located of them all, but whatever you do, do not look up what it used to look like pre black tub. Oh my have they spoilt it.
A fraction of the size it may be, but you should still venture here to witness just how special this part of the canyon is.
The pool is the furthest from the car park and involves more water crossings so it’s quieter than the others. It’s pretty cold though.
It has a changing room and stairs leading up to it, but no formal stairs leading into it as of yet. It’s quite small and the water is actually nicer in the mini ‘pool’ behind it, but there’s no view and it’s miniature. For me, it’s worth seeing this one for the view, but as I say, the pool itself isn’t the best.
In conclusion, are the Benja Hot Springs worth visiting?
If development and unsympathetic manmade structures in a glorious natural environment is going to make you feel sad or angry then definitely don’t visit. If you only like true hot springs, not tepid ones, then it also won’t be for you.
If you can look past the development and simply see the pools as being in a truly beautiful location, with mineral water that’s good for your skin, then don’t be put off visiting. You can probably already see that I had very mixed feelings about the pools, but I am still glad I visited.
Where we stayed in Permet
The Benja Hot Springs are located a 25 minute drive from Permet, all on a sealed road and Permet makes a great base to explore them from.
Porta E Gjelber
We stayed in Porta E Gjelbër which is a great little family run hotel with comfy beds and good showers (no bathroom flooding here!). It’s very central (but not noisy) so you can walk to anywhere you want to go in Permet and the onsite restaurant has very good food.
The curtains don’t quite fit the windows though so you might want to bring an eye mask if you’re sensitive - though this is the case for most places in Albania so it’s by no means a unique thing to this hotel.
We stayed twice and the second time it was like seeing an old friend so you can expect a warm welcome!
Chri Chri Guesthouse
If you don’t mind a 10 minute drive out of the village up a steep mountain road Chri Chri Guest House is a delightful place to stay (the final part of the road is unpaved, but the host will pick you up from the end of the paved road). The old stone house has wonderful views and it’s so quiet at night. I thought we might be woken by the local roosters but we didn’t hear a peep!
This is a proper old school travel experience in the sense that people sit and talk to each other here, helped in part by dinner being served at a long table, but also by the comfy cushioned seating around the fire. If you’ve missed sitting and chatting to other guests on your travels, it’s the place to go.
The host, Gilberto, is also a fountain of knowledge about Albania and will happily sit and chat over a glass of evening raki.
It’s also near the most incredible church in the whole country which is a must visit.
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