Venturing into the otherworldly Holta Canyon is one of the best adventures Albania has to offer. And Albania is jam packed with epic adventures. The canyon is breathtaking, with turquoise water and delicately sculpted limestone walls which shimmer like marble wherever the light hits them. Although light penetrating the canyon is quite rare as the walls are so high that it remains relatively dark throughout adding an air of mystery to the hike.
This also makes it a great choice for a hot day when entering the canyon feels like going from a sauna to a fridge and I mean that quite literally. It was 40C outside and 10C inside - so be prepared for it to be seriously cold unless the water levels are extremely low.
Here’s everything you need to know to plan your trip to the stunning Holta Canyon.
The Holta Canyon hike
The stats
Distance: 1.5km each way (this was our turn around point, you can go further)
Elevation gain: Flat
Difficulty: Easy by canyon standards, easy - moderate by hiking standards
Trailhead: Holta Canyon Car Park
Summary: You don’t need to walk through the whole canyon to experience spectacular scenery so the hike can be very easy if you don’t want to go too far in. The difficulty level is also somewhat dependant on the water levels inside the canyon.
For us they were quite high and as the water is ice cold that makes it more challenging and many people turned back because they couldn’t tolerate the water. When it’s lower you probably won’t have too much trouble in terms of getting overly cold.
We went around 1.5km through the canyon, up until a boulder scramble that was too difficult with the water level being so high (it might have been too difficult for me even when lower, it’s hard to say!).
Though you could continue for approximately 1km more, the boulder scramble makes a great turn around point, and though I would have loved to have seen the whole thing, we had a great experience that was also refreshingly easy.
We’re used to canyons with lots of scrambling, whereas this is a walk-through. You will be making your way along a river bed so it will be rocky underfoot at all times, but the rocks are not slippery even when wet which was a surprise.
There are some dry sections but otherwise water will be anywhere from ankle height to swimming depth. We had two short mandatory swims (or neck deep wades) and one long one.
In drier times I think it would reduce to just the long one which is right at the end before the boulder scramble and could therefore be skipped if you weren’t keen on swimming. For me it was a highlight but I am a big fan of canyon swims. You definitely don’t need to do it to have an incredible adventure in the canyon.
Safety warning
The biggest danger when entering any canyon is the risk of flash flooding. Never enter a canyon if rain is predicted, or following heavy rain which will be evident by its brown colour indicating it’s flood water. We couldn’t get a very localised look at the weather but we used a town as close as we could to the canyon to check for rain, which you can see here.
The other potential risk at Holta Canyon is rockfall. We did not see any rockfall but it can happen so you might want to rent a helmet. The cost is 1 Euro and they can be hired from the restaurant just beside where you begin the hike. They aren’t proper helmets though, they look more like builder’s hats, so I am not sure how much it would really help you with rockfall, but it would definitely be better than nothing.
The final point is probably only relevant when water levels are high, but don’t underestimate the cold water and cold air temperature inside the canyon. If you know your body doesn’t do well in the cold don’t venture too far in if water levels are up. I saw many people not used to the cold shaking terribly in the canyon and there are few places you can warm up.
The hike: reaching the start of the canyon
From the car park, you walk past the restaurants and down the stairs, straight into the river. It’s very shallow at this point but becomes deep 70m in as you enter the canyon proper. It was waist height for us but would likely be lower during periods of extended dry weather.
Just before you reach this section you’ll see a manmade (semi dammed) pool on the left. This has warmish water due to thermal activity and it was exceedingly popular on our visit.
And on the note of how busy it is, it’s not at all popular with tourists yet, but exceedingly popular with locals. We visited on a weekend in June and I would not recommend doing this unless you can’t go on a weekday.
Anyway, back to the canyon which is absolutely spectacular with or without crowds, so don’t be put off if a weekend is the only time you can come.
Through the canyon
After passing through the initial deepish section of water you reach the first narrow part of the canyon. It’s not really narrow, like a tight slot canyon would be, but the walls loom over you at all times.
There is a cave off to the left but we continued past it as this early part of the canyon was packed with people. It thinned out the further we went and the last bit (that involved mandatory swimming) was completely empty which was simply magical.
You’ll continue making your way up river, over smooth but surprisingly grippy stones. It is rarely completely dry (though it may be for you) but the water is often only ankle to knee height and the going is refreshingly easy.
The water is extremely cold though (in June) and many people turned back visibly shaking so you definitely want to pick a hot day if water levels are high.
Having said that, there are only one or two spots quite far into the canyon where sunlight penetrates the canyon floor, so the heat is more about warming up afterwards than it is about keeping warm inside the canyon.
We hit a waist high section of water 100m after the first deep section and then it was much lower, mainly ankle depth for the next 700m.
In this section you will pass through some seriously ethereal parts of the canyon with swirling white walls and turquoise water. Exquisite enough that continuing on despite how cold it is will never be in question.
I absolutely fell in love with this canyon and couldn’t believe we got to experience such an amazing canyon that is also so easy to walk through.
At the 950m mark you will reach two deep pools. They are small but the depth was up to our necks in the middle (again it’s hard to say if they are normally much more shallow) but do not be deterred because it takes just a minute to cross them and you’re already wet at this point!
The grand finale
After these deep pools it gets shallower before another waist deep pool and then you will reach a little open area where a couple of sun rays did enter the canyon and we basked in these for a while to warm up.
This is where Joe stopped as he didn’t want to swim, but if you don’t mind cold water I highly recommend continuing for another 180m to the boulder scramble.
You will cross the dry open section and then there’s a mandatory swim through a squeeze between a giant boulder and the canyon wall.
The boulder squeeze
There is a short dry walk before you hit the long swim. And what a swim!
I apologise for the terrible iPhone photos as I didn’t dare take the big camera and there is nowhere you can stand up to take photos anyway.
The swim must be around 100m long and takes you through the narrowest part of the canyon which is a proper slot. Looking up at the walls as you go is extraordinary and it honestly left me on a high for the rest of the day.
When I reached the boulders I couldn’t hoist myself out of the water as there was nothing to grab onto and the sides of the walls were slippery so I couldn’t gain any traction. I reluctantly decided to turn back, but you can continue for approximately 1km more from what I’ve heard and it would no doubt be amazing.
However, even if you stop where I did you will have walked around 1.5km through the canyon and that is definitely enough to experience the magic.
I actually loved walking back too as the views all look slightly different on the way back. I won’t lie that I was happy to warm up at the end though and it didn’t take long in 40C heat for the pins and needles in our hands and feet to subside.
All in all this was probably my favourite Albanian adventure across our five week trip, though we’re heading back in a couple of months time so who knows whether anything will end up beating it!
Getting to Holta Canyon
We visited Holta Canyon from Berat but you could also visit from Durres or Tirana. Currently Google maps overestimates the journey time which only takes around 1.5 hours from Berat.
The road is now fully sealed except for one minor section which will no doubt be worked on soon so any car can make the journey and it’s really scenic when coming from Berat. The car park beside the canyon can be seen here on Google Maps.
Parking is currently free of charge. Drinks and limited food can be bought from the onsite restaurants.
Where to stay in Berat
We stayed at the Citadel Heritage Hotel just a few minutes drive from the old town of Berat. Though the area directly surrounding the hotel didn’t have the charm of the old town, that meant it was really quiet which was a major priority for us. The hotel is very modern, clean, comfy and calm.
The bathroom is great with a powerful shower and the wifi works well. There’s even a gorgeous swimming pool if you want a break from exploring.
It’s one of the best hotels we stayed in during our five weeks in Albania and though it was one of the most expensive, it’s still very good value for money. We would and no doubt will stay there again!
You can check out the reviews and prices on:
If you have your heart set on the charming part of the city (and I did too before getting tired of all the noise in the city centres!) then the other place I was looking at which I think would still be quiet was Villa Art Berat Castle.
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