The emerald swimming holes of Shkoder are absolutely spectacular yet you won’t find a single tourist there. Whether you’re looking for a wide sun drenched stretch of river to bask on or a tight canyon swim, you’ll find it along the Kanioni i Kirit.
The fact that everyone shoots through the city en route to Theth is their loss and your gain, especially if you’ve been craving a quiet swim away from the crowds.
There are more glorious swimming spots along one stretch of the Kanioni i Kirit than you could visit in a stay of several weeks, which guarantees you will find your own private spot.
Here’s a few that we visited, but you will find dozens more if you feel inclined to explore a little.
The swimming holes of Kanioni i Kirit
The swimming holes of the Kanioni i Kirit are all located along one river which stretches for many kilometres. The first notable spot is around a 30 minute drive from Shkoder.
We drove for another 20 minutes and found loads more pools along the way, so the world is your oyster in terms of choice.
Though no tourists really visit this area, some of the swimming holes are popular with locals and do get busy on weekends in summer.
Despite that you will find your own private pools if you steer clear of the more popular spots, or swim a little further than everyone else!
We visited twice, both times on a weekend in 37C heat and only three spots were busyish with locals (but still nowhere near as busy as the likes of Theth’s Blue Eye or Berat’s Bogove Waterfall). And both times we saw oodles of empty swimming holes too.
We didn’t get to swim in as many as we intended as I stepped on glass at one spot and couldn’t stem the bleeding, so our day was unfortunately cut short (more on that later in the guide).
However, there are quite literally dozens of pools with no one in them that you will find as you drive along Rruga Mesit Postribe. We’re going to describe the three we visited in order of distance from Shkoder.
Pool number one
The first major pool is the most popular one we saw and will suit if you’re looking for a little bit of infrastructure. It’s rustic infrastructure, but there’s a formal car park, somewhere to buy drinks, and a bit of a footpath.
From the car park (flat rate of 200 Lek/€2 for the day) it takes less than five minutes to reach the pool (there was some free parking on the road too, but we didn’t want to take a chance with our rental car when we didn’t have to!).
On the far left side of the car park you will see a path leading to a somewhat rustic wooden bridge over the gorge. You can then walk down the sloped rock shelf (very easy) to the little stony ‘beach’ beside the water.
From here you have shallow access to the water.
The pool is deep and very pretty. It’s in a little gorge surrounded by mountains. You can see the road above but you don’t really focus on that.
Though on a weekend in summer it was a little busy, if you swum under the bridge and into the narrow canyon there was literally no one there at all. And once in that area you couldn’t see or hear anyone either.
To be honest, my experience in the main pool was that people would have a quick dip and then sit on the rocks so I swam alone most of the time anyway.
The water is much warmer than any of the other pools I swam at in Albania, so if you’re cold water averse this one’s for you.
I wouldn’t say it was warm, but it definitely wasn’t cold - pretty close to perfection on a hot summer’s day!
Pool two
So while you may encounter people at the two other pools mentioned in this guide if visiting on a hot weekend, we never saw anyone at this pool.
There is no car park, but room for a couple of cars to pull fully off the road and in to the layby at this location on Google maps.
Cross over the road and you will see a slight worn path leading downhill to the water. It’s easy, but a touch rocky, though it only takes a minute to get down.
I did it in flip flops, but I did feel like I might break them, so shoes are probably better.
You’ll arrive at the water’s edge where you have shallow access to the pool. There are a few rocks under the water just as you enter which are slippery, but then it’s deep almost immediately so access is still easy overall.
This pool is long, deep and beautiful, with swirling canyon walls that make for a really fun swim. There is a bit of a current but it was very manageable as you could swim outside of it most of the time and the little sections where you did have to swim against it weren’t too difficult. Earlier on in the season might be more difficult depending on the flow.
The emerald water, the incredible gorge walls and the giant mountain backdrop all made for a really magical swim spot.
The fact we were here alone was the icing on the cake. I couldn’t believe my luck.
As mentioned, there are many parts of the gorge like this, you just need to find somewhere you can park and then a way down to the water which is not too steep. I have no doubt we’ll be back to find more one day!
Pool three
The final pool has a small car park that’s marked as a campsite on Google Maps, but it’s free of charge and there is no other infrastructure at all, it’s still wild.
This is a great spot for swimming, as it’s incredibly picturesque with clear emerald water, a huge mountain backdrop and a picturesque rock which locals like to jump from.
From the car park it takes less than a minute to walk to the water’s edge, but the best pool is maybe 100m or so upstream.
For us the current was strong, the water shallow, and it was full of rocks. I battled up but it’s much better to do what Joe did and walk on the left riverbank (closest to the car park, it’s the only side you could walk on anyway!).
There is no path, but you can make your way along and then up and over a few rocks and down to the pool. It takes less than five minutes and is so much easier than fighting the current.
You’ll then arrive at the most gorgeous little pool. Well not that little, it’s plenty big enough for a proper swim. The water is clear and much calmer here than the stretch of river preceding it.
The large rock can be jumped from but always depth check first as water levels can change. On our visit it was very deep.
However, please exercise caution here as this is where I trod on glass. I would recommend wearing water shoes as a precaution.
Zhylë Cave
So not exactly a swim spot, but if you want a cold plunge inside a blue pool within a cave then it could be for you!
But when I say cold plunge, I mean Theth Blue Eye cold, so this one is pretty niche! Even if you don’t swim, it’s a welcome relief from the intense heat outside if you’re visiting in the summer months.
If you keep driving along Rruga Mesit Postribe to this car park you will see the entrance to Zhylë Cave. It was 40C the day we visited and we disturbed a few cows who had taken shelter in the entrance!
Make your way through the first chamber, which requires climbing over a few rocks but it’s very easy. Just watch out for any wet rocks which can be slippery and bring a torch.
After just a few minutes you will come to a blue pool. It’s pretty deep, above waist height on me and ice cold.
I waded in and found a hand line, so I am not sure if it’s a caving spot, but you can climb over that and you’ll reach another small chamber.
It’s mainly wet though there is a small dry area on the right.
I love caves so anything like this is right up my street, but it’s very small so don’t drive all the way out here expecting anything really special, it’s more a fun add on to a day exploring the river.
Safety info - please read
I did mention this at the relevant pool but incase it got missed, I wanted to reiterate that rubbish can be a problem in Albania in general, but especially at swimming spots. I did step on glass at one of them which needless to say ruined the day a bit!
Please use extra caution as it’s sadly common to see beer bottle caps and other sharp objects around some swimming areas.
This is not exclusive to Shkoder, you’ll see it in Theth and other areas too. It would be safer to use water shoes at least until you’re inside the pools and at swimming depth. I didn’t have any with me unfortunately but will be bringing them for our next visit!
Keep them wild
In relation to the point above, please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Where to stay near Shkodër
We stayed at the Montflux Hotel, around a 15 minute drive from the city centre. By this point in our trip we were really over how noisy Albanian towns and cities are. We checked into an apartment in the city centre and immediately checked out again when we saw how noisy it was.
The Montflux Hotel is the polar opposite, it’s in a peaceful location by the beautiful Mesi Bridge and set back from the quiet road. The rooms are spacious, modern and very comfortable- it’s worth splurging a little extra on the deluxe rooms which are much larger.
The bathroom is small with the typical wet room style set up, but it’s so hot in Shkoder that it dries very quickly. The wifi is also lightning fast.
We ended up feeling so at home here we extended our stay which resulted in us exploring a lot more of Shkoder than we’d planned which was an unexpected treat!
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