The dramatic canyon and waterfall complete with deep emerald swimming hole would make Nivice Canyon a must visit alone. Add in the fact it’s still wonderfully off the beaten track and you’re highly likely to get it to yourself and you have one of the best adventures close to Gjirokaster.
The hike to reach the canyon pool is spectacular and though steep in parts, it only takes around 35 minutes, which to be honest was a big relief as we happened to visit on a 38C day!
Here’s how to find the canyon waterfall and what to expect when you do.
The walk to Nivice Canyon
The stats
Distance: 1.3km each way (2.6km return)
Elevation gain: 150m
Difficulty: Moderate
Trailhead: Nivice Village
Summary: The walk to Nivice Canyon is predominantly downhill on the way and parts of the track are steep. The path is good for some of the time, but also has some fairly lengthy stretches of loose stones which can be a little slippery.
I don’t like rocky rubbly terrain but it was manageable for me with care. Coming back up was a bit of a mission in the intense heat but the climb doesn’t take too long and there were some patches of shade at various points too.
Although the trail is signposted along the first third of the walk, it’s a little confusing and there are one or two points you could definitely go the wrong way. We’ve included detailed directions in the notes below so you shouldn’t have any trouble!
Starting the trail: through the village and finding the correct canyon path
From the Nivice village car park (full parking details at the end of the post) you head through the square, passing a restaurant and following the yellow signpost.
After 155m you will see a gravel path and head left. Roughly 45m further on, or 200m into the walk, you will see an old signpost (it’s basically a big empty sign now) and head right.
The track now heads briefly uphill passing a small set of ruins 350m in.
You’ll see a sign saying ‘Kanione 8km’ but it points in the opposite direction. Ignore this sign and continue straight, passing a white sun-washed signpost.
Just beyond this there’s a black signpost and short section of rubbly downhill track.
The final signpost is 80m further on and you follow it through the gap in the rocks you can see in the photo below. From here the real descent begins.
The descent
You’ll climb down the short rocky section to a wide ledge with a truly spectacular mountain view that added real wow factor to the track.
Following this there is a little bit of rock to clamber down, but it’s stable so I actually preferred it to the rubble that was to come.
You’ll traverse a little around the rock walls with some narrow sections but nothing that felt precarious in any way. It’s at the 720m mark that you could easily be forgiven for taking the wrong path.
The obvious worn trail continues straight ahead (the narrow trail in the grass) but you need to look for the rocky track leading downhill on the left. When you know to look it’s easy to spot, but it’s definitely not obvious if you don’t keep an eye out.
The next section is steep in parts and basically all loose stones. I didn’t enjoy this bit as I always think I am going to slip on loose terrain but if you are sure footed you will probably think it’s fine.
It gets less steep after 110m and the path, though still rubbly, is much easier to walk on. The views are also astonishing with the canyon and mountains fully surrounding you.
The path is easy to follow as it winds its way downhill until the 1.05km mark. At this point it’s less clear which path you should take.
The path to the left leads to the upper section of the canyon and a small cascade. The path to the right continues down to the main waterfall pool. At this point you are just 170m away.
Arriving at Nivicë Canyon Waterfall
The first 10m are in good shape and then there’s a minor eroded section of track which is quite narrow. It felt relatively stable when dry and again, wasn’t too precarious.
There’s a little bit of rock to climb down and a final bit of rubble and rocks to clear before you’re standing in front of the waterfall.
This final stretch is no harder than the steepest bit on the earlier part of the walk and it takes just a few minutes from the junction to the waterfall.
After experiencing so many busy swimming spots in Albania I had to pinch myself that there was no one else around. We had the whole waterfall to ourselves and the setting is utterly sublime.
The cliff walls tower over the falls and surrounding area creating such a dramatic setting.
We stayed for a long time and no one else came at all, it was so serene and there are several huge rocks you can bask on as you listen to the sound of the waterfall and cascades.
Swimming at the Nivicë Canyon Waterfall
The large emerald pool at the base of the falls is a fabulous place for a dip and if you’re not a fan of cold water you will be pleasantly surprised to find it’s cool and refreshing but not cold.
I was expecting more icy water (in keeping with most of Albania) and couldn’t quite believe it was so mild! The view from the pool is magnificent with the huge waterfall and canyon walls that make you feel tiny as you stare up at them.
Entering the pool is easy, you can either slide in on the left side or walk in from the right side. Even when walking in there aren’t many rocks to negotiate so it’s quite easy and this is definitely the best way to exit the pool as trying to climb up the sloped bit of rock on the left side was slippery!
Once inside the pool it was smooth sailing with no rocks or obstructions in the water to worry about and a huge amount of space for swimming. There’s even a little bit of a cave on the right side of the pool which offered some shade for little breaks.
I loved it and felt so incredibly lucky to be there alone. It’s also worth noting that while other waterfalls in the area had run bone dry on our visit, this one still had a decent flow making it a good option for a waterfall swim later in the season (for context we visited in July).
Keep them wild
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.
The upper canyon and the hike back up
We went back to the junction and then followed the opposite path to check out the smaller waterfall. There’s actually a third one inbetween the two, but you can’t get a really good view of it unfortunately as it’s in a narrow part of the canyon.
The smaller cascade is pretty and the canyon wall beside it is particularly impressive. We debated walking up the canyon a bit to explore but given the extreme heat decided that was probably a bad idea!
As mentioned, walking back up to the car park was a bit challenging in the heat but in some ways I found it easier than the descent as the terrain is much better when going uphill as you never feel like you are going to slip.
It’s worth stopping at the Bujtina mbi Kanion guesthouse for a drink on their balcony on the way back to the car park as the view is absolutely stunning.
There’s also an offical viewpoint to the right of the guesthouse (up the stone path between the guesthouse and the next residential house) which has a gorgeous view. You can see it when you’re on the canyon walk as it has a big Albanian flag at the edge of the lookout.
Parking for and getting to the Nivicë Canyon trailhead
The walk to Nivicë Canyon begins in the village of Nivicë, there’s a free car park you can use which can be found on Google maps here. The road to reach the car park when coming from Gjirokaster is sealed all the way.
The journey takes around one hour and 15 minutes and it’s a truly stunning mountain drive. I wish there had been places to stop and take pictures as it was so scenic almost the entire way!
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