I nearly didn’t write this article, but then I thought there is highly likely to be one or two people like us that enjoy a bit of ‘type two fun’ and this is definitely a type two kind of adventure! So what are the Turquoise Pools of Doom you might be wondering? Well, on paper they are fabulous: aqua blue stretches of river with towering gorge walls culminating in a short tight canyon swim to a waterfall.
In reality they are all of the above but with a more hectic walk than we were expecting. Oh and the bottom of the pools are made up of thick clay mud. I slipped right at the last hurdle when entering the best pool and was basically a full on mud monster.
It was at this point I declared them to be the Turquoise Pools of Doom. However, a wholly unexpected benefit was that the next day my skin was as soft as when I’d used Dead Sea mud, so if you’re looking for a very unorthodox spa experience this could be it!
So if all of that hasn’t put you off, here’s how to find them!
Getting to Gjiri I Kades
The access road
If the road is dry and you don’t have a very low slung vehicle you can probably drive all the way to the river and this will make it a much easier adventure.
Unfortunately we visited after very heavy rain and some deep puddles along the road meant that we couldn’t drive the last 2.6km to the closest parking point.
If the same happens to you, park here and walk the road. If not park by the gorgeous Ottoman bridge (the Bridge of Vokopolë), which you can find on Google maps here. Parking is free at both places, there’s no car park at either, just pull fully off the road.
Note that the road is unsealed and has some hills, nothing too dramatic, but if you don’t like driving on gravel roads with inclines then you may prefer to walk no matter whether there are puddles or not.
If you have to walk the road
If you do have to walk the road, from the parking spot we mention above, it will be an additional 2.6km each way, but as it’s along a road, the going is pretty easy. There are some ups and downs but when on foot they don’t feel overly steep.
What might get you depending on the temperature is the fact there is no shade at all. We were walking on a 37C day and it was a slog.
On the way back a storm rolled in bringing full cloud cover and a lower air temperature, and in those conditions it felt easy!
The walk to Gjiri I Kades, the Turquoise Pools of Doom
The stats
Distance: 1.6km each way (if you can drive all the way to the river), otherwise 4.2km
Elevation gain: Flat, or 250m if you have to walk the road
Difficulty: Moderate after rain, easier if very dry
Trailhead: Poliçan, near Berat
Summary: If you have to walk the road as we did, then it feels like a relatively long walk, but if not, it will feel relatively quick. However, once you leave the road there is no set path. You will simply make your way up river along the path of least resistance.
Sometimes there is a bank that is relatively free of vegetation and these bits are easy. Other times you need to walk in the river.
We visited in June and it was mainly below knee height, but it was shoulder height at one point (albeit briefly). Where there are rocks it is quite easy to walk in the river, where it is only mud, it’s slippery.
However, we were walking after the aforementioned heavy rain which meant most of the river banks had wet mud that turned to clay. This is not dissimilar to walking on banana skins.
The fact I only went fully over once is a miracle! If the mud is dry it is easy to walk on and you could avoid most of the river walking, in these conditions the walk will be so much easier.
If you visit later in the summer (around August or September) the river levels will likely also be lower which will also make it feel easier.
Starting the trail: to the first blue pool
The track, such as it is, begins opposite the old Ottoman bridge (built in the 1700’s) which you can walk across before starting the trail to the pools, it’s a steep arch, but fun to walk over.
To reach the pools you cross over the metal bridge on the road and then take the path on the right.
The river will be on your right and you are following it upstream. At first you can stick to the riverbank, but you’ll soon come to the first creek crossing, which is a shallow easy one.
Just beside this crossing is a beautiful stretch of blue water on the river bend, it’s less than 100m from the trailhead. The cliff wall is very impressive here but the pool is quite shallow.
I did swim here, but there are better spots upstream. It also has the same thick slippery mud entry as the better pools, so you may want to limit how many swims you have if you’re not going to enjoy squelching through thick mud.
Continuing upstream to the canyon
The next part of the walk crisscrosses the shallow river with options to stick to the riverbanks at first. It’s more stony and a bit drier here so you don’t have to worry about the slippery clay mud.
Around 100m from the first little pool you’ll come to another one, also small and also with a great cliff wall. However, again, unless you want multiple swims, I would continue all the way to the end and swim there, as it’s definitely the best area for swimming.
There’s not too much detail we can go into for this part of the ‘trail’ as everyone will walk it slightly differently. Essentially, you will cross the river a few times, probably walk through it a fair bit, or if you’re very lucky and the mud is dry, use the riverbanks to make it much quicker.
I can’t stress enough how slippery it is if the mud has turned to clay though, so tread carefully. I was lucky to slip and simply land in the mud, whereas sometimes you might land on rocks which would be more painful.
On one of the river crossings (see the photo below) you face the dilemma of shoulder high water or knee deep mud to cross on the riverbank.
I decided to stick to the water as I was going to swim anyway, so I thought I might as well cross the river in my swimwear! Joe went for the riverbank but it was a slippery struggle.
There is one section a little after the very deep bit where you can walk along the raised rocky bank on the right side of the water for a little while and this is the easier option.
Not long after the bank runs out, roughly 1.6km after you started the trail, you will arrive at a big mud bank and this is the last point you can walk to. From here, to see the canyon and waterfall you need to swim.
Swimming in the canyon
Entry to the river pool just before the canyon is again via thick mud. This is the point I went right over as it was exceptionally slippery. If it’s still really slick when you visit the easiest way is probably just to sit down and slide in, then you can swim off.
The water is a stunning turquoise and there’s plenty of room to swim. If you don’t like those little dead skin nibbling fish you should keep swimming because when you stop they’ll swarm!
People pay good money for that in Asia, yet here in Albania you can get it for free : )
You can swim up and through the narrow canyon, and along this stretch of river the water is very deep so you won’t have to worry about any mud and the water is nice and clear.
The canyon is quite small but the walls are about 8m high and impressive.
There’s a bit of a current as you swim up but not enough to make it too challenging. There’s a rocky area at the end with a set of cascades and a small waterfall where you can sit if the flow of the cascades is not too strong. It’s just beautiful and would be even more so on a clear sunny day.
I did want to see if we could get any further but completely out of nowhere a major storm rolled in and a canyon is no place to be in a storm so we beat a hasty retreat.
I am not sure if you could even go further or not, but this small canyon section was worth the walk nonetheless - though I would have much preferred it if the ‘track’ had been dry and easy!
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.
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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