11-Stop Beaches & Sea Caves Boat Tour with Snorkelling Himara

Himara mini dock and Livadhi Beach

The trip starts at the mini dock on Rruga 2 Dhjetori in the centre of Himara, the main town of the Albanian Riviera between Vlora and Saranda. Himara is a Greek-speaking town with an old castle quarter on the hill, but its modern life is on the seafront, and the little harbour where tour boats tie up is a two-minute walk from the promenade. Arrive fifteen minutes before departure; parking in town is at your own expense.

Leaving the harbour, the first sight is Livadhi Beach, the long pebble bay just north of town backed by olive terraces and the slopes of the Ceraunian Mountains. From the water you see why people call Livadhi one of the best beaches near Himara: it is wide, bright and easy, and it gives you a sense of the coast before the boat turns toward the wilder coves that cannot be reached by road.

Aquarium Bay, Jale Beach and Crystal Beach

The boat glides past Aquarium Bay, a tiny inlet named for its glass-clear water where fish are easy to spot from the deck, and then Jale Beach, a popular summer cove with a small cluster of beach huts and a campsite behind it. These are short photo stops that show the different moods of the Himara coast: one bay all rock and emerald water, the next a lively beach with sunbeds and music in high season.

Your first real swimming break is at Crystal Beach, a secluded strip of white pebbles with water so transparent that the stones seem within reach even at depth. Here you have about half an hour to swim, snorkel with the masks provided and float in the shade of the cliff. Our crew stays close to the swimmers, and the life jackets on board mean weaker swimmers can enjoy the water too.

The Secret Cave and the Pigeons Cave

North of Crystal Beach the cliffs fall straight into the sea and the boat nudges into the Secret Cave, a narrow opening in the rock where the water turns a deep green and the ceiling drips with salt. The skipper takes the boat inside when the sea allows, which is one of the reasons the 09:30 departure is a good choice: the morning sea is usually calmer and the caves are empty.

The longest stop of the trip is at the Pigeons Cave, named after the birds that nest in its walls, where you swim from the boat into the cave mouth and watch the sunlight bounce off the white seabed and light the water from below. Around forty minutes here is enough to snorkel around the rocks, find the small fish that hide in the shadows and take the photos everyone wants from a Himara sea-cave tour.

Gjipe Beach and the Monastery Caves

Gjipe Beach is the most famous beach on this stretch of the Albanian Riviera and the hardest to reach by land: a half-hour hike down a canyon or a rough track from the road. From the boat it appears suddenly, a short curve of pale pebbles squeezed between two tall limestone walls where the Gjipe canyon meets the sea. The boat pauses in front of it for photos and a look at the canyon mouth, so you tick off Gjipe without the walk.

Just beyond are the Monastery Caves, openings in the cliff below the old monastery grounds on the headland, and then Pirates Beach, a small cove said to have sheltered smugglers in past centuries. These are cruising stops with scenic views rather than swimming breaks, and your guide explains the history of the coast as you pass. On a calm day the water here is so clear you can watch the rocks pass below the hull.

Alevra Beach and Filikuri Beach

The boat turns back toward Himara along a quieter line of the coast, slowing at Alevra Beach, a wild pebble bay with nobody on it for much of the year, where you have about half an hour of scenic cruising and photo time close to the shore. This part of the Himara coast is all cliff, scrub and small pine, with the sea changing from pale turquoise in the shallows to deep blue a few metres out.

The last and best-loved stop is Filikuri Beach, a secluded crescent of white pebbles reachable only by boat or on foot over the headland, where you have your final half-hour swim and snorkel before heading back. Many guests say Filikuri is the highlight of the Himara boat trip because it is so quiet. From here it is a short ride back to the dock in Himara, where the tour ends about three and a half hours after departure.