Saranda Boat Tour to Hidden Beaches and Caves

Saranda harbour and the Ionian coast

Saranda is the main resort of southern Albania, a horseshoe of white apartment blocks and palm-lined promenade around a deep blue bay, with the Greek island of Corfu filling the horizon. The harbour sits in the middle of the seafront, and the boat for this trip leaves from the marina pier, a short walk from almost every hotel in town. Behind the town rise bare hills topped by Lekursi Castle; ahead lies the Ionian Sea, calm and clear for most of the summer.

A Saranda boat trip north is the easiest way to see what the coast road hides: the cliffs between Saranda and Borsh fall straight into the sea, and the beaches tucked beneath them have no road access at all. This tour is the full version, with seven stops and five hours on and off the water, so you see the caves, the coves and the big beach in one day.

Turtle Cave and Anchor Cave

Ten minutes out of the harbour the boat reaches the first of the two sea caves. Turtle Cave takes its name from the shape of the rock at its mouth, and inside, the morning sun bounces off the pale seabed and fills the chamber with blue light. The boat edges in so you can photograph the ceiling and the glowing water, and there is a short stop of about 10 minutes for a swim at the entrance when the sea is flat.

Anchor Cave, just along the coast, is the second of the Saranda sea caves on the route. It is lower and wider, with an old iron anchor said to lie on the seabed inside, and the colours are at their best around midday when the sun is high. The captain decides on the day how far the boat goes into each cave depending on the swell, and both are the stops where cameras and waterproof phone cases come out first.

Qefali cape and the hidden coves

North of the caves the coast turns into a series of rocky headlands and small coves known collectively as the Qefali cape, with the cliffs of Gremina above them. The boat stops in two or three of these coves for 20 minutes each: the water is deep and transparent, the rock drops straight down below the surface, and this is the best snorkelling of the day, with fish sheltering in the crevices and sea urchins on the ledges.

Each cove is small enough that the boat is often the only one there, which is why this stretch is the quiet highlight of a Saranda hidden beaches tour. Most guests swim from the boat rather than going ashore, and the snorkelling gear on board means everyone can look down at the seabed rather than just across the water.

Kakome Bay

Kakome Bay is a wide, sheltered bay with a long pebble beach and almost no buildings, one of the last undeveloped bays on this part of the coast. For years it was closed to the public, which is why it has kept its untouched feel, and by land it still involves a long walk down from the road. The boat anchors off the beach for about 20 minutes of swimming in water that shades from pale green near the shore to deep blue in the middle of the bay.

From the water you see the whole amphitheatre of hills around Kakome, with olive terraces and bare limestone above the beach. It is a short stop, but a memorable one, and it answers the question many visitors ask about whether Kakome Bay is worth visiting: by boat, certainly, since you get the view, the swim and none of the walk.

Krorez Beach: the long free-time stop

Krorez is the destination of the day: a long curve of white pebbles between two headlands, with pine and olive trees behind it, a beach restaurant and rows of umbrellas and sun loungers for rent. There is no road, so everyone here has arrived by boat or on foot over the hills, and the beach never feels crowded. The water is shallow and clear for a long way out, good for children and for lazy snorkelling along the rocks at either end.

The boat stays at Krorez for about 2.5 hours, long enough to have lunch at the restaurant, rent an umbrella, swim, read and swim again. Krorez Beach is the place most people mean when they talk about the best beach near Saranda, and this stop gives you a proper afternoon there rather than a quick look.

Rrodhe Bay and the return to Saranda

On the way back the captain makes one last stop at Rrodhe Bay, a small cove of clear water a short run south of Krorez, with about 20 minutes for a final swim or snorkel as the afternoon light softens on the cliffs. It is a quieter spot than the morning caves, and a good moment to rinse off the day before the cruise back.

From Rrodhe it is about 10 minutes back to the marina pier in Saranda. The boat returns roughly five hours after departure, so a morning departure puts you back in town for the late afternoon and an afternoon departure returns around sunset. Either way, the whole day has been spent on a stretch of the Albanian Riviera that only a boat can show you.