Karaburun Peninsula (Albania)

The Karaburun Peninsula is that part of the Vlora coast, where tourism can find the most suitable terrain to develop. 25 km away from Vlora city, on the land road, the Karaburun Peninsula offers surprises in every season for anyone visiting it. Tourist agencies apply not only trips along this massif, but also overnight holidays, to the beaches located there. Such trips are organized mainly during the summer season, and are intended to extend throughout the year.

The natural landscape, intertwined with the historic one, makes it a relief where the visitor can surprise himself immensely. The rugged coastline, the small meadows that go down to the water line, the many and hidden bays, the virgin beaches, are some of the elements that almost do not find anywhere else on the Albanian coast. The peninsula forms a large and gentle bow that picks up a large, thumbfoot, stretched hand. It divides the sea bay of Vlora from Otranto's Channel and has a length of about 15 km, with a latitude up to 4.5 km. On the northwestern side of Karaburun (in Turkish, black tongue), is the Cape of Spirulina, the westernmost point of Albania. At the top of this massif, there are three peaks, that of Kores 826 meters above sea level, as well as Dafina and Ilqes, respectively 732 and 687 meters. The western part is rocky and vertically fragmented, with caves, coves, bays and small beaches. Here are the small beach of Dafa, the Bitri coast, the Panaia cave. Despite this, in the eastern part of the peninsula that looks out of Vlora bay, the coast is more formed and less rugged. The Karaburun Massif, in its entirety, is poor in vegetation but rich in pastures. In its lower and narrowest part, there is the plateau of Ravenna, a well-known livestock center in the south of the country, used by the Dukat villagers to breed mothers. From the geological point of view, the Karaburun massif is made up of paleogenic limestone, which has been used since ancient times for the production of marble. The quality of this product differs from that of other areas of Albania. Lack of vegetation and surface waters have made the peninsula uninhabitable.

Historical resources

At the northwestern edge of the peninsula, in the head of the Spire, is the cave of Haxhi Alia, a name known in the history of maritime piracy. This natural object, according to the Vlora geographers, is the country's largest naval cave, with many pockets inside it. This is because, on the western part of the peninsula, there is a cave of Gramat, within which numerous inscriptions are found, which coincide with different periods of history. The small Gulf of Gram, located in the western part of Karaburun, is one of the most distinctive surprises of the peninsula, in the historical point of view. According to historians, this place has served in ancient times as a resort for ships. On the many walls of the bay, very many scripts inscribed by the sailors are found, expressing gratitude to Poseidon. The first scriptures belong to the IV century BC.

In Latin scriptures, dating back to the 12th century AD, there are the names of Mark Antony and Pompey, as well as various drawings, among which ships, crosses, anchors, shields, etc. In this bay, there is a cave bearing the same name, on the rocky walls of which drawings and scripts are distinguished, expressing gratitude for generosity and hospitality. With these elements and many others, the Karaburuni peninsula is one of the most attractive areas in terms of tourism development. In this regard, the first efforts have started. In the summer season, various tourist companies offer day trips to the Cape of Spil, where there is a virgin beach. The vacationers spend the pleasant hours in the sand.