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Solo packrafting in Osum Canyon Albania

Packraft + bike on a white chocolate-colored river whose water scarps a beautiful Mediterranean canyon.

By Packrafting.cat

February 5^th, 2025

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man"

Original Spanish Post

Take a look at: Solo packrafting en Osum Canyon Albania

Osum Canyon

One of those days when everything goes round, you let yourself go and everything flows, good weather, beautiful surroundings, dreamy park4nigths and discovery of sites on the route that were not planned.

Those days that you have to take advantage of and enjoy to the fullest! "As if tonight was the last time 🎶".... And so it is! Because you never know what destiny has in store for us; in my case, a good shock was in store for me, but that's a story for another day...

You know we often find our destiny on the roads we had taken to avoid it...

As Manel say "Quin dia feia, amics..." (what a day I was making friends!) but unlike Guillem Gisbert, singer of Manel, I did not, no, no! ... I was not going to miss a day like that! When Adela calls, I go!

Well, let's get down to business, I'll tell you about the river.

The Osum canyon is located in southern Albania, near the city of Çorovodë. It has a fluvial origin and the Osum river, which passes through the city of Berat, flows through the canyon.

The Osum canyon is one of the most spectacular natural attractions in Albania. During the spring the high water level due to melting snow allows exploring the entire length of the gorge from the river. Spring is also the best time to see the numerous waterfalls in the gorges, thundering from above as explorers pass below in boats. In late summer, when the water drops, the gorge is not all navigable, but there are several walks with opportunities to swim in various pools and streams.

The edges of the gorge have an unusual ecosystem that preserves vegetation on both sides year-round. On the slopes of the canyon erosion has sculpted the rock walls creating small caves. Some of the rock formations of the gorge have suggestive names such as the Cathedral, the Eye, and the Devil's Gate.

With walls close to 200m high and narrow passages of only 2 meters wide, it is an ideal route for packrafting.

Como podéis ver el Osum Canyon es el un precioso cañón de roca calcárea con un paisaje muy mediterráneo

I had been in Greece doing some beautiful rivers like the Acheron Springs, the Arachthos River and the Kalarritikos, Greece will require several other stories and a revisit as soon as possible. And I had previously been on the Vjosa river, in a beautiful stretch with a "Blue Eye" all to myself, very different from the famous and well-known one that I had to share days later with countless tourists.

This visit to the Kanionet e Osumit (the literal translation from Albanian is "the canyons of Osum") was part of a plan to spend the whole summer in the Balkans, a territory that as its name indicates (the word Balkans has its origin from Turkish and means mountains).

And what can you expect from a visit to this canyon? Well, between fast and fast, as you can see in the photos, we have pools of tranquility from which to observe the numerous and whimsical figures of rocks and the multitude of waterfalls and springs of water that give life to the river.

When I travel solo I usually make a winning combination: the Acachaneta (my van) and the bike combined with the packraft allow me to go down the river in comfort (without the bike on my back going down the river) and then come back up for the van with the bike which I have previously tied up and hidden somewhere near the landing.

Best Photos

The photos that I like the most! They don't have to be the best technically but they do bring back the best memories for me, like the memory of setting a route to finish it just in time to see the sunset from the Osum Canyon bridge 😃.

Wikiloc Map

All my routes can be found on my Wikiloc and this in particular is the Packrafting Albania Osum Canyon (Kanionet and sumit) route.

NOTE: do not pay much attention to the elevation gain of the route is obviously not correct, all the rest 👌.

Technical data:

Total distance: 17,41 km of which about 8 km approx will be on the river the rest by bike.
Rating: A 5 stars for its scenery! The whitewater rating (WW) is lower, 3 stars, although with more water it would improve a lot.
Difficulty: In summer levels it is a "water randonee" and could be explored by walking and swimming, that's why I give it a level II. But as always be careful with high water levels and canyons as the river would clearly be a class III and could appear complicated points, especially drosages or even complications with the waterfalls that incorporate water into the river. There are no large boulders blocking the river so there are no siphons. The total gradient is not much either, the water flows without much paddling, but it is not a fast-flowing river.
Once inside the canyon the isolation is complete. The road is next to the river but very often completely inaccessible with steep walls of almost 200 meters that separate you from salvation in case of problems. In my case in a month of June I did not run into any soul in the whole river and on the road very few cars circulate so it is very quiet.
Water levels: Unknown. The river does not appear in any of the usual guides and apps (Rivermap, RiverApp, WhiteWaterGuide nor Eaux Vives) so take advantage of this guide 😉 and if you want and can collaborate.

Route description.

The river entry point is as follows:

Google My Map

It is possible to start much earlier and add an initial canyon to the route, consult Dirk's guidebook. In my case I spent the whole day procrastinating in the springs of the village where I had slept and in the village of Berat (read on for more info) and I was a bit short of time. You have to think that I had already left the bike ready at the exit of the river and that once I finished the aquatic route I would have to cycle up to the meeting point having to go up and down the walls of the canyon with more than 300 meters of accumulated slope.

A few meters from the entry point, we reach the spectacular bridge that crosses the Osumi Canyon. This bridge allows access to a track, that is if you have a 4x4, which connects with the Permet region and the Vjosa River. Be careful with Google Maps and the routes to come to the Osum canyon because many of them send you through this track that according to what the friends of the world on wheels explain to us the route is a MUST, I have not been able to visit it with my van.

Once past the bridge you will not leave the canyon, and you will be for about 7 km inside it surrounded by majestic walls that you will have been able to observe in the different viewpoints along the adjacent road.

Once the canyon opens a few hundred meters you will see the road bridge and in my case the beach where I left the bike hidden to return for the van.

The best free viewpoint in the area, the other is owned by a bar but is also worth a visit for photos.

The bridge before the village of Çorovode, if you leave here you will miss one last canyon and reach the village itself, but for me, it was a strategic decision to finish earlier due to lack of time and to be able to leave the bike in a less urban area.

Dirk© river Topoguide

Thansks to Dirk howing for his topoguides

As Dirk explains, in the Kampingu Kanioneve, apart from being able to see breathtaking views, you can eat a good chicken, and they organize a taxi service for about 10 €. Several rafting companies also cover this part of the river, so I guess it will not be difficult to find alternative transportation.

Secret place on the road to Osum Canyon

If you come from Tirana I recommend you to visit this source of thermal water, the pools of the town. Local atmosphere, with little tourism, the people of the village very friendly and you can sleep in the van in the same parking lot of the hot springs.

As always thanks to the brand Aoraki from Packrafting Spain for this magnificent and colorful packraft 🤗.

A(n) picture(s) is worth a thousand words....

See the complete photo album at https://go.packrafting.cat/ sum-canyon-photos

Where to sleep?

I sleep in my van and look for special places near the packraft route I want to do. I often use the park4night application. In this case I decided to sleep at the Upper Osum viewpoint, a viewpoint that in the morning allowed me to see that the Osum river could be a part of a future adventure for a multi-day expedition, this stretch is not as canyoned but is part of one of the most remote, untamed and unexplored areas of Albania (yes, in a time of more water).

Here is the Park4Night where I slept, alone, in complete tranquility and without any problems.

I love to arrive at places like this at night and discover in the morning where I've been, discovering views that overwhelm especially for the feeling of loneliness and to find yourself in a remote, rural and quiet area.

More info

Consult other websites with more info like:

Brief notes on Albania (Sergi Tur wiki).
Collaborate! This blog, the packrafting.cat project and the future book are and will be possible thanks to your collaboration. 🙏
Wikiloc route

Upper Osum valley, el interior del sud de Albania, sin carreteras pero salvaje y poco transitado...

Complementary Activities

Near the Osum Canyon is worth a quiet visit the city of Berat, if you come from Tirana area you will pass through Berat to get to the Osum Canyon. If you are interested you can see more pictures of Berat.

Berat

¡Don't be the pretender! ¡Nos vemos en el río!

Albania, the Balkans and the struggle to protect the “Blue Heart of Europe”

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Located in southern Albania, near the village of Çorovodë, the Osum Canyon is a spectacular gorge carved out by the Osum River. This enclave is part of a vast network of untouched rivers known as the Blue Heart of Europe, one of the most valuable reservoirs of river biodiversity on the European continent. However, this natural heritage is threatened by projects such as dam construction, oil extraction, bitumen mining, aggregate extraction and poorly planned urban developments.

Key alliances in river defence

Save the Blue Heart of Europe & Blue Heart Rivers

This campaign, promoted by EuroNatur, Riverwatch and local NGOs such as EcoAlbania, seeks to halt the "dam wave" and protect the most spectacular rivers in the Balkans. This includes efforts such as biodiversity mapping, the creation of dam-free zones, public awareness-raising and direct political pressure to conserve vital and intact rivers. balkanrivers.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueheartrivers/

Qendralumi

This Instagram profile joins the visual conversation around defending the river environment, providing a creative and intimate perspective that complements the online mobilisation of organisations such as Save the Blue Heart of Europe and EcoAlbania.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qendralumi

EcoAlbania

Active in key campaigns such as the protection of the Vjosa River—which in 2023 was declared Europe's first Wild River National Park—EcoAlbania warns of the real risks threatening the viability of these protections and demands that they not become "paper parks". .net

PPNEA (Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania)

Founded in June 1991, PPNEA was Albania's first environmental NGO and has been a constant force in conservation through scientific research, education, the creation of national parks (Prespa, Shebenik-Jablanica, Korab-Koritnik) and programmes such as the Balkan lynx recovery programme. PPNEA

Synergies that make a difference

Visual and creative awareness: profiles such as Qendralumi and Blue Heart Rivers generate an emotional connection with the audience.
Political and social mobilisation: coordinated campaigns such as Save the Blue Heart of Europe and EcoAlbania are increasing public and media pressure to stop destructive actions.
Research, education and specific projects: with decades of experience, PPNEA provides scientific foundations and direct action in the field, as well as international partnerships.

This integrated framework of creativity, activism and science is what allows places like Osum Canyon to remain authentic living wonders, rather than mere vulnerable tourist attractions.

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Don't be a hypocrite! See you at the river!

The river is a living environment, changing and subject to permanent development. The publishers of the river sketches and the creators of this website cannot be held responsible in any case in case of inaccuracy, omission or error in the river sketches. The topos editors and website creators disclaim all liability in case of any accident that may occur on the rivers described in this guide.

Footnotes

©️ Post created by Sergi Tur Badenas from packrafting.cat. Do you like it? well please see how you can help by clicking on the “COLLABORATE” button on the top right side.

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FootNotes

©️ Post created by Sergi Tur Badenas from packrafting.cat. Do you like it? well please see how you can help by clicking on the “COLLABORATE” button on the top right side.