Albania, beautiful destination and great climbing festival
We climbed at the 2023 edition of the Albanian Climbing Festival and it was a wonderful experience. Grip Undiscovered Rocks is the motto of the festival, and we found out it is true! Albania offers so many possibilities for climbing and most of it is still unknown or rarely visited.
We had the pleasure of meeting the organisers of the festival and spent three days with them. They are humble and really nice. They are trying to make climbing more popular for foreigners but also for the locals. These young guys built a gym in Tirana, the capital city of Albania, and there they organize many events and courses. Often, they do it for free, so that even those who cannot afford climbing get a chance to try.
The 2023 edition of the Albanian Climbing Festival was also held in a very important region from an environmental point of view. In fact, we travelled to the region of Permet, where the first wild river system has been established. River Vjosa which runs through the region is one of the wildest ecosystems in Europe, and for this reason the national park has been established around it.
Grip Undiscovered Rocks
There are many crags that have been recently developed around Tirana. If you’re interested and want to know more you can buy the new climbing guidebook that was published by the same guys who organize the festival. You can also find it at the gym in Tirana if you want to go and say hi and meet them personally.
They will also give you many ideas on other climbing spots around the country. The Permet region is being developed and there are some amazing lines already. We climbed some routes in a canyon where there are also thermal baths. So you can benefit from a natural Spa and climb at the same time!
Another amazing place is Gjipe. Here you can climb directly off the beach in front of the sea. The water is crystal clear and the rock is incredible. In fact, this year’s edition of the festival will be held in Gjipe. Read more here: https://www.albanianclimbingfestival.al/
If you want to climb in Italy instead, read our article: https://6bpump.com/climbing-destinations-in-italy/
Update: the 2024 edition of the Albanian Climbing Festival was held in Gjipe, the beautiful canyon just behind the beach in the south of Albania.
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