Day 5: Blue Eye of Theth

Blue Eye - or Syri i Kaltër in Albanian - is a naturally formed pool filled by a waterfall. The water is crystal clear and appears azure blue, getting darker and darker in the middle, just as the iris surrounds the pupil.

There are two Blue Eyes in Albania. One is located in the south of the country, close to Saranda. The one of Theth is at an elevation of around 790m in the heart of nature, hence, in has to be visited on foot.

I had ambitious hiking plans with Adi and there would have been several options to approach the Syri i Kaltër as part of half-a-day hikes from Bogë or Theth. However, in the end we decided to stick together with our travel group - including Adi's parents and our children of 3 and 5 - and went for the shortest hike possible. This particular hike starts from the village of Nderlysa and takes about 45-60 minutes.

Restaurant at the beginning of the trail

There is a large parking and two restaurants where the trail starts. We filled up with calories and water to stay strong in the heat: the temperatures rose above 30 degrees that day. In fact a few people were cooling off in the beautiful river right there, I hardly could resist the temptation.

River with bathers at the trail entrance

There is also a fresh water tap between the two restaurants so you can fill up your bottles for free. You can start your walk right there, climbing a few rocks behind the restaurant - this part looked almost too challenging for my mother-in-law, but fortunately she kept with us as the trail become very easy within a few tens of meters. This part of the road can also be accessed directly from the parking, avoiding the rocky climb.

The initial flat part of the trail to the Blue Eye

The trail continues flat an on a dirt road (rideable with an SUV) for another 20 minutes. It is a pleasant stroll on a spring day, or on a summer morning. For us, carrying a 3-year old in the full summer sun it was a real workout. Later on the trail leads in between trees, which is good for the shade, but the path becomes narrow, uneven, steep and rocky. We wore hiking shoes, which felt safe enough even with a child in our arms. I have seen people with beach slippers too, however, that is really not a good idea as the path gets slippery and one could fall down into the canyon. So, watch your step but don't forget to look up sometimes to enjoy the stunning view!

A small “appetizer” before reaching the Blue Eye

After a 30 minutes of ascent and we reached the highest point of the trail. There is a small bar here with a few benches to buy snacks and cold drinks. The last 10 minutes of the trail is a small descent till a wooden bridge above the river. Left from the bridge there is a beautiful area along the river to relax.

Do not be mistaken: although it looks already like paradise, this is not yet the Blue Eye! Cross the bridge, go a few meters straight up past a stand with refreshments, take the path to the right and descend to the actual Syri i Kalter!

Syri i Kalter with the waterfall

Once you see it you will be sure you are at the right place. First of all, the waterfall pouring into the deep blue pool is a truly beautiful and unique sight. Second of all, this area gets as crowded as any urban tourist attraction, with hikers cueing up for the best selfies. There was a very disappointed young girl in a white cocktail dress and full makeup sitting on a rock waiting in vain for other people to clear the area between her and the waterfall, while her mom was patiently holding the camera.

The toughest visitors take a bath in the water. Be warned, it is icecold! It was very painful to just put in my feet for a few seconds... I personally preferred to go back and enjoy the relaxing area for my portion of social media targeting yoga photography!

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