Love Albania 2022 Cycling and Service Tour

May 21 - June 2, 2022

Love Spain is branching out to support new work in Albania! Sign up for a fantastic tour! There are two distinct options for participants in Love Albania 2022 - the Cycling Tour which runs from May 21 - 31, 2022, or the Service Tour which runs from May 24 - June 2, 2022. Participants can also choose from blended options of the two tours which would run from May 21 - June 2, 2022. The two Tours will meet up during the first week and be together during the entire second week of the tour as they serve in Korce, Albania.

Our goal is to make a difference in Albania through friendship and service. Cyclists will ride for five days during the first week with 20 to 25 Albanian cyclists (both men and women) whose participation is made possible by your registration! We hope this leads to greater friendship and possibly closer collaboration during the second week where we will be based entirely in Korce, Albania.

The Service Tour will have a chance to experience some of the rest of Albania prior to heading directly to Korce.

Together, both Tours will be contributing directly to our Love Albania outreach. Your registration will help sponsor outreach opportunities in Korce, our base in southeastern Albania, with local families, schools, and churches and with international partners - activities you will take part in directly. You will also be given an opportunity to participate further in community engagement and outreach initiatives. Please check out the daily details of our Love Albania 2022 tour itineraries below from May 21 - June 2, 2022 below, noting carefully the unique experiences, whether you choose to participate in the Cycling Tour or the Service Tour or a blended option of both. To download a PDF of the Summary Sheet of the itinerary, you can click here.

 For those of you on the Cycling Tour the first week, the route from Vlore to Korce is about 310 kilometers long over five cycling days, which averages out to 60 kilometers per cycling day.  Don’t be fooled, though by the shorter distances, as each day will include some challenging climbing. Road conditions will vary, with the first three days on good tarmac, and the last two days with significant sections of rough road. 28 mm tires or wider are recommended. Anyone with a moderate level of fitness should be able to complete the trip.  Road bicycles are strongly recommended, and there may be an option for riders on e-bikes if we find there is interest. The second week, you will join forces with the Service Tour - and you will be able to choose which activities you wish to participate in. There are even two additional cycling days from the Korce base that will feature adventure cycling with local participants as an option.

For those of you on the Service Tour, your days will be filled with opportunities to serve and get to know local people. On most days you will have the option to choose to volunteer for any of four or five activities - including activities with local children, community work projects, prayer walks, family and home visits, and outdoor events. You will plug in directly with people who are already active and on the ground in Albania, affording you an “insider” experience of service, community, deep learning, and friendship.

 We will be staying in high quality local hotels.  Accommodations throughout will be centrally located and extraordinarily relaxing allowing you to mix biking, service outreach, great scenery, tourist attractions, comfort, and a great cause!   

Summary Itineraries - Cycling Team and Service Team

Cycling Tour - Week 1 Route

Daily Itinerary

Saturday, may 21

All Cycling Tour participants need to fly into Tirana, Albania, arriving by late afternoon at the latest. In the evening, we will assemble bicycles, give you an official welcome and logistics update at dinner, and make sure you get to sleep early to overcome the jet lag if you are coming from far.  We will stay at the Hotel Mondial in central Tirana.

Sunday, May 22

After breakfast, participants can continue to prepare bicycles, and all arrivals on the Cycling Tour will, time permitting, explore historic Tirana and visit the nearby village of Kruje - an important site in Albanian history. You will be fascinated as you gain a better understanding of Albania’s history and present condition. Once again, we will spend the night at the Hotel Mondial in central Tirana.

monday, may 23

This is the first cycling day for those on the Cycling Tour. We will depart Tirana early after breakfast on our group tour bus for the 2.5 hour drive to Vlore where we will meet up with a significant contingent of Albanian cyclists and begin cycling our 71 kilometer route from Vlore to Himare. The first day features the single longest and highest climb of the trip up and over the Logara Pass at over 1,000 meters. Himare is a beautiful oceanfront town and we will be staying at the Sea View Hotel. The Strava route for the day is here.

tuesday, may 24

Participants in the Service Tour should arrive in Tirana, Albania by mid-afternoon at the latest. You will be staying for the night at the Best Western Premier Ark Hotel which is just across the street from the airport, so very convenient to accommodate a variety of arrival times. You will meet as a group in the evening for introductions and a logistics briefing.

Participants in the Cycling Tour will cycle 51 kilometers from Himare southward along the coast to the Demi Hotel in Sarande. The Strava route for the day is here.

wednesday, may 25

Participants in the Service Tour will, time permitting, have an opportunity to tour Tirana after breakfast and then will drive about 3.5 hours south to Gjirokaster, a hillside town with many old stone houses where you will meet up with the Cycling Tour and stay together at the Fantasy Hotel which is walking distance from all the local attractions. We will have a joint cultural event in the evening.

Participants in the Cycling Tour will cycle 55 kilometers from Sarande to Gjirokaster. The Strava route for the day is here.

thursday, may 26

Participants in the Service Tour will make the extraordinarily scenic 4.5 hour drive from Gjirokaster to Korce, which will be the base of operations for the rest of the trip. The day’s travel will take significantly longer as you will stop at various scenic spots along the way. After arrival at the Park Plazza Hotel in central Korce, which will be the group lodging for the subsequent nights, you will receive a warm welcome and orientation to activities in Korce over the subsequent days. You will have the opportunity to sign up for various activities of your choice.

Participants in the Cycling Tour will take a land transfer from Gjirokaster to Permet, where cycling will begin on the 64 kilometer route from there to the scenic Farma Sotira - a unique combination retreat center and campground in the Albanian mountains. The Strava route for the day is here.

friday, may 27

Participants in the Service Tour will take a morning tour of Korce and the outlying villages of Dardhe, Boboshtica, and Devoran, followed by a meeting with community leaders to understand their heart for Korce. In the evening, you will be taking part in a broader community reception at a local cafe with many local contacts in Korce as well as the cyclists participating in the Cycling Tour who will arrive in Korce in the afternoon.

Participants in the Cycling Tour will cycle nearly 70 kilometers from Farma Sotira to the Park Plazza Hotel in Korce - the home base for all international participants during the subsequent week in Korce as the two Tours join forces. Completion of the five-day cycling tour will be celebrated at a local cafe in Korce in the evening along with participants families, community members, and members of the Service Tour. The Strava route for the day is here.

saturday, may 28

Participants in the Cycling Tour will undertake a slow-paced community cycle with local children and youth and other community members to the local village of Voskopoje - a 40 kilometer roundtrip. The group will have a picnic lunch in Voskopoje and enjoy the ancient history in the town and surrounding nature.

Participants in the Service Tour will receive brief morning training on prayer walking and then will undertake a morning prayer walk in Korce. Subsequently, they will join the lunch picnic with the Cycling Tour participants in Voskopoje, followed by further home visits and activities with local families in the afternoon and evening.

Beginning on Saturday, May 28 and for the subsequent four days, participants from either tour will have the option to join ongoing training in the late afternoon and evening facilitated with local community members by NOVO, an international missional organization participating on the trip.

sunday, may 29

In the morning, participants in the Cycling Tour and the Service Tour will divide out to attend three churches in the broader Korce area - two urban churches and one rural church. Church members, community members, and team members will then meet up together for a large local community barbecue.

monday, may 30

The Cycling Tour participants will drive from Korce to Pogradec and then cycle 90 kilometers counterclockwise around Lake Ohrid, entering Macedonia on the southern side of the lake and re-entering Albania from Macedonia on the north side of the lake. We will make various scenic stops along the way with fellow Albanian riders. After returning to Korce, Cycling Tour participants who are departing the following morning will pack their bicycles and drive in the evening from Korce to a Tirana airport hotel.

Service Tour participants on this day and the subsequent two days will be able to choose from a variety of activities including community service projects to be determined, visits with local families, leaders, and groups, and work at a feeding program for local gypsy children. This will will be a great opportunity to build relationships with local community leaders, families, affinity group leaders and members (including local cycling, hunting, fishing, and cooking groups), and serve some of the poorest members in the community.

tuesday, may 31

Activities on this day will contribute to our goal to build deeper and stronger relationships with local Albanians, so we will continue to undertake local activities including sports activities with children, cultural activities, community work projects, a prayer walk, and/or activities with local families in local homes within Korce and in outlying villages.

wednesday, june 1

The variety of activities undertaken will be similar to the previous day. We will likely close the final day in Korce with a celebratory dinner with new local friends and their families. This will also be the final day of NOVO-led training in the evening.

thursday, june 2

Time to say goodbye to Albania! After breakfast we will pack up and drive from Korce to Tirana, where participants can begin departing in the afternoon. Intercontinental travelers may spend one night in Tirana prior to an early morning departure on Friday, June 3.

Registration and Payment

In order to become an official participant in the Love Albania 2022 Tour, everyone must register and pay below.  Scroll down on the registration filling in all items as you go.  Once you have completed the registration, proceed to make your payment.  

If you are considering going solely on the Cycling Tour from May 21-31, 2022 or the Service Tour from May 24 - June 2, 2022 the total cost of the event is 1549 euros. If, on the other hand you want to go on the entire combined tour from May 21 - June 2, 2022, the total cost of the combined tour is 1695 euros.  This payment does not include a credit card processing fee, which is also required if paying by credit card.  Payment covers all internal Albania travel during the trip, vehicle backup, lodging, cycling uniforms for those on the Cycling Tour, and breakfasts during the entirety of the trip starting from lodging on the night of May 21, 2022 through breakfast in Tirana on May 31, 2022 if you are on the Cycling Tour and May 24, 2022 through breakfast on June 2, 2022 if you are on the Service Tour. If you are on the combined tour it will cover everything mentioned above from May 21 through breakfast on June 2. The registration covers airport pickup in Tirana upon arrival and airport drop-off in Tirana at the end of the trip. Ask us to help you with travel arrangements (we can find the best and cheapest options) before booking your airline tickets.  Lodging will normally be very high quality hotels (double occupancy).  Payment does not cover international travel, lunches, dinners, tips, snacks, drinks, entrance fees, and incidentals.  

Please note that you may also pay by wire transfer, which could save you some money as the fees, especially on Transfer Wise are less than the credit card transaction fee and the exchange rate you receive on your payment will likely be better. Please read instructions below in the payment section to see which option (wire transfer or credit card payment) you feel most comfortable with.

Thank you for your interest in the Love Albania 2022 Tour.  If you have any questions or we can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to get in touch via the Contact Us page.  Please note that you will not be considered fully registered for the Love Albania 2022 Tour until you have fully completed and submitted your registration below and made your trip payment.  In the past, places have filled up quickly so the earlier you register and pay the better.