Every stop a Himara skipper might point at. Sea caves, quiet bays, white-pebble beaches, and 2,500-year-old sailor inscriptions.
A Himara boat tour costs €30-60 per person for a group speedboat trip, ranging from half-day outings to full-day cruises along the Albanian Riviera. The standard Pirate's Cave half-day runs about 3 hours from around €30 per person, visiting sea caves and swim stops near town. The Grama Bay full-day takes about 5 to 5.5 hours from around €58, reaching the remote bay with its ancient sailor inscriptions, usually via Gjipe and the Blue Cave. A Porto Palermo half-day from around €20 heads south to Ali Pasha's castle, the Cold-War submarine tunnel and quiet coves like Filikuri. Most tours leave Himara harbour in the morning, include swim stops, and can be booked as shared group trips or private charters.
The sea caves and out-of-the-way bays that make the Himara coast worth a boat in the first place. Most tours are built around a handful of these.
Each Himara operator offers a handful of standard routes. Here's what's on each one. Pick the tour, see every named stop.
| Tour | Duration | Price | Key stops | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirate's Cave Half-DayThe standard short tour | ~3 hours | from ~€30/person | Livadhi Beach · Akuarium Beach · Jale Beach · Crystal Beach | Book → |
| Grama Bay Full-DayThe marquee long-haul | ~5–5.5 hours | from ~€58/person | Livadhi Beach · Akuarium Beach · Jale Beach · Couple's Bay | Book → |
| Porto Palermo Half-DayThe all-conditions southbound | ~3–4 hours | from ~€20/person | Filikuri Beach · Llamani Beach · Vasiliqi Beach · Porto Palermo Bay | Book → |
| Extended Long-Haul ToursFor Karaburun completionists | ~6+ hours | from ~€80/person | English Bay · Krorez Beach | Book → |
The standard short tour
The most-booked Himara boat tour. Hits the headline sea caves and a couple of swim stops along the Dhërmi cliffs without committing to a full day.
The marquee long-haul
Builds on the half-day route by continuing past Dhërmi into the Karaburun Peninsula, the only way to reach Saint Andrew's Bay, Grama Bay's ancient inscriptions, and the Blue Cave on Albania's largest sea cave system.
The all-conditions southbound
Sheltered by the bay's geometry, this southbound tour runs even when northern routes get blown out. Combines Ali Pasha's castle, a Cold War submarine tunnel, and a swim stop in the bay's clearest water.
For Karaburun completionists
Beyond the standard Grama Bay route. Krorez Bay sits past Porto Palermo on the southern run; English Bay sits past Grama on the northern run. Both add ~1 hour and require stable sea conditions.
All 36 destinations grouped by what they are: bays, sea caves, beaches, canyons, landmarks.
Secluded coves accessible only by boat, with water-taxi drop-offs along the Ionian coast.
Bear's Bay (Bristani Bay) is a green-cliffed cove on the far-north Karaburun Peninsula, boat-only from Himara, a calm swim stop on full-day cruises.
Butterfly Cove is a secluded limestone inlet north of Himara, a narrow, cliff-walled pool of clear turquoise water, boat-only, on longer northern trips.
Couple's Bay is a small sheltered cove between Crystal Beach and Pigeon's Cave, a 15-minute swim stop on Himara boat tours, tight enough that one boat fills it.
English Bay is the deepest reach of the Karaburun long-haul tour from Himara, past Grama Bay, on 6-6.5 hour itineraries. Named for its WWII SOE link.
Grama Bay is the marquee Karaburun stop on long-haul Himara boat tours: ~1,500 ancient inscriptions over 18 centuries, inside Albania's first marine park.
Porto Palermo Bay, south of Himara: Ali Pasha's triangular castle, a 650-metre Cold War submarine tunnel and five private coves. The half-day tour stop.
Saint Andrew's Bay is a 50-metre white-pebble cove on the Karaburun coast. Sea-only access, sealed in by cliffs, a half-hour swim stop on Grama Bay tours.
Sea caves you enter by small boat or swim into. Light, echo, and corsair lore.
A Karaburun sea cave where boats slip inside for photos, one of the cave cluster reached on the long-haul Grama Bay full-day tour from Himara.
Albania's Blue Cave glows luminous blue inside the Karaburun peninsula and is reachable only by boat. Where it is, when the light peaks, and how to get there.
Blue Gem Cave is a small Karaburun sea cave reached only by long-haul boat from Himara, glowing turquoise where sunlight refracts up through the water.
Haxhi Ali Cave on Karaburun's western flank: a vast karst sea cave named after a 17th-century pirate, the farthest reach of the Grama Bay long-haul tour.
Pigeon's Cave is the smaller, quieter sister to Pirate's Cave on the Himara coastline. A 20-minute swim stop where wild rock pigeons nest in the cliff.
Pirate's Cave is two karst sea caves 200 m and 800 m off southern Dhërmi Beach, lit blue-green by refracted light. The centrepiece of every short tour.
The sea cave on the shoreline of Porto Palermo Bay, near Ali Pasha's castle and the Cold War submarine tunnel. A photo stop on southbound Himara tours.
Saint Theodore's Cave sits directly beneath the cliff-top monastery north of Dhërmi. A standard photo stop on Pirate's Cave and Grama Bay boat tours.
Secret Blue Cave is a small, hard-to-reach sea cave on the Karaburun Peninsula. A photo-and-swim stop on Grama Bay cruises when the sea is calm enough.
A sea cave near Gjipe reached only by boat. A narrow inlet of clear turquoise water beneath karst rock, quieter than the busier Himara tour caves.
Thunder Cave is the acoustic standout on the Himara to Grama Bay long-haul tour: waves crashing inside the cliff create thundering echoes. A brief stop.
Pebble beaches that double as boat-tour swim stops between Himara and Karaburun.
Akuarium Beach is the tiny cove between Livadhi and Jale, with water so clear it resembles an aquarium. A 20-minute snorkel stop on Himara coastline tours.
Alevra Beach is the cove under the Dhërmi cliffs that gives the bay its name, a narrow stone shore below a limestone wall on the boat route to Pirate's Cave.
Crystal Beach is the 20-minute swim stop north of Jale on Himara boat tours, a pale pebble strip under a scree slope, with shallow turquoise water boats anchor straight off.
Drymades Beach north of Dhërmi is long, white-pebbled and increasingly developed, a photo and brief swim stop on Grama Bay long-haul tours from Himara.
Filikuri Beach is the hidden cove between Himara and Llamani, boat-only or a 20-30 min hike. A secluded swim stop with excellent snorkeling and cliffs.
Gjipe Beach is the headline swim stop at the mouth of Gjipe Canyon, the longest swim on every Himara boat tour, with limestone cliffs rising behind it.
Jale Beach is the lively pebble beach 12 km north of Himara. A mid-morning swim stop on coastline tours, with beach clubs, parties and turquoise water.
Krorez Beach is the boat-only beach south of Porto Palermo. Clear water, no road access, and the destination of Himara's quietest southbound boat tour.
Livadhi Beach is the first major swim stop north of Himara. A 1.5 km pebble crescent between rocky headlands, 20-30 minutes on every short coastline tour.
Llamani Beach is the quiet rocky bay 3.5 km south of Himara. Deep water, large stones, cliffs on three sides, a 20-minute swim stop on southbound tours.
Palasa Beach is the northernmost beach of the Albanian Riviera, pebble shore between cliffs below Llogara Pass. A pass-through stop on Grama Bay tours.
Porto Palermo Beach is the sand-and-pebble beach at the south end of the bay: bluer water than most of the area, few crowds, a stop on the half-day tour.
Vasiliqi Beach is the quiet pebble cove between Filikuri and Porto Palermo: clear calm water, almost no road access, a short stop on coastline tours.
Gorges that meet the sea, best photographed from the water looking up.
Gjipe Canyon is the limestone gorge meeting the sea between Dhërmi and Vuno, best photographed from a boat looking up. The backdrop to Gjipe Beach.
Smuggler's Canyon is a narrow cliff cleft on Karaburun where turquoise water cuts between sheer walls. A boat-only stop on Grama Bay long-haul cruises.
Castles, tunnels, and military relics visible from the bay.
Ali Pasha's triangular fortress on Porto Palermo Bay: three round bastions, dark vaulted galleries and a rooftop view over the Cold War submarine tunnel.
The 650-metre Cold War submarine tunnel at Porto Palermo Bay, built 1969-1988 for Whiskey-class submarines and sealed since 1998. Viewed from the boat.
Wild headlands forming the northern edge of every long-haul tour.
Group speedboat tours start at about 30€ per person for the Pirate's Cave half-day. The Grama Bay full-day runs about 58€ per person, and the Porto Palermo half-day from around 20€. Private boats cost 150€ to 500€ for the whole boat.
Yes. Life jackets are provided for all ages and the Pirate's Cave half-day is gentle enough for families. Shallow swim stops suit children well. The speedboat can be bumpy in afternoon chop, so morning departures are best for young kids.
In July and August, book at least a day ahead. Popular morning departures fill first. In June and September, walking up to the booths on Spile Beach usually works. Online booking guarantees your seat and a fixed price.
Tours cancel in high winds or storms, and operators offer a reschedule or refund. Northern routes get blown out first; the sheltered Porto Palermo half-day often still runs. Rainy mornings frequently clear by the afternoon.
Take the Pirate's Cave half-day if you have a morning. Take the Grama Bay full-day if you have a whole day; it reaches the least developed bay on the Riviera and the Blue Cave. On windy days the sheltered Porto Palermo route is the safe bet.
