What Bear's Bay Is
Bear's Bay — also marked as Bristani Bay — is a cove tucked into the green, scrub-covered cliffs near the northern end of the Karaburun Peninsula. It's one of the furthest stops on the long-haul Himara boat-tour route: a sheltered pocket of clear turquoise water below steep hillsides, with no road in and no footpath down.
Where many of the Karaburun stops are caves and canyons, Bear's Bay is an open cove — calmer, broader, and better suited to an actual swim than the narrow cliff features further south on the peninsula. The setting is the draw: green slopes running down to bright water, well away from anything developed.
Getting There
The bay lies roughly 42 km by sea north of Himara, near the top of the Karaburun coastline — about as far as the long-haul cruises run. That distance keeps it strictly on full-day trips that round the peninsula; it's never part of a short half-day tour. Boats reaching this far north typically take it in on the same loop as the main southern-Karaburun anchorage, Grama Bay.
Only some operators run the full perimeter this far, so confirm the itinerary first. See the Himara boat tours overview for trip types and the boat-tour operators page for who runs the complete Karaburun route.
What the Stop Is Like
Because the cove is open and sheltered, it makes a comfortable swim stop — usually 20 to 30 minutes when the schedule and sea allow. The boat anchors in the bay and you swim from the deck into clear water, with the green cliffs as the backdrop. It's a quieter, more relaxed pause than the cave stops, where time is tight and the focus is light rather than swimming.
Practical notes:
- The water is clear and the cove is calm on a settled day — good for an unhurried swim and snorkel.
- Landings are rock; aqua shoes are useful if you go ashore.
- As the most distant stop, it's the first to be trimmed when sea conditions shorten the day.
Sea Conditions
The cove itself is reasonably sheltered, but reaching it means the longest exposed run of the whole tour. An afternoon northwesterly can make the far-north legs rough, so skippers watch the forecast closely and will turn the trip around before this point if the sea builds. A morning start gives the best chance of calm water all the way north.
Plan for a settled, sunny day from June through September, with an early departure.
Related Reading
- All boat-tour options from Himara: Himara boat tours overview
- Who runs the Karaburun route: Boat-tour operators
- The main far-north stop: Grama Bay
