What English Bay Is
English Bay (also Englishman Bay, Albanian Gjiri i Inglizit) is one of the most remote stops reachable on a Himara boat tour. It sits on the Karaburun coast past Grama Bay, requiring a tour of 6–6.5 hours instead of the standard 5–5.5 hour Grama itinerary. Most Himara operators don't go this far. Himara Water Taxi runs a dedicated long-haul that does.
The bay's Albanian name — Gjiri i Inglizit, "Bay of the Englishman" — comes directly from British Special Operations Executive (SOE) activity along the Albanian coast during World War II, when English submarines used the bay as a docking point. The SOE, headquartered in Cairo, established a covert operational base here to support the Albanian anti-fascist resistance. Inside the bay, the Inglezi Cave (Shpella e Inglizit) — a sea cave with a discreet entrance and a roughly S-shaped interior — was the actual hidden base. The same qualities that made the bay valuable to British operators (deep water, sheer cliffs, no overland access) had served ancient Mediterranean sailors for similar reasons.
What the Stop Is Like
English Bay is the kind of stop that exists for two kinds of traveller:
- Completionists who want to say they reached every Karaburun bay on a single tour
- Privacy seekers who want the longest, quietest swim on the route
Allocated swim time is 30–45 minutes. The bay is open to swimmers — deep, clear, and almost always empty of other boats. There are no facilities and no shore landing of significance.
Position
Approximate coordinates: 40.34°N, 19.40°E — about 38 km north of Himara by sea, on the western flank of the Karaburun Peninsula past Grama Bay. The bay is part of the Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park (proclaimed 2010, covering 125.7 km²).
Sea Conditions and Booking
Reaching English Bay requires:
- An early-morning departure (06:30–07:30) to maximise the calm-water window
- Stable sea forecast for the full 6–6.5 hours
- Operator willingness to turn back at Grama Bay if conditions deteriorate before the final leg
- Generally summer months (June–September) when sea conditions are most predictable
Pricing for the long-haul is meaningfully higher than the standard Grama route. Operators don't publish public price lists for the English Bay extension; expect a premium of €20–60 per person above the standard Grama Bay rate, with private charters running €400+ depending on group size. Confirm pricing directly when booking.
Why You Might (or Might Not) Bother
Worth the extra hour:
- You've already done Grama Bay and want a deeper Karaburun experience
- You value privacy on the swim stop
- You're interested in WWII / SOE history
- Sea conditions are unusually stable
Probably skip it:
- It's your first Himara boat trip
- The forecast shows afternoon wind building
- You want maximum value per hour on the boat
For most travellers, the standard 5–5.5 hour Grama Bay tour delivers the headline Karaburun experience — Saint Andrew's Bay, Grama Bay, Blue Cave — without the extra hour. English Bay is a bonus for those who want the full peninsula.
