Crystal Beach

What Crystal Beach Is

Crystal Beach is the first swim stop on the standard Himara boat tour, a pale pebble strip on the cliff coast between Jale Beach and Gjipe, backed by a bare limestone scree slope that runs most of the way up the hillside behind it. Boats anchor a few metres off and passengers swim in; the water over the pebbles is shallow and clear enough that the bottom stays visible well out from shore.

It is a genuine beach rather than a cliff pause. There is room to sit, the shoreline is fine pebble rather than boulder, and the two rocky headlands that close the cove are the parts worth a mask.

Position on the Coast

Coordinates 40.1224°N, 19.6924°E, about 5 km north of Himarë by sea. On the standard run it comes fourth:

Himarë → Livadhi → Akuarium → Jale → Crystal Beach
       → Couple's Bay → Secret Cave → Pigeon's Cave
       → Gjipe → Monastery Caves → Pirate's Cave → return

Jale Beach is 800 m south and road-accessible; Couple's Bay is 430 m north and is not. The two are separate coves and separate stops, despite some tour listings using the names interchangeably.

The Stop

Twenty minutes in the water:

• Shallow, clear entry over pebble, the easiest water entry of the swim stops on this route
• Rocky headlands at both ends for snorkelling; the open middle of the cove is plain sand and stone
• No shade, no facilities, nothing on the beach at all
• Boats anchor offshore rather than beaching, so it is a short swim in

Good to Know

• Bring a mask. The clarity here is the reason the stop exists.
• No shade. Twenty minutes at midday on an unshaded pebble beach is warm work; the sea is the shade.
• Nothing is sold here. Whatever you want to drink comes off the boat.
• The beach faces roughly west, so late-afternoon light is the good light, though most tours pass it in the morning.

Nearby Stops

Related Reading

• Himara boat tours: routes, prices and operators
• The clearest water beaches around Himara
• Snorkeling and diving in Himara