Hinoki Travels invites you to journey with us on a small group trip to Southern Albania, where we will explore the region's varied cultures, food & agriculture, and vast landscapes.

In Albania, we will explore our theme of Provenance. Provenance describes the origin of something, and often refers to the flavor of a food and how its qualities stem from the soil it was nurtured in. In the globalized era, Albania is a place where the flavor of its food cannot be replicated outside of the region. Realizing this gives us an opportunity to explore our own relationship to the lands on which we rely, and to what lengths we are willing to go to protect them.

If there are three things that we want you to bring home with you from this trip, they are:

- The complexities of the Albanian people and their culture

- The abundance of their land & the quality of the food they produce

(which they will very generously share with you)

- The wildness of their mountains & rivers, and how Albanians are protecting them

We will be hosted by local farmers, food producers, shepherds, local guides & small business owners. We'll stay overnight in guest houses in villages, sample the local food & wine (including indigenous grapes native to Albania), raft a wild river, and hike through the vast diversity of Southern Albania's landscape. In Albania, there are even spiritual practices that you won't find elsewhere. We'll explore that, too.

Most importantly, this trip will support the efforts of Albanian citizens who are dedicated to protecting the Vjosa River--Europe's last wild-flowing river. By declaring it a National Park, Albania will be able to protect this precious waterway forever. Hinoki is contributing 5% of your trip fee to funds that will support EcoAlbania, who is organizing efforts to protect the Vjosa. Keeping the Vjosa wild and un-dammed will protect the entire ecosystem that depends on this waterway, including the people who live alongside it. You can learn more about this project here.

We also encourage you to view our Albania journal post here to learn more about our past travels in the country.

Note: this trip is limited to travelers who are 18 years of age or older.

To reserve your spot, a $500 deposit is required at the time of booking. 

Note that this trip will be confirmed by May 2nd, 2025, to be sure that we reach our minimum number of participants to run the trip. Please wait until confirmation from us to book your flights. If for some reason the trip doesn't run, your deposit will be refunded in full. Otherwise, the deposit is non-refundable but can be transferred to another Hinoki trip for up to one year from the time of request.

Please review our full Booking Terms & Conditions, found on our website under FAQ's here.