Mussel Sailing Tour: Discover Albanian Mussel Cultivation with Tasting Experience
4.6
47 Ratings
Butrint
Embark on a unique Mussel Sailing Tour in Albania and discover the fascinating process of mussel cultivation. Enjoy a tasting experience and a relaxing sunset sail.
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Butrint National Park - National Park of Butrint.\nWe start the tour from the entrance of the ancient city of Butrint, at viavari channel (11:00am) on traditional engine boats with capacity 8+ 2(Guide and Captain). \nSail to mussel beds, concrete structure where we cultivate mussels, 10minute sailing.\nAt 11:10 we arrive at the mussel beds, first stop here, we park the boat and stay on the boat through enjoying the process of mussel cultivation explained by our local guide. Stay here for about 20 minute. During this time we will wear gloves and start working as mussel farmers do, work and meditation will be. \n- Kalivoj - At 11:30 we start sailing again, this time our direction will be at Kalivoi, “rich man” home in ancient Rome, part of National Park of Butrint, a nice local restaurant near the lake is situated there. 15 minutes sailing. \nAt 11:45 we will land at the restaurant and start preparing the mussels that we had taken on mussel beds. Enjoying the lunch with three kinds of mussel dishes, fresh vegetables, homemade bread accompanied with local white wine and water for each. At the restaurant we will stay for one hour, sometimes more. \n- Mussel Tour - At 12:45 we will sail back to Butrint entrance. This period is perfect to link this experience by visiting the ancient city of Butrint at the same time
What's Included
  • Traditional boat sailing experience
  • Gloves and plastic bags for mussel farming
  • Included lunch
  • All fees and taxes covered
What's Not Included
  • Private transportation
Additional Information

The Mussel tour is a one-of-a-kind local adventure where you get to acquaint yourself with our regal blue mussel of Butrint Lake. The excursion kicks off on a traditional watercraft, with our first halt at mussel farms. Here, the process of mussel farming is detailed, with an opportunity to collect fresh mussels directly from the source. Next, we pause at a restaurant, but not before attendees participate in the mussel separation process. Everyone rolls up their sleeves to isolate the Queens. A blend of labor, sailing, and 15 minutes of optional meditation forms the unique experience for each passenger. Following this, we navigate to another portion of the Butrint National Park, where a quaint local eatery is located. Here, we cook two varieties of mussel delicacies, seasoned with olive oil, lemon, and parsley. The meal is rounded off with local white wine, fresh veggies, homemade bread, and water. After savoring the flavors of our region and sharing engaging tales, we conclude with a relaxing sail back, all the while witnessing the sunset.

Location
Butrint Mussel Tour
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(47 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Liz-irishmanc
May 23, 2024
Nature and food lovers delight! - DON'T skip this 😁 Where else can you go in the world for such a price ( approx €30) and get ➡️ -Mussels you literally sail to, pick from nature yourself, clean and eat ⛵️ -A guide ( funny guy) with no blah blah 🗣, but authentic local useful straight talking education 👌🏼 -a trip across and around the most beautiful lakes in Albania, through UNISECO landscapes 🏞...and beyond -a lunch with wine, salads and breads, served on a hidden, heaven family beach taverna 😋🥗🍷 on the beach! ☀️ The answer? ....is nowhere, only here.🫶 Seriously, you must do this if you come to Albania 🇦🇱...otherwise, you may as well just sit in any beach hotel and get sunburn 🤪 Watsapp for booking.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jessjarratt
May 22, 2024
We had a great time! It... - We had a great time! It was just us and another couple and it was perfect (think the vibe was also influenced by them!) the guide was knowledgable and very nice! Overall lovely experience, mussels were tasty too
Review provided by Viator
H4855ueeleanorh
Feb 17, 2024
Beautiful - Fascinating and humbling experience! Beautiful views and interesting lesson on mussel farming! Also got some free time to go for a dip on an empty beach while waiting for some wine and mussels :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Megisad2020
Nov 11, 2023
Authentic educative experience - We did the tour after visiting the archeological park of Butrint, directly at the entrance of Butrint our captain was waiting. Sailing through the channel of Vivari gives me the impresion as I where back in antiquity. We stop sailing when we arrived at mussel beds, concret beton structure build for mussel cultivation. The captain explained the whole process of mussel cultivation and at an ideal place we did the second stop for the lunch, fresh mussels that we harvest from the lake the family cooked for us in two kind of ways. Delicious. Two hours spend in happines and learning.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B8440yijulian
Sep 26, 2023
Great experience! - It was a great trip. There were only four tourists on the boat. Our guide looked after us wonderfully and explained everything to us. I would definitely recommend doing this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
76omare
Sep 24, 2023
Amazing 😍 - Highlight of our short trip to Albania. Our guide Elidon was knowledgeable with a calm and friendly manner. It was the end of the mussell season, so we didn't know if we would find any Queens, but we managed to find enough to experience cleaning and preparing process. Delicious meal at the tiny restaurant, and we got to go for a tiny dip in the lake. 100% recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
837shaunan
Sep 18, 2023
Lovely tour. Very informative. Beautiful experience. A must try! ☺️ - Started off with a lovely sail into the lake to see where the mussels came from, followed by a meal and a sail back to shore with the the sunset 🌅 Lovely tour. Very informative. Beautiful experience. A must try! ☺️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emmawh7693jm
Sep 10, 2023
Informative tour and delicious food. One of the best things to do in Ksamil - The views were amazing. Elidon, our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. My children loved being shown the baby mussels and crabs and getting hands on cleaning the mussels was a highlight for them. The restaurant where we ate our mussels was in a beautiful location and we all agreed they were the best mussels we had ever eaten! I really recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
567svenjas
Sep 15, 2023
Overall recommendable - Nice and interesting tour, unfortunately a bit expensive. The food in the restaurant was very good. The guide was very friendly and explained everything well and simply.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charliend2023
Sep 12, 2023
Mussel boat tour - Guide was very friendly, fun sailing on a boat with lots of explanation. The food was very simple but super tasty. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
minimum 2 guests
-
up to 15 guests
2 Adult
May 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today