Krorëza Beach

Krorëza (or Krorëz) is one of the most stunning beaches on Albania’s Ionian coast and an excellent destination for a day trip from Sarandë or Lukovë. There are two fascinating monasteries nearby that are worth visiting on their own. 

The beach is quite remote as there is no road leading there. Visitors mostly come here by boat from Sarandë. You will come across advertisements for cruises in the port of Sarandë.

But Krorëza Beach can be reached also by foot. It’s just over an hour’s walk from Kakome Bay (leave your car outside the guardhouse, see the route). Travel time from the north, that is, from Lukovë, is similar. You can park at the Blue Paradise restaurant (see the route). In both cases, the trail is marked.

Krorëza Beach is located under the steep slopes of the surrounding hills, the southern tip under an almost perpendicular cliff. However, the bottom here sinks rather gently. A bar is open on the beach in high season. The most photogenic place is the northern part of the beach, around the boulders scattered on the beach and in the water.

The nearby Kakome Beach (Plazhi i Kakomesë) is a beautiful place at the end of the deep bay of the same name. It is privately owned and as such is inaccessible and also guarded. Some boats from Sarandë do make a brief stop in the bay but without access to the beach.

Once a tourist resort was to be built here, but the project failed after the construction was declared illegal. At least there is a good road leading to the bay, which can be used to visit the Monastery of Our Lady (Manastiri i Shën Mërisë). From the car park, where the private property starts, it is about a kilometre along a marked path.

The Germans bombed the once-distinguished 1672 monastery during the Second World War. It has been partially restored but just the church has a roof now. From the rest of the buildings, only the outer walls remain. Among the local relics was a gospel written on 500 pieces of cowhide, now on display in the Louvre in Paris.

A few hundred metres above the Krorëza Beach, on an elevation, is another monastery. It’s worth the climb just for the spectacular views of the beach and surrounding coastline. The area is largely in ruins, with only the church standing. And it’s not in good condition either, the frescoes have been badly vandalised.

A marked trail from Kakoma Bay leads along both monasteries.

Cover photo: Jakub Hrab

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