How to get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales? Tirana to Shala River, Bus, Taxi, Transfer, Prices, Car

If you are wondering how you can get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales or the Shala River. This blog post will outline the best ways to get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales combining a bus, taxi or car journey with a boat trip to Lumi i Shales.

How to get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales? You can get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales or the Shala River by bus/taxi/car and a boat trip. Buses depart from Tirana at 5AM/5:30AM, ticket price 12 EUR p.p. Taxis cost 150 EUR. Buses and Taxis will drop you off at the boat terminal. A boat ticket to Lumi i Shales costs 25 EUR p.p.

In this blog post, I will outline in detail how you can get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales or the Shala River. I will include bus timetables, bus ticket prices, bus stations and booking a bus ticket. I will also compare what a private taxi costs vs a bus ticket. I will discuss when boats to Lumi i Shales depart, timetables and seasonal availability. And I will discuss what to expect when you drive from Tirana to the boat terminal independently. Let’s dive in.

Note: “Lumi i Shales” is the same as the “Shala River”. Basically, the first is the Albanian naming and the second the English translation. But it is the same place.

How to get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales?

You can get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales via a combination of bus/taxi/car to the Lake Koman boat terminal and a boat to Lumi i Shales. Let me walk you through the best ways to travel from Tirana to Lumi i Shales below.

Tirana to Lumi i Shales by bus (summary)

• Buses from Tirana to the Lake Koman Boat Terminal depart at 5:00 AM or 5:30 AM depending on the season. 
• A bus ticket from Tirana to the Lake Koman Boat Terminal costs 12 euros per person. 
• The bus driver will drop you off at the Lake Koman Boat Terminal at 8:30 AM, where you can take a boat to Lumi i Shales at 9:30 AM.
• A boat ticket from the Lake Koman Boat Terminal to Lumi i Shales costs 25 euros per person.
• You must book your bus ticket and boat ticket in advance online.
• Bear in mind that boats to Lumi i Shales only operate between 13 April to 5 November, depending on weather conditions, mud in the river and the number of bookings.

Tirana to Lumi i Shales by taxi (summary)

• A private taxi from Tirana to the Lake Koman Boat Terminal costs 150 euros for a one-way taxi. 
• Once you are dropped off at the Lake Koman Boat Terminal, you can board the boat to Lumi is Shales which departs at 9:30 AM. 
• A boat ticket to Lumi i Shales costs 25 euros per person, and it must be booked online in advance. 
• Bear in mind that boats to Lumi i Shales only operate between 13 April to 5 November, depending on weather conditions, mud in the river and the number of bookings.

Tirana to Lumi i Shales by car (summary)

• First, drive from Tirana to Shkoder. This is a one-lane road for each direction of traffic, so traffic in front of you will hold you up and slow your journey down (2-3 hours).
• Second, drive from Shkoder to the Lake Koman boat terminal. This is a sand road with rocks and potholes. Check if your rental car is suitable.
• Leave in the very early morning, because traffic and the sandroad make it impossible to drive this route quickly. It will definitely take you 3.5-4 hours to drive from Tirana to the Lake Koman boat terminal. 
• Boats to Lumi i Shales depart from the Lake Koman boat terminal at 9:30 AM between 13 April to 5 November, depending on weather conditions, mud in the river and the number of bookings.

How to get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales by bus?

You can get a bus from Tirana to the Komani Lake Boat Terminal and then take a boat from the boat terminal to Lumi i Shales. Buses depart from Tirana at 5:00 AM or 5:30 AM (depending on the season). You will be at the Komani Lake Boat Terminal at 8:30 AM. Then you can take a boat from the boat terminal to Lumi i Shales departing around 9:30 AM. This boat will drop you off at Lumi i Shales around 10:45 AM.

• 5:00 AM/5:30 AM – Take a bus from Tirana to the Komani Lake Boat Terminal
• 8:30 AM – The bus driver will drop you off at the Komani Lake Boat Terminal 
• 9:30 AM – Boats depart to Lumi is Shales
• 10:45 AM – Arrival at Shala Beach, where you can relax for around 4 hours. 
• 14:00 PM – Boat depart from Shala Beach back to Komani lake Boat Terminal
• 15:30 – Arrival back at Komani Lake Boat Terminal. And take a bus back to Tirana (3.5 hours) or Shkoder (2 hours). 

Attention – Bear in mind that boats to Lumi i Shales only operate in the summer season, so you must check before you travel if the boat will operate on the day you are interested in. It is best to book a boat ticket online in the summer months. And if you are travelling in the spring or autumn season, I recommend you call the boat operator to ask if the Lumi i Shales boat will operate before you travel.

There are direct buses from Tirana to the Komani Lake Boat Terminal. The bus departs from Tirana at 5:30 AM between 1 May and 1 October. And the bus departs at 5:00 AM between the 2nd of October and the 31st of April. Buses depart from the Gazheli Petrol station near the Tirana Ring Shopping Centre.

Bus Timetable from Tirana to Koman Lake (where you can get on a boat to Lumi i Shales):

• 1 May until 1 October: Buses depart from Tirana at 5:30 AM from Gazheli Petrol Station
• 2 October until 31 April: Buses depart from Tirana at 5:00 AM from Gazheli Petrol Station

You can book your bus ticket from Tirana to Lake Koman and your ferry ticket to Lumi i Shales on the website of Komani Lake Ferry Berisha. As of 2024, Komani Lake Ferry Berisha only boards passengers who have booked their bus and boat tickets in advance on their bus services.

A bus ticket from Tirana to the Lake Koman Boat Terminal costs 12 euros per person. 

Price for a bus ticket from Tirana to Lumi i Shales:

• Bus ticket from Tirana to the Lake Koman Boat Terminal is 12 euros per person
• Boat ticket to Lumi i Shales costs 25 euros per person

Lumi i Shales is quite far from Tirana. So if you are planning a day trip from Tirana to Lumi i Shales, you must consider it is going to be a very long day. Firstly, you will have to be at the Gazheli Petrol station at 5:00 AM or 5:30 AM, so you will be waking up at 4:00 AM. 

Then it is a 3.5 hour drive from Tirana to the Komani Lake Ferry Terminal. The road from Tirana to Shkoder is asphalted. However, the road from Shkoder to Komani is a sand road with rocks and potholes on the road. So this will make the journey by bus (or car) more uncomfortable.

The boat trip from the Komani Lake Ferry Terminal to Lumi i Shales is very pretty. Lumi i Shales is also known as the “Thailand of Albania”. Because it is remote, it has lush and rugged nature and it is unspoiled. You can swim, eat and drink at Shala Beach for approximately 4 hours until 14:00, when boats back to the Komani Lake Ferry Terminal depart from Shala Beach.

However, the journey back is long. Because you depart by boat from Shala Beach at 14:00. You will arrive at the Komani Lake Ferry Terminal around 15:30. Then you need to take another bus back to Tirana for 3.5 hours or back to Shkoder for 2 hours. You may be back in Tirana around 19:00 or 19:30 depending on traffic. And remember you woke up at 4:00 AM! So it is a long day, beautiful but very long.

The way to make your journey to Lumi i Shales start a bit later in the day, is staying in Shkoder the night before you go to Lumi i Shales. Buses and taxis from Shkoder depart at 6:45 AM to the Komani Lake Boat Terminal, from where you can board the boat to Lumi i Shales.

How much does a taxi from Tirana to Lumi i Shales cost?

A taxi from Tirana to the Koman Boat Terminal costs 150 euros for a one-way taxi. Once you are at the Koman Boat Terminal, you can then take a boat to Lumi i Shales, which costs 25 euros per person. 

If you want to book a taxi from Tirana to the Koman Boat Terminal, you can book in advance on the Komani Lake Ferry Berisha website. Regular taxi drivers in Tirana may not be willing to go to Lake Koman, as the road to Koman is a sand path with potholes and rocks on the surface. Taxi drivers know this and may say they don’t offer Koman. 

If you take a taxi from Tirana to the Koman Boat Terminal, you will need to depart by taxi around 5 AM or 5:30 AM. Because boats depart from the Koman Boat Terminal around 9AM or 9:30 AM, and you must be there on time. 

You may consider staying in Shkoder the night before you go to Lumi i Shales. A taxi from Shkoder to the Lake Koman Ferry Terminal costs 70 euros. Taxis from Shkoder to Lake Koman will depart between 6:30 AM and 7:00 AM, because Shkoder is closer to Lake Koman and Lumi i Shales. 

How to get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales by car?

You can get from Tirana to Lumi i Shales by car. First, you must drive from Tirana to Shkoder city. However, then when you drive from Shkoder to Lake Koman, you will face a sand road with rocks and potholes on the surface. That is something to bear in mind. Would you be comfortable driving the sand road with rocks and potholes? And is your rental car going to be able to deal with this road? 

Many of the taxis that regularly drive from Shkoder to Lake Koman are 4 wheel drive taxis, like Jeeps and Landrovers. If you do not want to expose your car to the sand road, you could drive to Shkoder yourself and then book a bus or taxi from Shkoder to Koman. 

Should you decide to drive to Lake Koman independently, I recommend you leave very early in the morning. The road to Lake Koman turns and twists alongside the lake, so it is not possible to drive this section of road quickly. You could park your car at the Komani Lake Boat Terminal, so that you could drive it back around 15:30 PM, after you have finished your boat trip to Lumi i Shales.

Where to book transport from Tirana to Lumi i Shales?

You can book transport from Tirana to Lumi i Shales online on the website of Komani Lake Ferry Berisha. That operator runs buses or taxis from Tirana to the boat terminal at Lake Koman. And then operates boats from the boat terminal in Koman to Lumi i Shales. 

• Bus from Tirana to Lake Koman Boat Terminal costs 12 euros per person
• Taxi from Tirana to Lake Koman Boat Terminal costs 150 euros one-way
• Boat ticket from the boat terminal in Koman to Lumi i Shales costs 25 euros per person

Before you plan your trip to Lumi i Shales, you must first check if the boats to Lumi i Shales operate on the dates you are planning. More information down below.

At what time should I leave Tirana to get to Lumi i Shales?

You should leave Tirana at 5 AM or 5:30 AM to get to Lumi i Shales. Buses or taxis will depart from Tirana at 5:00 AM or 5:30 AM. It takes roughly 3.5 hours to drive to the boat terminal at Lake Koman, so you will arrive there around 8:30 AM. Boats depart from the Komani Lake Ferry Terminal to Lumi i Shales around 9:30 AM. However, you must be there in time to check-in.

There is no way to rush the journey from Tirana to Lumi i Shales. The road from Tirana to Shkoder has one lane for each direction of traffic. So traffic in front of you will hold you up and slow your journey down. The road from Shkoder to the Lake Koman Ferry Terminal is an unpaved sand road with rocks and potholes on the surface. This road turns and twists alongside the lake, so you cannot speed through this section either.

If you want to start your journey around 6:30 AM, then you can book a hotel in Shkoder the night before your trip to Lumi i Shales. Since Shkoder is closer to Lake Koman and Lumi i Shales, you will have a shorter journey of about 2 hours to the boat terminal by bus, by taxi or by car.

At what time does the boat to Lumi i Shales depart?

Boats to Lumi i Shales depart around 9:30 AM from the boat terminal at Lake Koman to Lumi i Shales. That being said, you are expected to arrive at the Lake Koman boat terminal around 8:30 AM or 9:00 AM, as they will start boarding and checking in passengers a bit earlier. So usually passengers are waiting for a bit at the boat terminal at Lake Koman before starting their journey.

When do the Lumi i Shales boats operate?

According to the boat operator’s website, the boats to Lumi i Shales operate between 13 April to 5 November. If you are travelling in July and August, it is quite certain the boats to Lumi i Shales will run. However, if you are travelling in the spring or autumn season boats to Lumi i Shales don’t always run. 

There may be bad weather like a storm or rain, which will prevent the boats to Lumi i Shales from running. In September, we have been faced by mud in the Shala River before, so the boats to Lumi i Shales could not make their way to Shala Beach due to mud. And sometimes, in the spring or autumn there may not be enough bookings, so the boats won’t run to Lumi i Shales. 

Therefore, I highly recommend you check with Komani Lake Ferry Berisha by phone if the boats run on the day you are interested in.

Do boats to Lumi i Shales operate year round?

Boats to Lumi i Shales do not operate year round. There are no boats to Lumi i Shales in the winter season between 6 November and 12 April. According to the boat operator the boats to Lumi i Shales run between 13 April to 5 November. That being said, boats may not run if weather conditions are bad, mud blocks the river or there are not enough bookings. 

What if the boat to Lumi i Shales does not run on the day I am visiting?

If the boat to Lumi i Shales does not run on the day you travel to the Koman Lake boat terminal, you will be offered a boat trip on the Lake Koman Ferry or occasionally there are private boats running in the low season.

The Lake Koman Ferry departs from Koman at 9:00 AM, it will bring you to Fierze by 11:30 AM and then the ferry goes back from Fierze at 13:00 and will be back in Koman at 15:30. Of course, a day trip to Lumi i Shales is more exciting because it stops at Shala Beach, where you can swim and have lunch. That being said, the Lake Koman Ferry offers beautiful views as well.

Where is Lumi Shales, Albania?

Lumi i Shales or the Shala River is in the North of Albania in the mountain area called the “Albanian Alps”. The source of the river is near the Theth village near the border with Montenegro. 

Boat trips on Lumi i Shales start from the Koman village from the Koman Lake boat terminal. This boat terminal on Lake Koman is approximately a 3.5 hour drive from Tirana city depending on traffic and a 2 hour drive from Shkoder city.

Is the Shala River worth visiting?

The Shala River or Lumi i Shales is absolutely worth visiting. The Shala River is known as the “Thailand of Albania”, because it has remote and rugged nature and it is untouched. The river is beautifully blue, the plants have a kind of tropical or exotic look, there are high cliffs surrounding the river, it is very beautiful. A boat trip to Shala River is definitely something memorable and it will be a highlight of your trip in the summer months.

Can you swim in the Shala River, Albania?

You can swim at Shala Beach where the Shala River boats make a stop in the middle of the day in the summer months. Shala River boats depart from the Komani Lake boat terminal at 9:30 AM and they will drop you off at Shala Beach around 10:45 AM. You can relax, swim and go for lunch at Shala Beach until 14:00, when boats go back from Shala Beach to the Koman Lake boat terminal.

Of course, swimming in the Shala River is dependent on good weather in the summer months. Sometimes stormy or rainy weather can prevent Shala River boats from going. And in the autumn season, there is sometimes mud in the river, which may block the access to Shala beach by boat.

What is the closest airport to Lumi i Shales?

The closest airport to Lumi i Shales is Podgorica airport in Montenegro. It takes around 1.5 hours to get from Podgorica to Shkoder. Then you could stay overnight in Shkoder for 1 night and take the bus from Shkoder to the Koman Lake boat terminal at 6:45 AM the next morning and board the boat to Lumi i Shales at 9:30 AM. 

If you prefer flying to Albania, you can fly to Tirana airport. Then drive by car, taxi or take a bus to Shkoder for approximately 2 hours depending on traffic. Then you stay overnight in Shkoder for 1 night and take the bus from Shkoder to the Komani Lake boat terminal at 6:45 AM the next morning. So that you can get on the boat to Lumi i Shales at 9:30 AM. 

How to get from Shkoder to Lumi i Shales?

You can get from Shkoder to Lumi i Shales by bus, by taxi or by car. 

There is a daily bus that departs from Shkoder to the Lake Koman boat terminal at 6:45 AM. A bus ticket costs 8 euros per person. And the bus driver will drop you off at the Lake Koman boat terminal around 8:30 AM. Then you can board a boat to Lumi i Shales around 9:30 AM. A boat ticket for Lumi i Shales costs 25 euros per person.

The alternative is booking a private taxi from Shkoder to the Lake Koman boat terminal, this costs 70 euros per taxi. Then you can board the boat to Lumi i Shales at 9:30 AM. A ticket for the Lumi i Shales boat is 25 euros per person.

Lumi i Shales accommodation

There are some hotels and guest houses in Lumi i Shales. That being said, it is most important to check with the hotel you are about to book, what boats they have available. Lumi i Shales is a remote area that can only be reached by boat. If you are booking a hotel at Lumi i Shales then the hotel needs to offer you a boat to get from the Lake Koman boat terminal to the hotel in Lumi i Shales and back that meets your itinerary.

Related Questions

How do I get to Lumi i Shales from the UK? To get to Lumi i Shales from the UK, you must fly to Tirana airport, sleep 1 night in Tirana or Shkoder, take a bus or taxi to the Lake Koman boat terminal the next morning at 5:00 AM or 6:45 AM and then board a boat to Lumi i Shales at 9:30 AM. 

How do you get to the Shala River in Albania? You get to the Shala River in Albania by taking a bus or taxi from either Tirana or Shkoder. Buses from Tirana depart at 5:00 AM or 5:30 AM depending on the season. Buses from Shkoder depart at 6:45 AM. The bus will drop you off at the Komani Lake boat terminal, where boats to the Shala River depart at 9:30 AM. 

How do I get to the riverside at Komani Lake? You can get to the riverside at Komani Lake by taking a bus/taxi from Tirana at 5:00 AM/5:30 AM or taking a bus/taxi from Shkoder at 6:45 AM. These buses/taxis will drop you off at the Komani Lake boat terminal. From there you can book a ferry ticket to Fierze or a Komani Lake boat trip to the island.

How to get from Theth to Lumi i Shales? If you want to get from Theth to Lumi i Shales by car, by taxi or by bus, you must travel via Shkoder. Buses depart from Theth to Shkoder at 11 AM, a ticket costs 12 euros. You must sleep 1 night in Shkoder. And the next day take a bus from Shkoder to Lake Koman at 6:45 AM, and then take the 9:30 AM boat to Lumi i Shales.

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