How to get to Bovilla Lake from Tirana?

If you are planning to go to Bovilla Lake from Tirana, you might be wondering how to get there by bus, by taxi, by car or perhaps you book a tour. In this blog, I will describe how to get to Bovilla Lake in detail.

How to get to Bovilla Lake from Tirana? You can get to Bovilla Lake from Tirana by booking a day tour. There is no bus from Tirana to Bovilla Lake because it is remote. Taxi drivers are often not willing to go there due to the bad condition of the road. You can drive, but the road is a stony dirt track.

In this blog post, I will give you all the information you need to go to Bovilla Lake, including how to get there by car, taxi rates, the condition of the road, travelling time, swimming information, hiking information and restaurant information.

The best ways to get to Bovilla Lake from Tirana

The best way to get to Bovilla Lake from Tirana is to book a day tour. Bovilla Lake is a remote lake that you can only reach by driving over a stony dirt track road, so it is best to book a tour including transportation to get to Bovilla Lake. Let me explain why. 

Reason 1: There is no public transport or bus to Lake Bovilla

Unfortunately, there is no public transport or bus that brings you from Tirana to Lake Bovilla. Lake Bovilla is a remote lake. This is a spot that is off-the-beaten-track, so there are no daily busses to this destination. So to get to Lake Bovilla, you must book private transportation. 

Reason 2: You can drive to Lake Bovilla, but the road is in a bad condition

Of course, you can drive to Lake Bovilla, but the road is in a bad condition. For the first 30 minutes, you will drive on an asphalted road. However, for the next 30 minutes, you will drive on a dirt track with potholes and stones. 

The road is a single track, and there are big trucks that drive this route with goods and construction equipment. So you will need to stop to let the trucks pass on several occasions. 

If you decide to drive to Lake Bovilla a 4-wheel drive car is the most suitable solution. And you will probably need to bring your car to the car wash at the end of the day.

Reason 3: Taxi drivers are often not willing to bring you from Tirana to Lake Bovilla

I did reach out to several taxi companies to ask for their rates from Tirana to Lake Bovilla. But I found that many of the well-known taxi companies in Tirana are actually not willing to drive to Lake Bovilla. 

Taxi drivers in Tirana know that the road to Lake Bovilla is a dirt track. So, therefore, they will refuse to drive to Lake Bovilla. Here are some of the responses I received: 

Merr Taxi Tirana: “The road is not good to Bovilla Lake and we don’t have a car to go there. We are sorry.”

Green Taxi Tirana: “Sorry we don’t do a trip to Lake Bovilla.”

Smart Taxi Tirana: “We do not offer a service for this road to Bovilla Lake.”

How much does a taxi from Tirana to Bovilla Lake cost?

Some taxi drivers were willing to drive from Tirana to Bovilla Lake. City Taxi Tirana quoted 2000 Leke (17 euros) for a one-way journey to Lake Bovilla or 4000 Leke (34 euros) for a return trip to Lake Bovilla and back to Tirana. And Do Taxi Tirana offered a rate of 3000 Leke (25.50 euros) for a return trip to Lake Bovilla and back to Tirana. 

Lake Bovilla Tour

So if you do want to visit Lake Bovilla from Tirana. The best option is to book a day tour with one of the tour operators in Tirana. If you book a tour, you don’t have to drive the dirt track road to Bovilla Lake yourself and you don’t need to search for a taxi driver willing to bring you to Lake Bovilla.

We do offer a day tour to Lake Bovilla, which you can see here: https://albaniatourguide.com/albania-tours/ But of course, there are many day tour operators in Tirana, who can bring you to Lake Bovilla with a suitable car.

How to get from Tirana to Bovilla Lake by public transport?

You cannot get from Tirana to Bovilla Lake by public transport. There is no bus from Tirana to Bovilla and there is no railway connection. 

Bovilla Lake bus

Unfortunately, there is no bus from Tirana to Bovilla Lake. You cannot travel from Tirana to Bovilla Lake. You must instead hire a rental car, hire a taxi or book a day tour to Lake Bovilla.

Can you drive to Bovilla Lake?

You can drive to Bovilla however, the last section of the road is in a bad condition. There is a road to Bovilla Lake, so it is drivable. However, the last section of the road is unasphalted. So you will drive on a dirt track with potholes in the road. 

From Tirana, it will take you roughly 1 hour to drive to Bovilla Lake. The first 30 minutes of the drive are fine, you will drive through the city centre and through the Kamez neighbourhood of Tirana. 

However, during the last 30 minutes of driving, you drive on a dirt road. The road is unasphalted. The road is a dirt track with sand and rocks. And there are potholes in the road. 

It is not a quiet road, as there are big trucks that drive this route, so you will need to stop on the side of the road to let the trucks pass. 

So you can certainly drive to Bovilla, but it will not be a comfortable or relaxing drive. Moreover, it is worth considering what type of car you are renting and whether that car is suitable to drive on a dirt road and what condition the car will be in once you have completed the journey.

How far is Lake Bovilla from Tirana?

Lake Bovilla is 19 kilometres from Tirana. It takes 1 hour to drive from Tirana to Lake Bovilla by car. 

There is only one dirt track road that leads to Lake Bovilla. You can see the road that leads to Lake Bovilla on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/9wL2g33Jm81GYMDK6 

Is Bovilla Lake worth visiting?

Bovilla Lake is worth visiting if you enjoy nature and mountains. I must say that Bovilla Lake is quite an off-the-beaten-path location. 

The main reason why Bovilla Lake is off-the-beaten-track is the condition of the road. First, you will drive through Tirana’s city centre and the Kamez neighbourhood to the North of Tirana.

However, once you get to the small mountain road, you will drive on a dirt track road with rocks and potholes. The reason why I am mentioning this is that you have to consider yourself and your travel party. Will you see this as an adventure and an opportunity to see a spot few have seen? Or is this type of road and the shaking of the car not suitable for you and the people you travel with?

Once you arrive at Bovilla Lake, you will be impressed. Lake Bovilla is a dammed lake surrounded by mountains in all directions. From the water level, you can drive up a winding and twisting road to the mountain balcony for stunning views. 

The mountain balcony is the location where Bovilla Restaurant is located. Then from the mountain balcony, you can go on an adventurous rock climbing track to a metal viewing balcony above the lake. 

In summary, Lake Bovilla is worth visiting for adventurous travellers. Those who like to travel to hidden spots and see beautiful nature. 

However, the journey to Lake Bovilla is not very comfortable due to the condition of the road, so if you are travelling with people who get road sickness, I would recommend going to another beautiful spot in Albania instead.

Lake Bovilla hike

When you arrive at Lake Bovilla, you can hike up to the viewing balcony on the mountain. There is a rocky trail that zigzags up the mountain. If you have a 4-wheel drive, you might be able to drive up the trail to the viewing balcony. But many travellers decide to hike for approximately 20 minutes as well. 

Once you get to the restaurant on the viewing balcony. You can go on a more adventurous hike along the mountain cliff to a metal viewing balcony. This is a horizontal hiking trail along the cliffside, but it is rocky and requires a medium level of fitness. There is an entrance fee for the metal viewing balcony of 100 Leke (0.85 euros).

Can you swim in Lake Bovilla?

Lake Bovilla is not a swimming location. Could you secretly jump into the Lake of Bovilla and have a swim, sure. 

However, what I mean to say is that Lake Bovilla does not have a beach, a changing room, a bathroom on the shore of the lake or a parasol. In essence, Lake Bovilla is not set up for swimming. 

The point is that there are many beautiful spots in Albania, where you can go for a swim. Along the beach near Tirana, there is of course Durres beach and the Bay of Lalzi. Or if you prefer swimming in a pool, the Equos Aqua Park near Petrela is wonderful. 

Lake Bovilla on the other hand is not equipped for swimming tourism. Lake Bovilla is a drinking water lake. And on the mountain balcony, you can go for lunch and for a short hike. Currently, Lake Bovilla is simply a beautiful spot surrounded by nature. It is a spot where you can have lunch and enjoy the stunning mountain views.

Bovilla Lake restaurant

There is a restaurant at Lake Bovilla, which is simply called “Bovilla restaurant”. The restaurant is located on the Bovilla Lake balcony. So the restaurant has stunning views of Lake Bovilla.

The restaurant serves traditional Albanian food. So it is a combination of BBQ-style meats, Greek-style fresh salads, white cheeses, roasted vegetables and puff pastry. I have personally eaten at the restaurant twice, and I would recommend going there for lunch. 

The restaurant has a terrace that overlooks the lake of Bovilla. And there is an indoor area with floor-to-ceiling windows that offers equally nice views.

You can see the location of Bovilla Restaurant on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/i3PR83KofjAAjoPo8 

Bovilla Lake map

Lake Bovilla is located to the North of Tirana. The lake is surrounded by mountains. You can see the location of Lake Bovilla on a Google Map here: https://goo.gl/maps/hSk2iCTXqfrAaxV58 

Although the lake of Bovilla is relatively close to Tirana. It takes 1 hour to drive to Lake Bovilla. Bovilla is for instance closer than Kruja town or Tirana airport. However, due to the bad condition of the road to Lake Bovilla, it takes 1 hour to get there. 

The last stretch of road to Lake Bovilla that leads into the mountains is a dirt track with rocks and potholes. You can drive this road by car, but you won’t be able to drive fast. There are big trucks on this dirt track, so you will need to stop on the side of the road often to have traffic pass you by.

Welcome to Albania!

I am a Tour Guide in Albania

I am an Albania Tour Guide, who organizes 1-day, 2-day or multiple day private tours in Albania.