Albania · Central Albania

Lake Bovilla

Directions

Liqeni i Bovillës

Bovilla is the reservoir that provides most of the drinking water for Tirana, northeast of the city and southeast of Kruja, inside Dajti Mountain National Park. A dam on the river Tërkuzë, a tributary of the Ishëm, forms it at the entrance to the Shkallë e Bovillës canyon; the dam is built of local conglomerate, gravel and sand. Work began in 1988 and stopped with the fall of communism, resumed in 1993 with Italian support and ended in 1996, and the lake took until 1998 to fill. The water level changes over the year and is highest in the rainy winter months.

Gallery

3 photos

Photo: Liridon · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Albinfo · CC BY 3.0

Photo: Julian Nyča · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Visit

Getting there

Nearest settlement: Tirana

Swimming

No reliable information

Tips

Bovilla lies about 16 km north-east of Tirana, but allow 1–1.5 hours by car: after a paved start towards Zall-Herr the road turns to narrow, dusty gravel with potholes and quarry trucks, and the bridge over the canyon can scrape a low car. A high-clearance vehicle is best; there is no public transport, so the alternatives are a guided tour or a taxi. There is parking by the dam and at the end of the road, near the Bovilla restaurant.

The best views are from Gamti, above the restaurant, on a short, steep path with loose rocks and metal stairs along the rock face, about 20–30 minutes; wear hiking boots and carry small change for a small fee. Longer loops also start here, and a hard one from Zall-Herr takes five to six hours. The lake is Tirana’s drinking water: swimming is prohibited, and there are no boat trips or water sports. Visit from spring to autumn, avoiding rain; around noon has the best light, as shadows fall early.