The Blue Eye Site (Albania): How to Turn Nature into an Amusement Park

I was expecting the worst when I went to discover the Blue Eye site between Gjirokastër and Ksamil—I definitely got my money’s worth...

What a terrible idea to turn a stunning natural wonder into a concrete cash machine!

Okay, so they built a parking lot and made it paid—that’s fine. And protecting the natural spring with a wooden barrier to keep it from turning into a public swimming pool makes sense.

But why dig a road all the way up to 10 meters from the site with an excavator?

Why allow a super polluting and stinky little train to run there?

Why let personal motorcycles use it?

Why rent electric scooters or mini motorbikes to cover the 1,500 meters on foot?

I have my answer: greed...

Thankfully, there’s still a trail on the other side that’s been spared from the money grab.

The dark side of the site on a low-traffic day... The side that’s rarely shown in publications...

And now, by cheating with the framing:





And especially by taking the old trail with almost no visitors...







Colors and saturation untouched.

Hmm, I don’t remember seeing a little train in 2023! 😮

You can't stop progress...🤪

The parking lot and the site seem to be run by some kind of mafia. You have to insist to get a parking ticket, and nothing is given at the park entrance. The price isn't what's listed in the guide—but weirdly, it's cheaper...😄

A strange impression !

It’s really changed. In 2023, we camped right next to the parking lot, and in the morning, we paid the entrance fee at the booth before the checkpoint.

When I discovered Croatia in 2011, I was already eyeing Albania. Many times, I tried to convince my wife to take a trip there, without success. Your comment and the many reports I saw this summer have me thinking: too late... Am I wrong?

P.S.: I’ve given up on returning to Croatia—the last time definitely put me off...

Let’s just say you really shouldn’t go in July or August... And that you should go soon!

Neither Albanians nor airlines have realized yet that there’s potential for tourists in the autumn. So for now, it’s all good. Even if it’s better not to focus your stay on the coastal area... No tourists means beaches aren’t cleaned. Unregulated construction. Like southern Italy, it’s not a very clean country, and some messy tourists forget all restraint. The coastline also suffers from the cash-cow syndrome: paid parking, every visit costs money, prices are rising while quality drops... But since we’re starting from such low prices, it’s still cheap... 😄

Overall, I find the destination really nice. The only place I’d skip if I went again is Tirana.

Hello Attila,

I had exactly the same impression as you :/ In May 2023, it was still under construction. There was the road but no parking yet, no little train, and no rentals for alternative transport. The only way was to walk there. And all kinds of barriers don’t stop people from swimming there 😠 In my opinion, this site no longer has any interest.

On the other hand, I had a blast photographing the swarms of blue dragonflies at the entrance of the site 😏



Have a lovely Sunday, Pascale

Hey everyone, After several trips to Albania—most recently this year—I was truly stunned by how much the country has transformed. The Oeil Bleu is just one sad example of these changes. The coast is devastated by roadworks and rampant construction, while so-called protected areas have been sold off to Italian or American billionaires to build massive complexes. What a waste. The north of the country has been spared so far, but for how long? 😅

Hi,

Yes, it's much quieter away from the coast, but some spots are already starting to feel a bit overdone...