FAQs

See the Booking Conditions page

Obtaining any visas that are required is your responsibility. Details of current visa requirements for the country you are visiting or for transit destinations are given on your invoice. Visa regulations can, and do, change, sometimes at short notice, but where we become aware of changes to regulations, we will notify you. We cannot be held responsible for mistakes by embassies or third parties, sudden changes to regulations or actions of border officials which are beyond our control.

It is highly recommended that you have a valid travel insurance policy, not only to cover the cost of medical treatment, but also to protect the value of your holiday in the event of cancellation. Cycle Albania does not provide health or travel insurance.

Cycle Albania monitors travel advice closely for every country we visit, and we follow their advice to the letter. Should we find advise against travel to country or a region for any reason, we will contact everyone who is booked to travel to look into alternative options.

For our trips, we are often asked ‘what kind of fitness levels are required?’ or ‘what kind of training do I need to do?’ Of course, if you have booked a trip that is at the upper end of your capabilities, you want to know that you have done all you can to prepare. Unfortunately however, these questions are often the most difficult to answer. Only you know your current fitness levels and capabilities, and can prepare according to the options available to you.

Where altitude is involved, your ability to acclimatise is going to have a much greater impact on your progress than your fitness. However, poor fitness and preparation is certainly not going to increase your chances.

All the options below can be added at the main booking Form.

E- Bikes, Single supplement, Arrival/Departure transfers, Pre/Post Tour extra nights, Non Cycling – Follow in the van

Definitely April and October. Albania has a temperate, Mediterranean climate. March 15th is officially the first day of spring and things really start to hot up toward the end of the month when clear skies and balmy temperatures provide a nice way to ease into the heat of summer. Spring and autumn brings sunshine and maximum temperatures of between 20-30 degrees Celsius. Days are long with sunrise before 6:00am and sunset after 8:30pm at the height of summer!

You can definitely join us with your own bicycle – see reduced prices for personal bikes.

Customized, private tours make up a large part of our services each season. Cycling operators, families, clubs, or just a group of riding friends can qualify for a private riding event. We can run them with two or twenty people. They are ideal in that we can precisely target your specific needs and requirements. Hotel selections? Duration? Dates? Inclusions? Routings? These are all elements that you can have a say in. From budget to over the top luxury, we enjoy the challenge of overcoming logistical issues and providing the ultimate and intimate riding experience that comes with a private tour.

Yes, the van can accommodate non-riders comfortably. All our vans are new WV T6 Multivan with planly of room and comfort.

If you wish to make any changes to your booking, please let us know as soon as possible. All requests for changes should be referred to Customer Operations.

If you need to cancel your booking, please let us know as soon as possible. This is required in writing and you should refer to the booking conditions with regards to any cancellation charges that may apply. Normally, if you cancel before the final balance is due, the deposit is non-refundable, but we can usually hold your balance for you to use on a future trip. Please contact Exodus for further details. Once your final balance has been paid, there is a sliding scale of charges, outlined in the booking conditions.

If you wish to transfer your booking to a different tour or traveler, you should contact us before the final balance is due for your existing tour. Changes are, however, subject to any additional fees charged by local suppliers or airlines. Transfers after the final balance is due are classed as a cancellation and re-booking. For cancellations or transfers, please contact Customer Operations.

Click here for full details on transferring deposits.

Payment can be made fully or partialy at the time of booking. You can secure your spot by making a   Pre-Payment by WireTransfer, Credit Cards. After your booking is confirmed, you have to option to pay the aditional balance in Cash upon your arrival, or alternatively by the same process for the Pre-Payment 30 days before departure with a reminder we’ll sent out one weeks before this date.

A receipt of payment will be emailed out to the lead booker within one working day of payment being received. If you have not received a receipt and would like one, please contact us. If payment is not made on time you may lose your place on the trip, although we will always do our best to contact you before we cancel your booking.

If you’ve travelled on one or more trips with Cycle Albania, you will receive a 5% discount on your next booking. Dedicated travelers who have been on four or more trips with Cycle Albania will receive a 10% discount on all subsequent bookings. Please note that for online bookings, loyalty discounts will be applied on your invoice and not at the booking stage. All discount expires 24 months after the return date of your most recent holiday.

All our trips are guaranteed to depart as scheduled. You can easily check the status of your preferred departure date on our website, or reach out to us directly for more information.

Your final joining instructions, if booked with us, will then be sent out one week before departure. Although you can find a printable copy of the Trip Notes on our website, we will send you a new copy that might reflect last minute changes. Please refer to this for all important information on the first day. Meeting time and place and well as the Hotel on the arrival day.

Before booking any flight you should consider the arrival and departure times.

• South Albania UNESCO Tour
  On the arrival day the group meeting/dinner is at 17:00pm. Consider arriving at the hotel before this time.
  On departure day, the group departs from Vlore at 09:00am and arriving at the airport 3hr later at 12:00am. You must book a flight from 14:00 onwards.
• Balkan Express Tour
  On the arrival day the group meeting/dinner is at 17:00pm. Consider arriving at the hotel before this time.
  On departure day, the group departs from Shkoder at 09:00am and arriving at the airport 2hr later at 11:00am. You must book a flight from 13:00 onwards.
• Montenegro Tour
  On the arrival day the group meeting/dinner is at 17:00pm. Consider arriving at the hotel before this time.
  On departure day, the group departs from Shkoder at 09:00am and arriving at the airport 2hr later at 11:00am. You must book a flight from 13:00 onwards.

Once you have paid the deposit for your tour, our sales team will immediately email you your booking confirmation and invoice.

When you have received your confirmation, please check the information carefully to make sure that we have booked the arrangements you requested. If there are any inaccuracies, please contact us so that we can make the necessary corrections.

Once you have paid your deposit and booked on that trip of a lifetime, you will be looked after by our team, who are responsible for all your travel arrangements until you depart. One of our experienced operations executives will assist you in any way they can, and their contact details can be found at the bottom of your confirmation letter.

The balance of your payment is due 30 days before departure. Your invoice shows the date your final balance is due and, if you have booked directly with us and we have an email address for you, a reminder will be sent out 1 to 2 weeks before this date.

You’ve done the hard part and paid the final balance, now you can start looking forward to going! If you have booked direct and as long as we have an email address for you, your team will be in touch with you one weeks before travel. They will include the latest copy of the trip notes and if there are any last minute arrangements you need to make or questions you might have, just let them know and they’ll be happy to look into it for you.

Within one month of your return from the trip, we will send you an email offering you the chance to post a review on our website – a valuable service for all potential Cycle Albania travellers!

All travelers require a full passport for Cycle Albania tours; generally, this should be valid for six months after the date of your scheduled return home. Requirements change often and other regulations may apply, so be sure to check with the nearest embassy of the country you intend to visit.

Please note that for certain trips, we will require your passport details prior to accepting your booking.

On the trip notes send to you, there will be clear and easy instructions on how to have an effortless journey from the airport to the first hotel. Make sure that you store our cell number on your phone before arriving in Tirana and notify us as soon as possible for any flight changes.

All our bicycles are equipped a pannier rack. If you decide to bring your own peddles and saddle, those will be fitted on first day of cycling during the bike fitting.

We do not produce an individual packing list for each tour, as each person’s needs and requirements vary, even for the same trip. But, we do help you in the following ways:

1. Travel light. One small carry-on bag and a day bag are more than adequate to travel in Albania. Considering that some hotels do not have elevators, we strongly recommend you do not bring a bag you can not carry.
2. Helmet and Water bottle.
3. Specific medication that you may need. Can’t find everything in Albania!
4. If you have ever had an anaphylactic reaction it is mandatory to bring with you an Epinephrine Auto Injector (Epipen or similar)

It is important to layer your clothing for different climates, as our tours may go through cool high mountain passes on one day and warm valley lowlands on the next. Rain in the mountains can occur unexpectedly, so you should bring a rain suit. Helmet is a must unless you have made further arrangements with us.

All tours are booked double occupancy which means two people to a room. If you are coming solo we will attempt to find a room mate for you. The only guarantee that you will have a room mate is if you bring one along. If you choose to have your own room there will always be a single supplement fee. If for any reason we are unable to find you a room mate you will be in a single room and therefore charged the supplement. No exceptions! These circumstances are beyond our control, however, we will do what ever possible to spare you of the additional expense.

You will need to take enough money to cover the cost of meals not included in the trip cost and of drinks, tipping and other incidentals including shopping and optional activities. Advice on the amounts required and the best currency to take is given in the trip notes.

Many countries have ATM machines, particularly in major cities, and this can be an ideal way to access cash abroad, although bank charges are sometimes quite high. In addition, credit cards are now very widely accepted, particularly in larger cities. Travellers cheques can also be useful in certain destinations, but are often time consuming and costly to exchange.

To achieve the highest comfort and enjoyment of the tour each group consists of a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 20 cyclists.

All our hotels and guesthouses are carefully selected by us based on comfort, cleanliness and customer service.

A support van, driven by a mechanic, accompanies each tour and guests until the trip’s end.The van has the capacity to transport all bicycles and up to 7 people. Anyone is free from getting a lift at anytime during the day.

All our tours run on perfect asphalt roads, most of which are traffic free. There might be occasion wear and tear on some roads, but nothing requiring any off-road riding skills. Riders are notified in the daily briefing about possible changes.

Quality meals is an important Cycle Albania trademark. We like to eat, so you won’t find us cutting any corners here! Albania enjoys the luxury of amazing and healthy cuisine. Your tour leader will organize everything with the upmost efficiency and variety of food.

We pride ourself with a plentiful vegetable selection and perhaps the best place in the western world where to be a vegetarian.