Lake Koman Ferry (Albanian: ''Trageti i Komanit'') is a passenger

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

service operated by several local companies along the

Koman Reservoir Lake Koman ( sq, Liqeni i Komanit) is a reservoir on the Drin River in northern Albania. Lake Koman is surrounded by dense forested hills, vertical slopes, deep gorges, and a narrow valley, completely taken up by the river. Besides the Drin, it i ...

(also known as Koman Lake) in Northern

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. The line operates between Koman near the

Koman Hydroelectric Power Station The Koman Hydroelectric Power Station is a large hydroelectric power station, for which a dam on the Drin River was built. The dam is near the settlement of Koman, northern Albania. It is the second of three dams on the Drin River; the Fierza Hy ...

, and Fierzë near the Fierza Hydroelectric Power Station. The line is known for its scenic views of the mountain gorges, unscheduled stops along the way for serving locals, and the peculiar atmosphere of both locals, foreigners, and even animals being fitted on board up to full capacity. According to Bradt Travel guides, the journey is described as "one of the world's great boat trips" only comparable to the Scandinavian

fjords In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icela ...

History

Following the construction of the dam and inundation of the area, a ferry service was established to serve the local population. Since the 2000s, the area has become a growing tourist destination. As a result, the old car ferry ship Dardania underwent a complete makeover and began regular trips in May 2015 with the new name Alpin Ferry. Between June 2012 and April 2014, the Jezerca X car ferry was no longer running. The new A1 highway connecting the Albanian coast with Kukes and Kosovo made it redundant and allowed for the Dardania ship makeover. Presently, several private companies offer custom tours packages with acceptable vessels. Also, there is the Dragobia Boat (the cabin of which was converted from a bus), which has been operating in the lake since 1994. Now they also have the Berisha Ferry, which can carry up to 5 cars. 2013-10-04_Lake_Koman,_Albania_0901

Schedule

As of May 2015, the revamped car ferry ship was re-introduced running every day with a new timetable. The car ferry departs daily, and the crossing takes two hours. Other ferry services such as Berisha have an inverted schedule. Schedule changes in the winter season to accommodate lower ridership.

Transportation

Furgons (minibuses) serve the area and are usually located at the ferry docking stations. Furgons depart from Shkoder at about 06:00 in the morning near Hotel Rozafa on Democracy Square (Sheshi Demokracia).

Gallery

2013-10-04 Lake Koman, Albania 1114.jpg 2013-10-04 Lake Koman, Albania 1032.jpg 2013-10-04 Lake Koman, Albania 1227.jpg 2013-10-04 Lake Koman, Albania 1167.jpg 2013-10-04 Lake Koman, Albania 0864.jpg Lake_komani_2016_Albania.jpg

References

External links

* * * *{{cite news , title=Off Track on the Northern Albanian Komani Lake, first=Todd , last=Wassel , url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelblogs/1019/120072/Off+Track+on+the+Northern+Albanian+Komani+Lake?destId=358538 , newspaper=Lonely Planet, date=June 24, 2011 , access-date=10 August 2011

Ferry operators

Komani Lake Explore/ Kayak Tour Boat DRAGOBIA

Berisha Car Ferry/Komani Lake

Mario Molla Komani Lake

Alpin Car Ferry

Small boats to get to shala river
Water transport in Albania Tourism in Albania