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The hike from Himare to Pilur was one of the most rewarding activities we did while in Himare, not least for the majestic coastal views! Our short guide includes all the essential details we gathered on our hike, as well as some photographs I captured of the majestic views and landscape, so you know exactly what to expect!
Many of the tourists lounging on Himare’s beautiful beaches are completely unaware that the small village of Pilur even exists.
A peaceful village sitting up in the mountains behind Himare, with stunning stone work, that we felt had been plucked right out of a fairy tale.
And we’d been oblivious too, until our second visit to Himare, when we found Pilur by chance on Google Maps and started wondering how we could visit without a car.
Pilur isn’t well-documented online, but we found a 2.5+ hour hiking trail via Kisha e Shen Nikolles that we could take, so we summoned the energy and followed our curiosity.
And hiking to Pilur ended up being one of the most underrated things we did in Himare, taking the views that we’d savoured at Himare Castle up a notch or two!
So, if you’re up for this kind of adventure in between your beach days, we recommend this Himare hike!
Travel Tip: Google Maps isn’t very helpful for this hike as it only shows the main 11.5km road which vehicles take to Pilur – so make sure to download Maps.Me!
Key Details Of The Hike
After completing the full hike ourselves, here are some practical details and tips that are helpful to know before setting off.
Difficulty level: Moderate. We managed this trip without any proper hiking experience, but a decent fitness level is needed for the second part of the hike, which contains some steep inclines and uneven ground.
But not as steep as the rock face down to Filikuri Beach!
Distance: 6.5km
Elevation gain: 700 metres
Time: 2 hours 45 minutes. MapsMe might say 2 hours 20 minutes, but by the time you factor in some breaks for water, food, and taking in the views, it took us closer to 3 hours on the ascent.
Trailhead: The trailhead is 2.5km inland of Himare Beach and takes 40 minutes to get to from the promenade. You can find the exact point here on Google Maps. There’s no big sign or anything, just the first trail marker painted on an electricity pole, indicating the start of the hike.
Trail Markers: Much of the trail is easy to follow, but there are red and white markers painted on trees, stones, and bunkers along the route to keep you right – which come in handy during the second stage of the hike.
Footwear: Hiking boots would be ideal, especially for the more uneven parts or if it’s been raining, but we managed completely fine with only trainers in dry weather.
Where Is Pilur?
As it hasn’t been mentioned nearly as much online as other places in the area, like Himare, Dhermi, and Porto Palermo, you may be wondering where exactly this little village is.
Well, Pilur is located up in the mountains at an elevation of 700 metres, 6.5km to the northwest of the Himare beaches below.
It’s the final stop on stage two of the Southern Albania Coastal Trail – a 74km, multi-day hiking route from Dhermi to Kokome, which hops from village to village along the scenic Albanian Riviera.
There’s not too much else around the village, but for nature and outdoor lovers, it’s a tremendous spot!
Travel Tip: It’s also possible to drive to Pilur in around 30 minutes by following the 11.5km road that heads south and then sharply turns left before snaking up to Pilur.
Our Experience Hiking To Pilur From Himare
MapsMe is much better than Google Maps for this hike, as the latter doesn’t show the main section between Kisha e Shen Nikolles and Pilur. So, we downloaded the MapsMe route so we could use it offline and followed it all the way from Himare to Pilur.
I’ve split the hike into two main sections; the first is easier and less steep, while the second is from where the trail meets the Livadhi to Pilur section of the Southern Albania Coastal Trail, and the incline is more intense.
Stage 1
To get to the trailhead from Himare’s promenade, we headed towards Oasis Hostel and kept following the paved road before turning left at the electric power station and then right onto the dirt road.
From here, it’s a dirt trail all the way to Pilur.
We followed this track for about 15 minutes before coming to a crossroads. This is where the hike officially begins and is marked by the first red and white trail marker painted on the electricity pole.
However, we were in our own wee world at the time and kept straight until we realised and had to backtrack.
Don’t make our mistake, and make sure you keep an eye on the MapsMe route!
We quickly reached a dry riverbed and, for the first time, weren’t exactly sure where to go.
However, we eventually found that we had to cross it, loop behind the house on the other side, and follow the gravel trail up through lovely olive tree fields, with the riverbed on our right-hand side.
We loved this part of the hike as it wasn’t difficult and it was the first point where we really felt the peacefulness of the Himare countryside and like we’d fully escape the beachside bustle!
Eventually, we reached Kisha e Shen Nikolles. This is a small but picturesque church sitting isolated in the hills. It’s a scenic spot with an epic mountain backdrop and views of both the coast below and Old Himare perched on its strategic hilltop.
It took us about an hour to get here and it was the perfect spot for our first break in the shade of a single tree while also snapping some photos of the views.
You could just hike to here and return to Himare, but we decided to keep going and found that the most strenuous part was still to come!
We resumed our hike up the gravel trail, passing more olive groves, an old bunker with a painted trail marker, and a few goats, before we reached the point where the path joins the trail to Pilur from Livadhi.
This section begins with crossing the dry riverbed, before looping behind the house, and following the trail up through lovely olive tree fields, with the riverbed on your right-hand side.
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Stage 2
At this point, which sits at 280 metres in elevation and 4km into the hike, there is a signpost which marks the second (more intense) stage of the hike.
Taking the right in the fork, towards Pilur, this is where the incline started to get steeper, the trail became rockier and more uneven, and the trail markers (on rocks and tree trunks) got more useful.
It’s also where the landscape started to fill with scenic alpine trees and the views got better and better!
As we ascended up the left-hand side of the canyon, which is the steepest section with an elevation gain of 320 metres, we made the most of the shade while zigzagging along the edge of the pine trees.
The higher we reached, the more the bay of Himare began to appear as we looked back down towards the coast.
We were definitely starting to feel the intensity in this section, which is overgrown with bushes in parts, but we persevered, fueled by the stunning scenery and views, until we finally made it to the concrete manmade weir, which took us back over the riverbed.
Once you hit this point, you’re almost there!
The final ascent to Pilur was filled with large and loose rocks before we passed a big electricity pylon and finally entered the little village!
Arriving In Pilur
With the sound of nothing but roosters crowing to welcome us into Pilur, we wandered along the newly built stone pathway through the tiny village.
What a magical experience it was to reach this cute village surrounded by mountain peaks and fantastic views, and to see the clouds blow past in the valley below! If we thought the view from Himare Castle was good, Pilur blew it out of the water!
We’d only come for the nature and the views and hadn’t really given a thought to the actual village itself, but we were pleasantly surprised by how beautiful Pilur is. Of course, there are some empty shells of unfinished buildings (as we’re still in Albania), but it was mostly filled with absolutely stunning stone houses!
Things To Do In Pilur
As you might expect, there’s not much to do in a tiny mountain village like Pilur, and the main things we enjoyed doing were taking in the sensational views and wandering around the stone path. Although the latter doesn’t take very long at all!
After hiking 3 hours, we were in dire need of a coffee, so we were happy to find that the small square at the top of the village has two restaurants.
We stopped in at Bekje E Bardhe for a macchiatto and a 7UP, as it was the only one open when we visited in late September, and while prices are a little higher than in the bigger towns, it’s nice to know you’re supporting a small family-run restaurant.
The hike does continue if you want, though. To be honest, we were done, but we’d met a guy on the way up who said he was going to hike higher than Pilur, and sure enough, from the square we saw him as a little speck in the distance, still going up in the hills behind the village!
We were satisfied though, and called it a day there.
The Return
Once we’d enjoyed the magic of Pilur and the tremendous views, the return down to Himare was a simple case of retracing our steps.
This took us around an hour and a half, and as you can imagine, the journey back down is a lot easier!
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To Finish
Pilur is a lovely little village and it was a great feeling to accomplish the hike up and be rewarded with the tremendous views.
We didn’t know how much we needed the peacefulness of the quiet Himare countryside and the fresh mountain air until we got there!
Like with a Grama Bay boat tour, we’d definitely recommend adding the hike to your Himare itinerary!
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Our Other Albania Guides
Find more inspiration, tips, and advice in our other Albania Travel Guides!
- Saranda Travel Guide: Things To Do, Day Trips, And More
- A Complete Guide To The Best Beaches In Saranda
- Essential Guide To Visiting The Blue Eye (Syri I Kalter)
- Corfu To Saranda By Ferry – Essential Guide
- Getting From Saranda To Ksamil – All You Need To Know
- How To Get From Tirana To Saranda
- Our Favourite Cafes In Saranda
