The Riviera's secret coves don't have roads — they have boats. Himarë's harbour is where the coast's best swimming days begin.
Boat trips · coves & caves
Per-person or private hire
Half or full day
Himarë
Between the named beaches, this coast hides coves with no roads, no names on most maps, and water that makes the famous spots look busy. The way in is Himarë's harbour: every summer morning, boats head north towards Gjipe, Aquarium Bay's deep-blue pool and the Filikuri sea caves, anchoring for swims where the only way to arrive is by sea.
Options range from shared group tours to private speedboat hire by the hour, and most skippers will shape the route to the day — calmer water north or south, longer at the cove you fall for. Book at the harbour kiosks the evening before for morning departures.
Boats leave from Himarë's main harbour at the southern end of the seafront — five minutes' walk from anywhere in town.
Book the evening before in peak season. Group tours are priced per person; private boats by the hour or half-day — agree on the route and price before you board.
Morning departures get the calmest sea and best light in the caves. Bring water, sun cover and a mask — the snorkelling at Aquarium Bay is the day's highlight.
Everything starts from the harbour — the town guide covers where to stay and eat.
Many boats will leave you at Gjipe Beach and collect you later — the lazy way into the canyon.
Boats are back by late afternoon — straight onto the harbour restaurants for whatever was landed that day.
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