Shkodër · 2 days · private
A garment on UNESCO's Urgent Safeguarding List — and the people still making it.
52,000 L the vehicle · from 12,272 L each
Photo: Albinfo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Why go
The Xhubleta Highlands: Kelmend & Dukagjin
The xhubleta encodes region and marital status in felt and embroidery. UNESCO placed it on the Urgent Safeguarding List in 2022 — not the Representative List — because the knowledge is actively dying. Two days into Kelmend, Shkrel and Dukagjin.
The xhubleta is an undulating bell-shaped skirt of black felt strips and dense embroidery whose pattern encodes region and marital status. Researchers connect elements of its form to Bronze Age depictions — plausibly one of the oldest continuously made garment forms in Europe.
UNESCO placed it on the Urgent Safeguarding List in 2022 — not the Representative List, and the distinction is the whole point: the knowledge to make one is actively dying, and very few master-makers are left. A garment takes months. We drive to Kelmend, Shkrel and Dukagjin to meet the people still making it, past the kulla towers of the Kanun.
On the ground
What the day holds
- Meet makers in Kelmend and Dukagjin
- UNESCO Urgent Safeguarding context
- Kulla towers of the Kanun country
- Driver overnight included
- Two days in the highlands
Itinerary
Door to door, at your pace.
Day 1 · 07:00
Into the highlands
North through Shkodra into Kelmend and Shkrel.
Day 1 · afternoon
Makers and kullas
Workshops and tower houses — visits depend on who is home and willing.
Day 2
Dukagjin and return
Further highland villages, then the road south.
The price
Built from real costs. Check the arithmetic.
The price, in full
52,000 L
one vehicle · 26,000 L each · cash on the day
62,400 L by card online · retainer 15,600 L holds the date, 36,400 L cash to the driver
How many of you
One car seats four. Five guests means both cars go out — and both cars are paid for.
| People | Cars | Cash | Card | Retainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 51,480 L (51,480 L ea) | 61,880 L | 15,600 L |
| 2 | 1 | 52,000 L (26,000 L ea) | 62,400 L | 15,600 L |
| 3 | 1 | 52,000 L (17,368 L ea) | 62,400 L | 15,600 L |
| 4 | 1 | 52,000 L (13,000 L ea) | 62,400 L | 15,600 L |
| 5 | 2 | 97,760 L (19,552 L ea) | 117,520 L | 29,640 L |
| 6 | 2 | 97,760 L (16,328 L ea) | 117,520 L | 29,640 L |
| 7 | 2 | 97,760 L (13,936 L ea) | 117,520 L | 29,640 L |
| 8 | 2 | 97,760 L (12,272 L ea) | 117,520 L | 29,640 L |
The message writes itself with your dates and party size already in it.
Included
- Private 4x4 and driver for the whole trip
- Door-to-door pick-up and drop-off in Tirana
- All fuel, road and track access
- Bottled water and fruit in the cool box
- Waiting time at every stop — including lunch
- Driver's overnight bed and meals
Not included
- Your food and drinks
- Guests' hotel — two-day prices cover the driver's bed only
- Site entry fees where they apply
- Tips (never expected, always welcome)
Best months: June–September
Questions
Before you reserve
- Do I have to hike?
- No. Every stop on this route is reached by vehicle. If you want to walk, the driver waits — but nothing requires it.
- Is my hotel included?
- No. Guests book highland guesthouses; the driver's overnight is included.
- How do I pay?
- Cash on the day is cheapest. Card online includes a 20% charge for the processor and currency conversion — that is not our margin. A retainer of 25% of the card price (minimum €30) holds the vehicle; the balance is cash on the day.
- How many people can come?
- Up to eight. One vehicle seats four; five to eight guests means both cars go out, and both cars are paid for. That is the only honest way to price a two-car fleet.
- Will we definitely meet a maker?
- We arrange what we can in advance, but highland visits depend on who is present. The landscape and the kullas are certain; a workshop visit is the aim, not a guarantee sold as a product.
