Turquoise water
Among the mountains.
Granit Temaj — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Liridon — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Albinfo — CC BY 3.0 · Julian Nyča — CC BY-SA 3.0
Lake Bovilla is a turquoise reservoir inside Dajti Mountain National Park, about 15 km northeast of Tirana in a straight line and southeast of Krujë. It covers 4.6 square kilometres and supplies most of Tirana's drinking water. The lake was formed by damming the Tërkuzë River, a tributary of the Ishëm, at the entrance to the deep Shkallë e Bovillës canyon between the peaks of Maja e Gomtitit and Mali i Bjeshit. Work on the dam began in 1988 and then stopped, resumed in 1993 with the support of the Italian state, and finished in 1996; the lake had filled and gone into service by 1998. The turquoise water stretches between towering rocky mountains and green hills, its shoreline winding in coves and spits of land. The lake is between 18 and 53 metres deep, and its level shifts by 7 to 10 metres over the year, peaking in the rainy winter months. Visitors come to view the lake from the road around it and from the heights above, and some climb the hiking trails on the neighbouring mountains for a view from on high. The road in is mountainous, and spring and autumn are better for walking than the summer heat.
Among the mountains.
Mountain trails.
A winding shore.
Dajti Mountain National Park, northeast of Tirana, Albania
It is a drinking water reservoir, so it is best enjoyed from the shore.
Spring and autumn.