Divjakë-Karavasta National Park

About this place

Divjakë-Karavasta National Park is a coastal national park in western Albania, spreading across the Myzeqe Plain beside the Adriatic Sea in Fier County, about 44 km south of Durrës in a straight line. The town of Divjakë lies just east of the park entrance. The park covers 222.3 square kilometres of wetlands, salt marshes, coastal meadows, woodland, reed beds and river mouths, with a flat coastline running about 35 km between the mouths of the Shkumbin and Seman rivers. The Karavasta lagoon is among the largest lagoons in the Mediterranean and is listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention; a broad strip of sand built from the two rivers' sediments separates it from the sea. The park has recorded 228 bird species and 25 kinds of mammal. Flocks of pink flamingos stand in the shallows, pelicans float on the lagoon, and the woods shelter red foxes, golden jackals and roe deer. Dense pine forest is mirrored in the calm water channels. Visitors walk in the shade of the pines and along the channels, climb the observation tower to watch birds over the lagoon, and some enjoy the long sandy beach. Spring and autumn are the best seasons for birdwatching, so bring binoculars.