Informations for volunteers

Applications

The application is available here.

Dates

Albanian Challenge 2016 will take place from 26 June to 13 August 2016. The project will be divided into seven weekly batches from Sunday to Saturday. More information about the programme of each batch are here.

26. 6 – 2. 7. 2016      1. batch
3. 7. – 9. 7. 2016        2. batch
10. 7. – 16. 7. 2016   3. batch
17. 7. – 23. 7. 2016   4. batch
24. 7. – 30. 7. 2016   5. batch
31. 7. – 6. 8. 2016     6. batch
7. 8. – 13. 8. 2016     7. batch

After the advance payment is not possible to change the chosen term.

Please note that the way to the Curraj i Epërm village is physically demanding. You have to go half a day through the mountains and carry all your belongings on your back.

Price

This price covers the costs of food, camp rental, mules, camping equipment etc. Price does not include transportation and insurance costs.

• Deposit:  55 € – must be paid by the end of April to the account IBAN: CZ1020100000002200918851, BIC/SWIFT: FIOBCZPPXXX. This deposit is non-refundable.

• Fee for stay: The total price is 95 €. If you have paid a deposit, supplement is 40 €. The price is the same regardless of the length of stay. The price includes meals, renting land in the village, renting mules which will be used for to supply the camp, and other common costs (medical equipment, kitchen equipment, tools etc.). The total cost (supplement) must be paid by the end of May.

• Insurance: You can arrange the insurance alone or you can indicate in the application that you wish to join the common insurance. Check carefully what does your insurance cover (eg. hiking outside the marked trails).

Living in the camp

Food

The price includes 5 meals a day, but no food on the way to Albania.

Sleeping

We will sleep in the camp (tents) in Curraj i Epërm. You can bring your own tent, or arrange it so that you will share one with other volunteers.

Hygiene

The camp will be equipped with dry toilets and solar showers. You can also wash yourself in the river. The river water for drinking will be filtered.

Health care

In the surroundings of the village, there is no hospital. We will have a well-equipped first aid kit and several medics (students of medicine) will go with us.

Transport

Every tourist or volunteer has a chance to use the transport organized by us. It will be provided from Brno, Czech Republic, and apart from cars or vans used for transport to Albania itself, it also includes a scenic ride on a ferry on Lake Koman, which ends in Markaj (where the marked tourist trail to the village begins). We can also pick you up in Bratislava (if you let us know in advance).

The price for transport (both ways included) is € 130.

The route takes 1,5 days. Departures will be organized on Fridays and Saturdays and returns will happen every Sunday / Monday, according to the chosen route. The route through Montenegro will end in Koman, where we will always spend one night in the camp by the dam. Next morning, the route takes 3 hours on the ferry and then, another 6 hours to Curraj i Epërm by foot. The alternative route goes through Kosovo, and while it is faster and more comfortable, it also means that you will not have the chance to take the scenic ferry ride on Lake Koman. It is also possible to combine these two possibilites, while going to Albania through Montenegro and then, back from Albania through Kosovo (for the Kosovo route, is is mandatory that you carry both your ID card and a passport with you – not having both mean, that the border police will not let you enter the country!!!).

Perhaps you would like to extend your stay in the Balkans by exploring the surroundings and other countries? If so, let us know – it is possible that some cars will be available during the project’s stay in Albania, so that you can borrow them for a certain period and travel around with a group of other people.

It is also possible (if inquired in advance) that we book a mule or two to carry your bags to Curraj i Epërm from Curraj i Poshtëm (the last place accessible by a car). The price is € 30 per one mule, it can carry 70 – 80 kg (approx. 4 bags).

Transportation by your own car:
If you intend to come to Albania using your own car, and if you are willing to accept other travellers to come with you, we will pay you all the expenses (fuel, highway fees and vignettes, parking, the green card in Kosovo, fees for the ferry), including your own, so you that you don’t pay nothing at all in the end. If you intend to do so, please let us know in the application 🙂