Grama Bay

Grama Bay lies on the seaward side of the Karaburun peninsula, reachable only by boat or by a long hard walk, and it was a quarry and a sheltering anchorage in antiquity: ships waiting out weather here cut inscriptions into the limestone walls above the shore, and several hundred survive, in Greek and Latin, ranging from the third century BC into the Byzantine and later periods, with names, prayers, dates and ship marks. The quarry faces the stone was taken from are visible too. The bay itself is white pebble with very clear water and no development whatsoever. Boat trips run from Vlora and the Riviera in summer, usually combined with the Karaburun caves and Sazan island.

Highlights

• Ancient sailors' inscriptions - several hundred cut into the limestone.
• Quarry faces - the stone worked out of the bay walls.
• White pebble and clear water - a bay with no development at all.
• Boat-only access - no road to the bay from any direction.

When to go

June to September, when the boat trips run; sea conditions determine everything and trips cancel in wind. A day. Mornings are calmest for the crossing. It is combined with Sazan and the caves on most itineraries.

Before you go

Access is boat only and trips cancel frequently for weather. There are no facilities of any kind: no water, no shade, no shelter. Inscriptions are weathered and need pointing out. Time ashore is set by the boat.

Nearby

Sazan Island is north; the Karaburun caves lie along the same coast.

Key facts