Lengarica Canyon

The Lengarica cuts a narrow gorge through limestone before joining the Vjosa near Permet, with walls closing to a few metres and rising to around a hundred and fifty, and the whole thing can be walked and swum in low water or done as a guided canyoning trip. At the mouth of the canyon are the Benja thermal springs, a group of pools where hot mineral water emerges beside the river and is dammed into bathing pools, and the Katiu bridge, an Ottoman stone arch of the eighteenth century crossing the stream just above them. The combination of the gorge, the hot pools and the old bridge in one place is unusual, and it has made this the most visited spot around Permet.

What you actually see

• A gorge closing to a few metres - walls rising some hundred and fifty metres.
• Benja thermal pools - hot mineral water dammed beside the river.
• The Katiu Ottoman bridge - an eighteenth-century arch at the canyon mouth.
• Wading and swimming the narrows - the way through in low water.

When to go

May to September; the canyon needs low water and the pools are best in the cooler months at either end of the season. Half a day. Weekends bring crowds to the thermal pools.

Honest expectations

The thermal pools are crowded and often littered, and the water quality suffers when busy. The track in is rough. Going into the canyon needs a guide and equipment for anything beyond the first stretch. Flash flood risk after rain.

Nearby

Permet is north-west; the Vjosa river runs through the town.