Narta Lagoon

The Narta lagoon lies north of Vlora, about forty square kilometres of shallow brackish water behind a sand bar, with salt pans at its northern end that have been worked since antiquity and still produce, and a fringe of saltmarsh, reed and tamarisk. It is a major bird site: greater flamingo in numbers through the winter, Dalmatian and white pelican, avocets, terns, waders on passage and large wintering flocks of duck, and it is one of the more accessible wetlands in the country. On an island in the lagoon stands the monastery of Zvernec, a thirteenth-century Byzantine church reached by a long wooden footbridge through the water, set among cypress and pine, which is the other reason people come.

What you actually see

• Zvernec monastery - a Byzantine church on an island reached by a footbridge.
• Working salt pans - salt still produced at the northern end.
• Wintering flamingoes - flocks on the shallow water from autumn.
• The wooden causeway - the long bridge out through the lagoon.

When to go

September to April for the birds, which is when the lagoon is at its best; the monastery works year round. Half a day. Dawn and dusk for birds. Summer is hot and the birds are fewer.

Honest expectations

There are no hides and viewing is from the shore and the causeway, which needs a telescope. Access tracks are rough. Litter around the lagoon edge is a problem. The monastery is small and the visit is short. Mosquitoes in summer.

Nearby

Vlora is south; Apollonia lies north-east.