Rana e Hedhun

Rana e Hedhun, thrown sand, is a dune rising to around fifty metres behind a beach on the Adriatic coast south of Shengjin, formed where wind has piled sand against the wooded slope of the Rana hill, and it is the largest coastal dune in Albania and the only one of its scale on this shore. The beach in front is wide and sandy, backed by pine, with the Drin delta and the Kune-Vain lagoons a short distance south. The dune can be climbed for a view along the coast and inland over the wetlands. It is protected as part of the Kune-Vain-Tale reserve. Development at Shengjin has grown fast and the beach nearest the town is built up, but the dune end stays quieter.

What you actually see

• A fifty-metre coastal dune - the largest on the Albanian shore.
• Pine behind the beach - the planted wood holding the sand.
• The view from the dune top - the coast and the wetlands inland.
• The Kune-Vain lagoons - the reserve continuing south.

When to go

May to September for the beach; spring and autumn for the lagoons and birds. Half a day. Weekends bring visitors from Shengjin. The climb up the dune is hard work in soft sand.

Honest expectations

Development at Shengjin is heavy and encroaching. There is no shade on the dune and the climb is tiring. Litter along the beach is a problem in season. Facilities are at the Shengjin end, not at the dune.

Nearby

Shengjin is north; the Kune-Vain reserve and the Drin delta lie south.