Sazan Island

Sazan is the largest island in Albania, about five and a half square kilometres at the mouth of Vlora bay, and it was a closed military zone for most of the twentieth century, used as a naval base and fortified with bunkers, tunnels and gun positions, with a garrison town that once housed several thousand people and was evacuated in the 1990s. It opened to controlled visits in 2015. What visitors see is the abandoned base: empty apartment blocks, a school, a cinema, workshops, tunnels driven into the rock, and bunkers on the ridges, with the vegetation taking it back. The island also carries good maquis and is important for birds. Access is only with licensed operators and parts remain restricted.

What you actually see

• The abandoned garrison town - empty blocks, school and cinema.
• Rock-cut tunnels and bunkers - the fortification of the ridges.
• Vegetation reclaiming the base - maquis growing through the buildings.
• The bay mouth position - the island commanding the entrance to Vlora.

When to go

June to September, when trips run; sea conditions cancel them regularly. A day, usually combined with Karaburun. Trips are with licensed operators only and must be booked.

Honest expectations

Access is restricted and only with authorised operators; independent landing is not permitted. Parts of the island remain off limits. Buildings are derelict and unsafe, and wandering off the guided route is not allowed. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Karaburun peninsula is south-east; Vlora lies across the bay.