Guide · The cave

Haxhi Ali Cave, the sea cave at the tip of Karaburun

Every speedboat that leaves the Vlorë seafront for the peninsula seems to make the same first call. Here is what Haxhi Ali Cave really is, what is measured and what is only told, and how long the boats stay.

Check availabilityfrom $69 · no cancellation fee

Editorial team, bluecavealbania.comUpdated October 25, 2026Read time: 7 min32 sources

The tour behind this guide Vlore: Haxhi Ali Cave, Karaburun Speedboat Tour & Snorkeling 4.9 (1,283 reviews) 4 hours from$28per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

The short version

01What it is: A karst cave cut into limestone at the waterline, protected as a Natural Monument.¹ ²
02Where: Near Cape Gjuhëz, at the northern tip of the peninsula, reached only by boat.³ ⁴
03How big: 30 m long and 18 m high for the park; one tourism page says about 60 m long.² ⁵
04Time inside: Boats from Vlorë stay 10 to 20 minutes at the cave.
05Swimming: No official order was found, but two listings, this page's boat among them, say swimming inside is not allowed.

A dome of limestone at the end of the peninsula

Haxhi Ali Cave sits where the Karaburun peninsula runs out into open water, near Cape Gjuhëz, at the waterline between that cape and Cape Gollovec.³ Albania's National Tourism Agency calls it the largest coastal cave in the country and says it can be reached only by boat from Vlorë, inside the Karaburun-Sazan Marine Park.⁴ There is no path down the cliffs and no beach in front of it, so the view you get is the one the sea allows: a tall opening in a pale wall, and dark water running in under the roof.

The park administration describes the inside as a dome, with fresh water flowing up from the bottom of the cave.⁶ It also calls it the Illyrian cave, an older name you may hear from a skipper.⁶ The national catalogue of protected monuments classes it as a karst cave in limestone, the kind of hollow that forms where rainwater and seawater slowly dissolve and break the rock.¹ The tourism agency adds that waves and marine erosion did the shaping.⁷

What you notice first from the boat is the scale of the mouth against the cliff, then the color of the water as the hull slides into shade. The agency singles out the acoustics and the colors that light makes in the water, and says it was declared a Natural Monument for its geomorphological values and coastal landscape.⁸ Voices carry, engines sound louder, and the green and blue under the boat change every time a cloud crosses the entrance.

A visit by speedboat

From the promenade to the cave and on to the beaches

In Vlorë

Meet the boat

The speedboat starts from its operator's meeting point in Vlorë.
30 minutes

Across the bay

A fast run west towards the tip of the peninsula.
20 minutes

At the cave

Photo stop, visit and a guided look under the roof.
20 minutes

Down the coast

On along the cliffs to the beaches of the peninsula.
4 hours

Beach time

Break, photos and swimming on the Karaburun shore.
30 minutes

Back to Vlorë

The return run across the bay.

How big is it? The sources do not agree

Ask for the size of the cave and you get several answers, all from official pages. The park administration gives 30 meters in length, 18 meters in height and 12 meters in width.² Its longer description adds a depth of 10 meters.⁶ The protected-areas catalogue says more than 30 meters long and 10 to 12 meters wide, with an entrance about 15 meters high and about the same inside.¹ ⁹ Each of those pages is official, and each is worth reading with the others beside it.

The tourism agency publishes different figures on different pages of its own. Its natural-monument page says about 30 meters long and places the cave about 18 meters above sea level.⁷ Its nature page says about 60 meters long.⁵ Nobody has explained the gap, and it may simply come from measuring different things: the open hall a boat can enter, or every recess that runs back into the rock. Until one of the agencies publishes a survey, all of them stand.

For a visitor the practical answer is simple. The opening is tall enough for small speedboats to nose in under the roof, and the hall is short enough that you see from one end to the other in a single look. We show every published figure in the table below with its source, and we do not pick one as the truth, because none of the agencies says which survey stands behind its number.

Official figures

The cave measured by each official source

Source	Length	Height	Width
Protected-areas catalogue	more than 30 m	about 15 m at the entrance	10 to 12 m
Park administration	30 m	18 m	12 m
Tourism agency, monument page	about 30 m	not given	not given
Tourism agency, nature page	about 60 m	not given	not given

Figures exactly as each page states them; none of the pages names the survey behind its number.¹ ⁹ ² ⁷ ⁵

Three ways in

Three speedboats that call at the cave

20 minutes inside

Cave and beach

Short run from Vlorë

Hours: 4
Beach time: 4 hours
Price: from $28

See this trip

Vlorë: Sazan Island, Haxhi Ali Cave, and Karaburun Boat Tour

15 minutes inside

Sazan, cave, beach

Half day from Vlorë

Hours: 5
On Sazan: 40 minutes
Price: from $33

See this trip

From Vlore: Blue Cave and Grama Bay Adventures

20 minutes inside

This site's tour

Full day to Grama Bay

Hours: 8
Grama Bay: 1.5 hours
Price: from $69

See this trip

Decision helper

Which cave trip fits your day?

Pick the line that sounds most like you

I mainly want the cave and a long swim I want to set foot on Sazan too I want the whole western shore I am traveling on a tight budget I get seasick easily

Cave and beach

20 minutes at the cave, then 4 hours on the peninsula.

Sazan, cave, beach

40 minutes on the island before the cave.

This site's tour

The cave first, then the coves down to Grama Bay over 8 hours.

Cave and beach

It starts from $28.

The shortest trip

This site's operator says its full day does not suit people prone to seasickness.

It is said that a prominent Ulqinan warrior and sailor named Haxhi Ali took refuge with his son in this cave.

Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Source 10

The history of Haxhi Ali Cave: a sailor, a son and a story

The history of Haxhi Ali Cave is mostly a story, and the official sources tell it as one. The monuments catalogue says only that the name is tied to a sailor called Haxhi Ali who used the cave as a shelter.¹¹ The park administration goes further: a warrior and sailor from Ulcinj took refuge here with his son and from here attacked pirates at sea.¹⁰ Nothing in those pages dates the story, so every version you hear rests on what people have passed down along this coast.

On another page the same park administration turns him into a pirate himself. Local tales, it says, have the cave used by a pirate named Haxhi Ali in the 17th century, as a shelter and a base for raids on ships, and say that he and his son died on Sazan, in graves nobody has found.¹² Its history page moves him to the 18th century.¹³ Hero or raider, the sources leave the choice to the teller.

Skippers on the boats tell their own versions, and you will hear the word pirate more often than warrior. Treat the details as the coast's folklore rather than a record. What the official texts do support is the cave's use by people: the national catalogue lists historical value next to its scientific, educational and tourist values.¹⁴ Under the roof, with the wake slapping the walls, it is easy to see why a sailor would have wanted it.

Map

Vlorë, Sazan and the western shore of Karaburun

Where the speedboats leave from, the cave at the tip of the peninsula, and the coves down to Grama Bay.

Map of the Bay of Vlorë with Sazan island, the Karaburun peninsula, Orikum and the coast south to Grama Bay — The Bay of Vlorë

Map of the coast from Dafina bay south past the canyons and coves to Grama Bay — Dafina to Grama

1
Vlorë promenade
The start of the promenade, where this site's tour meets its guide at the Olympia Tiki Bar.
In Google Maps ↗
2
Sazan Island
Albania's largest island, a closed military area for many years and now open to visitors as part of the marine park.¹⁵ ¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
3
Haxhi Ali Cave
A karst cave at the waterline near Cape Gjuhëz, protected as a Natural Monument and reached only by boat.³ ² ¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗
4
Orikum
A town with ancient ruins and a tourist marina at the inner end of the bay; some boats to the cave also leave from here.¹⁸ ¹⁹ ¹⁷
In Google Maps ↗
5
Dafina Bay
A bay on the western side of the peninsula; Dafina Cave nearby has a small beach and water in shades of green.²⁰ ²¹
In Google Maps ↗
6
Grama Bay
Cliffs with about 1,500 inscriptions, protected as a natural and a cultural monument and reached mainly from the sea.²² ²³ ²⁴
In Google Maps ↗
7
Gjiri i Brisanit
Brisan or Bristan Bay, also known as Bear Bay, one of the loneliest beaches of Karaburun.²⁵
In Google Maps ↗
8
Kanioni i Skafistave
A narrow inlet where this site's tour stops for 20 minutes to swim and snorkel.
In Google Maps ↗
9
Gjiri i Inglezit
Inglez Bay, reachable only by boat, with the Inglezit Cave nearby.²⁶ ²⁷
In Google Maps ↗
10
Gjiri i Llovizit
The bay where one listing pins the stop it calls 'Llovizi Cave - Blue Cave'.
In Google Maps ↗
11
Gjiri i Nezhajve
A cove where this site's tour stops for 1 hour.
In Google Maps ↗
12
Shpella Blu
The 15-minute cave stop after Grama Bay on this site's tour; two other listings put their 'Blue Cave, Albania' at the same map point.
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

For your stop at the cave

Before you board

Your voucher and the operator's meeting point
Sunscreen and a hat for the open crossing
A strap or pouch for your phone

Under the roof

A light layer: the shade feels cool
Ask the captain before any swim
Touch nothing on the walls

Price check

Cave trips for your group

Choose a speedboat and how many are going

Cave and beach4 hoursfrom $28 Sazan, cave, beach5 hoursfrom $33 Cave and Shën Vasil4 hoursfrom $47 This site's tour8 hoursfrom $69

People 2

Total from$55

per head from $28

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals multiply each boat's lowest GetYourGuide figure by the number in your party and convert it with the ECB reference rate of the day; checkout shows the binding sum.

Video

Haxhi Ali Cave and the Karaburun Peninsula by boat from Vlorë

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Swimming in Haxhi Ali Cave: what is allowed

Swimming in Haxhi Ali Cave is the question most people ask, and the honest answer is that we found no official order about the cave itself, neither a ban nor a permission. What the park administration does publish is its zoning. In its core zone, swimming, snorkeling, diving, boat trips and anchoring are all strictly prohibited.²⁸ In the traditional-use zone, swimming, snorkeling and kayaking are allowed without prior authorization.²⁹

The park's pages do not say in which zone the cave lies, so neither do we, and we would rather leave the question open than guess at a rule that could be enforced against you. The listings that sell the trip do not agree either. This site's tour lists snorkeling among the activities at the cave stop, and another speedboat lists swimming there. Others list only a visit, a guided tour and photos. Two listings go further and rule a swim out: the boat this page books says local authorities have banned swimming and snorkeling inside the cave, and a Sazan half day says swimming inside is not permitted.

In practice the captain decides on the day, after looking at the sea, the boats around him and whatever the authorities have told operators that season. If a swim is not offered, do not slip over the side on your own. The mouth of the cave faces open water, boats come and go under the roof, and the park itself lists stopping the degradation of rock formations in caves such as this one among the aims of its management plan.³⁰

How the boats get there from Vlorë

The catalogue describes the classic visit: by ship or small boat from the port of Vlorë across to Cape Gjuhëz.¹⁴ The park administration lists departures from Vlorë, Radhime and Orikum.¹⁷ From Vlorë, the speedboat listings give 25 to 40 minutes for the crossing. Expect a fast, sometimes bumpy run across the bay, with Sazan island off to the right as you approach the tip.

Most trips do not stop at the cave for long. The short half-day boats give it 10 or 15 minutes, as part of a day that also lands on Sazan and on a Karaburun beach. The speedboat this page recommends, sold as a 4-hour trip, gives it 20 minutes and then lists 4 hours at the peninsula's beaches. The longer days, including this site's own 8-hour tour, start their day here with 20 minutes before heading south.

The cave is the first stop on many of these listings, so the mouth can be busy with boats waiting their turn under the cliff. If you care about having it quieter, ask the operator which departure is the earliest and book that one, and arrive at the meeting point in good time so you are not the last one aboard with the worst seat. The tour this page sells is rated 4.89 from 1,283 reviews and starts from $28.

Getting the most from a short stop

Twenty minutes pass quickly at the cave, so know what you want before the boat arrives. Sit on the side that faces the cliff as you come in from the bay, keep your phone in a strap or a pouch, and look up once the bow is under the roof: the dome is the part people forget to photograph. If the light is behind you, the water inside glows; if it is in front, the best picture is the outline of the entrance from within.

Bring a light layer even in summer. Out of the sun and over deep water, the hall feels cooler than the deck, and the spray on the way across can soak a shirt. Nothing about the visit is strenuous, but the listings this page draws on are speedboats, and this site's operator says its own trip does not suit pregnant women, people with mobility impairments or anyone prone to seasickness.

Remember that the cave is a protected monument inside the country's only national marine park.⁸ ³¹ Do not climb the walls or chip at the rock for a souvenir. Leave the rock, the stalactites and anything living on the walls exactly as you find them, and take your rubbish back to Vlorë with you. The park's own monitoring already points to rising tourism pressure on the area, and a careful visit costs you nothing at all.³²

Book your seat

Spend a day on the Karaburun coast

The cave at the tip, the green and blue caves and Grama Bay, from the Vlorë promenade.

Check datesfrom $69 · no cancellation fee 5.0 · 1,047 verified reviews

You ask,we answer.

Where exactly is Haxhi Ali Cave?

Near Cape Gjuhëz. At the waterline between Cape Gjuhëz and Cape Gollovec, on the Karaburun peninsula across the bay from Vlorë.³

Can you walk to Haxhi Ali Cave?

No. Official sources say it is reached only by boat, from Vlorë, Radhime or Orikum.⁴ ¹⁷

How long is Haxhi Ali Cave?

30 m, or about 60 m. The park administration says 30 m; one tourism agency page says about 60 m, another about 30 m.² ⁵ ⁷

Can you swim inside the cave?

Probably not. We found no official order on the cave itself, but two listings, including the boat this page books, say swimming inside is not allowed; that one says local authorities banned it.

Who was Haxhi Ali?

A sailor, in the stories. The park calls him a warrior and sailor from Ulcinj who sheltered here with his son; local tales make him a pirate.¹⁰ ¹²

How long do boats stay at the cave?

10 to 20 minutes. The half-day boats stay 10 or 15 minutes; the 4-hour and 8-hour speedboats stay 20 minutes.

Is the cave protected?

Yes. It is a Natural Monument inside the Karaburun-Sazan Marine Park.⁸ ⁴

Sources

Where the information comes from

1
National Agency of Protected Areas (AKZM), archived copy of its Vlore monuments catalogueShpella e Haxhi Alisë
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2
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Caves
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3
National Agency of Protected Areas (AKZM), archived copy of its Vlore monuments catalogueShpella e Haxhi Alisë
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4
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Haxhi Ali's Cave - Official Tourism Website
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5
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Haxhi Ali's Cave - Official Tourism Website
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6
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Beaches and bays
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7
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Haxhi Ali's Cave, Karaburun - Official Tourism Website
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8
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Haxhi Ali's Cave, Karaburun - Official Tourism Website
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9
National Agency of Protected Areas (AKZM), archived copy of its Vlore monuments catalogueShpella e Haxhi Alisë
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10
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Beaches and bays
↩
11
National Agency of Protected Areas (AKZM), archived copy of its Vlore monuments catalogueShpella e Haxhi Alisë
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12
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Caves
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13
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)History and culture
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14
National Agency of Protected Areas (AKZM), archived copy of its Vlore monuments catalogueShpella e Haxhi Alisë
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15
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Sazan Island
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16
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Sazan Island
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17
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Caves
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18
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Orikum - Official Tourism Website
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19
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Orikum beach - Official Tourism Website
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20
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Caves
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21
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Caves
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22
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Beaches and bays
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23
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Beaches and bays
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24
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)History and culture
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25
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Beaches and bays
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26
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)Inglez Bay
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27
National Tourism Agency of Albania (AKT)English Bay - Official Tourism Website
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28
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Management of the Park
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29
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Management of the Park
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30
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Management of the Park
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31
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Who we are
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32
Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park administration (RAPA Vlore / National Agency of Protected Areas)Scientific monitoring
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