Guide · Choosing a boat

Haxhi Ali Cave boat tour: which speedboat from Vlorë?

The Vlorë seafront sells dozens of boat days to the same cave. They split into a few clear types, and the real differences are hours on the water, minutes at each stop and how far south the boat goes.

Check availabilityfrom $69 · no cancellation fee

Editorial team, bluecavealbania.comUpdated October 25, 2026Read time: 7 min1 sources

The tour behind this guide Vlorë speedboat day to Haxhi Ali Cave and Grama Bay 5.0 (1,047 reviews) 8 hoursFrom the Vlorë promenadeSnorkeling mask included from$69per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer

01Short and cheap: A 4-hour speedboat: 20 minutes at the cave, then 4 hours on a beach.
02With Sazan: 5-hour boats land on Sazan before the cave and a beach.
03Whole coast: 7 to 8-hour days run south past the canyons to Grama Bay.
04From Tirana: One day trip adds 2 hours by car each way.
05Price range: From $28 for the short run to $80 for a long day.

Three kinds of day on the same stretch of sea

Almost every boat that leaves the Vlorë seafront for the Karaburun peninsula makes Haxhi Ali Cave one of its stops, so the cave is not what separates them. What does is the shape of the day. The short runs cross the bay, look into the cave and then park you on a beach for hours. The half days add Sazan island. The full days skip Sazan and work their way down the western shore, cove by cove, as far as Grama Bay.

The speedboat that leads the short group is sold as a 4-hour trip, though its itinerary gives the cave 20 minutes and the peninsula's beaches 4 hours before the 30-minute run home. The most-reviewed half day lands on Sazan for 40 minutes, gives the cave 15 and the Karaburun beach 2.5 hours. This site's own full day gives the cave 20 minutes and then calls at a string of coves and caves on the way to Grama Bay and back.

None of these formats is better in itself. A family with small children may prefer the long beach stop and the short time on board. A traveler who wants to see the coast rather than one beach will feel the short day ends too soon. And anyone who has already seen Sazan from the promenade may want to know what the island holds before deciding to give it 40 minutes of the day.

A full day, stop by stop

This site's tour from the cave to Sant Andreas Bay

40 minutes

To the cave

The crossing to Haxhi Ali Cave, then 20 minutes there.
1 hour

Dafina Bay

Free time, a walk and snorkeling, with Dafina Cave.
20 minutes each

Canyon and coves

Brisan, the Skafistave canyon and Inglez Bay.
1 hour

Nezhajve

A long swim stop in the next cove.
1.5 hours

Grama Bay

The longest stop of the day.
15 and 30 minutes

Shpella Blu, Sant Andreas

A cave stop, a last bay, then back to Vlorë.

Half days with Sazan island

The listings with the longest review lists on the Vlorë seafront are the 5-hour boats that combine Sazan, the cave and a beach. The leader is rated 4.82 from 3,187 reviews and starts from $33. A second boat with the same route title is rated 4.86 from 1,590 reviews, from $32. Both cross for about 40 minutes, land on Sazan, then visit the cave on the way to a Karaburun beach.

The details differ more than the titles do. The first gives Sazan 40 minutes, the cave 15 and the beach 2.5 hours; the second gives Sazan 45 minutes, the cave 10 and the beach 2 hours. Neither listing names which beach it uses, and neither lists swimming at the cave stop; the first lists a photo stop, a visit and a guided tour there.

A newer boat on the same route is rated 4.98, though from only 104 reviews, and starts from $29. On all of them, Sazan is the reason to choose this format: the island was a closed military zone for decades and is now open to visitors as part of the marine park.¹ If that history does not interest you, a short run without the island leaves more time in the water.

Side by side

Eight Vlorë speedboats and the time they give each stop

Boat	Hours	At the cave	Longest stop	From
This site's tour	8	20 min	Grama Bay, 1.5 hours	$69
Blue Cave & Grama	7	10 min	Grama Bay, 2.33 hours	$80
Grama Bay & caves	8	20 min	Grama Bay, 2 hours	$71
Sazan, cave, beach	5	15 min	Beach, 2.5 hours	$33
Sazan half day, second boat	5	10 min	Beach, 2 hours	$32
Cave & beach	4	20 min	Beach, 4 hours	$28
Cave & Shën Vasil	4	20 min	Shën Vasil, 1.5 hours	$47
From Tirana	10	10 min	Beach, 2.5 hours	$75

Hours and stop minutes as each listing's itinerary states them; prices are from-prices and change.

Three formats

Short run, half day or the whole coast

Vlore: Haxhi Ali Cave, Karaburun Speedboat Tour & Snorkeling

Lowest price

Cave & beach

Short run from Vlorë

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

See this boat

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

Most reviewed

Sazan, cave, beach

Half day from Vlorë

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

See this boat

From Vlore: Blue Cave and Grama Bay Adventures

Most stops

This site's tour

Full day to Grama Bay

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

See this boat

Decision helper

Which Vlorë boat is yours?

Find the line that matches your plans

I only have half a day I want to walk on Sazan I want to see as many coves as possible I want fewer, longer swims I am staying in Tirana

Cave & beach

Sold as 4 hours, the shortest format here.

Sazan, cave, beach

40 minutes on the island.

This site's tour

The cave, Dafina, the canyon, the coves and Grama Bay in 8 hours.

Blue Cave & Grama

45 minutes at its blue cave and 2.33 hours at Grama.

The Tirana day trip

Its car takes 2 hours each way.

Short runs to the cave and a beach

The cheapest way to see the cave from Vlorë is the 4-hour speedboat that goes there and to a beach and nothing else. It starts from $28 and is rated 4.89 from 1,283 reviews. It takes 30 minutes across, 20 at the cave and 20 more to the peninsula, where it stops for 4 hours of break time, photos and swimming.

A second short speedboat goes to the cave and then splits the beach time between the bays of Shën Vasil and Shën Koli, with a 10-minute walk between them. It is rated 4.87 from 916 reviews, starts from $47, offers private or small groups and lists pickup as available. It is also one of the listings that names swimming among the activities at the cave stop.

These short runs suit a hot afternoon, a day with small children or a first look at the coast before a longer trip. What you give up is the western shore south of the cave: the canyons, the small coves and Grama Bay are not on their itineraries, and the half days do not reach them either. For those, you need a full day.

Checklist

Before you book a seat

Compare

Total hours and minutes per stop
Guide languages and private options
The cancellation window

Ask

Whether a swim is planned at the caves
Where exactly the boat leaves from
Whether you need cash on board

Price check

What your group pays from Vlorë

Pick a boat and how many are going

Cave & beach4 hoursfrom $28 Sazan, cave, beach5 hoursfrom $33 This site's tour8 hoursfrom $69 Blue Cave & Grama7 hoursfrom $80

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

A budget boat tour from Vlorë to the Karaburun coast

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Full days to Grama Bay

The long speedboat days are the ones sold under names like Blue Cave, Blue Gem Cave or Grama Bay. This site's tour is one of them: 8 hours, rated 4.95 from 1,047 reviews, from $69. It calls at Haxhi Ali Cave, Dafina bay and cave, a canyon and a run of coves, then spends 1.5 hours at Grama Bay and 15 minutes at a cave it lists as Shpella Blu, before a last 30-minute stop at Sant Andreas Bay.

Its closest rival is a 7-hour speedboat rated 4.85 from 469 reviews, from $80. It makes fewer stops but longer ones: 45 minutes at the stop it calls Blue Cave, Albania, and 2.33 hours at Grama Bay, then an 80-minute run home. Another 8-hour day lists 1 hour at Llovizi bay and 2 hours at Grama Bay.

Two things set these days apart from each other. One is how the hours are split between many short stops and a few long ones. The other is which caves they count: each listing names its own set, and the same cave can carry different names on different boats. Read the itinerary, not the title, and compare the minutes. Our page on where the caves are explains the names.

Tickets for Haxhi Ali Cave and what a seat includes

There are no tickets for Haxhi Ali Cave as such; we found no official ticket office or entry fee for the cave. What you buy is a seat on a boat, and the price depends on the length of the day. The short run on this page starts from $28, the half days with Sazan from $32, and the long Grama Bay days from $67.

This site's full day lists all fees and taxes, a snorkeling mask, drinks, snacks and a tour guide as included, and food as not included. Its operator asks guests to bring cash, sunglasses, a sun hat, a towel, sunscreen and beachwear. Other listings state their own inclusions, so compare them on the booking page rather than assuming they match.

Every boat compared here offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before and lets you reserve now and pay later. Several state a minimum number of guests or say they may cancel for bad sea; this site's operator needs at least 6 on board. Some listings also carry a full-refund promise for trips the operator calls off.

Small boats, private boats and big groups

Speedboats are small, and that shapes the day as much as the route does. You sit close to the water, you feel every wave, and you can slip into a cave mouth that a larger boat would pass by. Several listings offer a private group as an option: this site's tour, the 4-hour cave and beach run and the speedboat to Shën Vasil all list one.

A private boat makes most sense for families or friends traveling together who want to set their own pace at the stops. Check on the booking page what the private option changes, including whether its price is for the boat or for each guest, and whether the itinerary stays the same. If you are traveling alone or as a couple, a shared boat is the simple choice.

Whatever the format, the crew sets the rhythm. They choose where to anchor, when the swim starts and when the boat moves on, and they adapt the order of stops to the sea. The reviews on this site's tour single out the captains and guides by name, which says something about how much they shape the experience.

How to choose quickly

Start with your hours. If you have a morning or an afternoon, take a short run or a half day; if you have a whole day and a strong stomach for speed, take a Grama Bay day. Then decide whether Sazan matters to you. Then compare the minutes the itinerary gives the stops you care about, and only then the price and the reviews.

Look at the guide languages too. This site's operator lists Albanian, Italian, English, Spanish and French, while most of the short runs list Albanian, English and Italian. If you are traveling as a family or a group of friends, check which boats offer a private group; this site's tour and the 4-hour run both do.

Finally, think about the sea. A fast boat on open water is exciting on a calm day and tiring on a rough one. This site's operator warns that its full day does not suit people prone to seasickness. If that is you, choose the shortest crossing, sit near the back where the boat moves least, and keep your eyes on the horizon.

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