Osum Canyon
Kanionet e Osumit
Interesting facts
- In its deepest sections the limestone walls of the canyon rise about 70 to 80 metres above the river.
- The cliffs are almost pillar-like and vertical, yet their limestone is laid down in clearly visible horizontal beds.
- The gorge has been protected as a Natural Monument since 2002 for its geomorphological, scientific and aesthetic value.
- Vrima e Nuses, the Bride's Hole, is a small karst cave about 8 metres long, tied to a legend of a bride fleeing a forced marriage.
- According to legend, marks in the rock near the village of Dhores are hoofprints left by the horse of the saint Abaz Ali on his way to Mount Tomorr.
- Mulliri i Babait, the Father's Mill, near the village of Hambull, lies beside a rock channel about 150 metres long and up to 5 metres deep.
- The rapids through the canyon are rated Class II, gentle enough that rafting needs no previous white-water experience.
Why it is worth it
The Osum Canyon cuts a winding, narrow trench through the limestone of southern Albania, with walls that close in to just 1.5 metres apart at river level in places and nowhere open much wider than 35 metres. Over some 26 km the river Osum has carved six especially narrow sections, between which the cliffs are pocked with caves and hollows and, in spring, streaked by waterfalls that pour over the rim into the gorge.
The canyon is thought to have formed over two to three million years through water erosion, possibly as an underground river whose roof later fell in. The process left walls riddled with small caves and passages, and certain rock shapes have earned their own names, among them the Cathedral, the Eye and the Demon's Door. Mediterranean vegetation clings to the ledges, and the shaded gorge supports a varied plant and animal life. The canyon has a body of local legend too, with stories attached to places such as Mulliri i Babait and Vrima e Nuses. The water level changes greatly through the year: in spring the river runs high enough for rafting through easy rapids, while in summer it falls too low to be navigated.
The gorge lies near the small town of Çorovodë, in the mountainous Skrapar area, at an altitude of about 450 metres. Downstream, the same river Osum flows on to Berat, known as the city of one window above another for the large windows of its Ottoman houses rising in tiers up the slope; since 2005 its historic centre has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with that of Gjirokastër.
Getting there
The canyon lies beside Çorovodë in Berat County, about 37 km from the city of Berat. The nearest airport in a straight line is Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport (OHD) in North Macedonia, about 89 km away across the border; within Albania, Tirana International Airport (TIA) lies about 114 km away.
On these lists
From the encyclopaedia
The Osum Gorge is a river gorge in southern Albania, near the town of Çorovodë. The river Osum, which passes through the town of Berat, flows through the canyon.
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