A finger of land jutting into the Adriatic Sea, Albania’s Karaburun Peninsula is nothing if not rocky.

For as long as Albanians can remember, it has been used as a winter pasture for goats and sheep; its breathtaking bays, mainly on the western side, are better known as hideouts for cannabis smugglers than major tourist attractions, their beaches accessible only by boat or a long, steep hike.

They carry the kind of names that only enhance their sense of mystery – one is called Gramata, or Bay of the Scripts, another is known as Bay of Ragusa, a town in Sicily and the name by which Croatia’s Adriatic coastal town of Dubrovnik was known when it was a city-state.

Others are grouped together under the name Ravena Plateau, Ravena being the name of another Italian town.

A few dirt roads carved out by the Albanian army run along the eastern side of the peninsula, but they are off limits to civilians due to the proximity of a naval base at the southern end of the Bay of Vlora.

A small beach on Karaburun’s eastern side in the calm waters of the Bay of Vlora. Photo: BIRN

A small beach on Karaburun’s eastern side in the calm waters of the Bay of Vlora. Photo: BIRN

The only real way to sample the pristine beaches of Karaburun is by speedboat, something BIRN did last year to bring back the following photos.

A first trip set off from Vlora harbour at a cost of 2,500 leks per person (about 20 euros), taking in the cavernous Haxhi Ali Cave and one of the few beaches on the eastern side of the peninsula where a small restaurant served grilled meat and fish, salad, local white sheep’s cheese and French fries.

At the end of the peninsula some 15 kilometres from Vlora town, the Haxhi Ali Cave is so big that it can host a small ship or several speedboats at the same time. It can take up to 30 minutes to get there, depending on how fast the captain is prepared to go.

Inside Haxhi Aliu Cave in Karaburun Peninsula. Photo: BIRN

Inside Haxhi Aliu Cave in Karaburun Peninsula. Photo: BIRN

Haxhi Aliu Cave on the Karaburun Peninsula. Photo: BIRN

The location is steeped in pirate myth and legend and more recent tales of traffickers in drugs and people who used it to shelter from bad weather and police.

There are several organised speedboat trips there per day; visitors can swim in the cave’s highly saline waters as light dances on the ceiling.

The second trip took us from the village of Dhermi, on the other side of the peninsula from Vlora, to the Blue Cave and then Gramata Bay, the jewel of the Albanian coast.

Boats to Gramata Bay are less frequent and more expensive; in contrast to the calm waters of the Bay of Vlora, the Ionian Sea and the Strait of Otranto are often rough. The trip can cost roughly 150 euros for up to six or seven people.

The only other way is by foot, but it can take six hours and you need a good supply of drinking water.

Gramata Bay seen from a boat. In ancient times it was used as a quarry. Photo: BIRN

Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

A large development at the foot of the Llogara Pass is seen from a boat en route to Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

A cave known by locals as The Blue Cave. Though much smaller than Haxhi Aliu Cave, it is still big enough for a boat to enter. Photo: BIRN

Inside the Blue Cave. Photo: BIRN

A starfish in Gramata Bay. Far from any inhabited areas, the bay is known for its rich fauna and as a hiding place for cannabis smugglers. Photo: BIRN

Gramata Bay provides the only area of shelter from rough seas in an otherwise unbroken stretch of steep cliff, taking its name from the thousands of inscriptions and symbols carved into its rocks by sailors giving thanks to their gods.

Scholars have identified a number of different languages on the rocks, including ancient and medieval Greek as well as Latin. Scholars in the early 20th Century claimed to have attributed some carvings to the Etruscan civilisation of ancient Italy.

Some have faded over time or been stolen, while others have been vandalised by more recent visitors, including Albanian army recruits who served there when Albania was a communist state.

Besides words, the rocks bear heraldic designs too, taking today’s travellers back in time. They bear witness to a fact now often overlooked – that travel by sea can be treacherous.

The remains of ancient inscriptions at Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

A more recent addition to the inscriptions at Gramata Bay, a person named Arben Domi added the name of the town Shijak. Photo: BIRN

An inscription believed to be in medieval Greek in Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

An image of a ship engraved in Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

Recent engravings in Italian and Albanian. Those in Albanian are most probably the names of army recruits from the 1980s. Photo: BIRN

The names of Albanian soldiers carved into rock. Photo: BIRN

Greek script in Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

Greek script dated 1930 in Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

Most likely the name and the place of birth of an Albanian recruit who served in the area from 1980 to 1982. Photo: BIRN

Unidentified heraldic symbol in Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

Heraldic symbol and illegible writing in Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

Above, Albanian writings from the 1980s; below, other writings from 1935. Photo: BIRN

Illegible writing in Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

A note from 1900 in Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN

Notes in Gramata Bay. Photo: BIRN