UNESCO
National Park
Butrint
Albania
AlbaniaOtter · Loggerhead Turtle
See parkEurope's longest undammed river; a recent landmark in river rewilding
Area
127 km²
Protection category
IUCN II
Parque nacional —
Designated in
2023
Declared in 2023, it is one of the youngest national parks in Europe: it protects the course of the Vjosa, reckoned the last great undammed river on the continent, with more than 270 km in a near-natural state from its source in Greece to its mouth on the Albanian Adriatic. The declaration, driven by a coalition of scientists, international NGOs (Patagonia among them) and the Albanian government, was immediately cited as the greatest recent milestone in river rewilding in Europe, and in 2025 the valley was further recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
4 dive sites within 300 km are also shown.
Ecosystems found in Albania, where Vjosa (Vjosa Valley) lies.
Where can I dive near here?
61 km away
84 km away
272 km away
Which other parks are like this one?
Same country: Albania
Same country: Albania
Same country: Albania
Same country: Albania
Based on what we already know about this park.
Share your experience visiting Vjosa (Vjosa Valley), or a tip for other travellers.
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Region
Southern Europe and the Balkans
Climate
Temperate, Mediterranean, Mountain
Threatened:
280 km away
