Why this ride
Sustained elevation change, linked bends and open summit views. It also links naturally to Historic Centres of Gjirokaster and Butrint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Muzine Pass
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 53 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 03
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Verify surface, fuel and current construction before publication. Specific flag: traffic.
Seasonal context
Apr-Oct
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër is called the city of stone, and it earns the name. The old town climbs steeply up the flank of the Mali i Gjerë mountain, a mass of tall grey houses with slate roofs, cobbled lanes and fortified towers, and above it all stands a huge fortress that dominates the Drino valley. The whole place is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It was the birthplace of the dictator Enver Hoxha and of the writer Ismail Kadare, and Kadare's novel Chronicle in Stone describes growing up here during the war, in a city of rooftops, cisterns and rumours.
Read the complete Gjirokastër write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gjirokastër sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Sarandë.
2. Sarandë
Sarandë sits at the bottom of Albania's long coast, in a curving bay facing the Greek island of Corfu, which on a clear evening looks close enough to swim to. It is a town of about fifteen thousand, built in tiers up a steep hillside, with a promenade running the length of the waterfront and a view that makes the end of the SH8 feel like a reward. The road you have just finished, the coastal highway from Vlorë over the Llogara Pass, is among the most dramatic in the Balkans.
Read the complete Sarandë write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Sarandë comes up 53 km in.