The Ksamil Islands

Reaching the islands

From Ksamil's central beaches, pedal boats and kayaks rent by the hour and reach the nearest islets in ten leisurely minutes; small motorboats and water taxis do the run even faster and can drop you on the farther pair. The classic move is to land on the twin islets and walk the sandbar between them with water at your ankles on both sides. Confident swimmers can simply swim it — the channel is short and usually calm in the morning — but watch for boat traffic in high season.

For a more complete day, join or charter a boat from Ksamil or Saranda that pairs the islands with the Blue Eye spring or the Butrint lagoon's mussel beds — the corridor's best combination of swim, lunch and archaeology.

Stay · Villas

Villa *Levanda*

A short list above the coast, on request through our concierge.

View villas in Ksamil

Timing is everything in Ksamil

Ksamil in August is a phenomenon: beloved, brilliant and very full. The islands, however, reward early risers absurdly well — at 08:00 you can have a white sandbar in transparent water essentially to yourself. June and September offer the same palette with room to breathe. Pair a morning on the islands with lunch on the beach and a late-afternoon visit to Butrint, fifteen minutes south, and you have the single best day in southern Albania.