Haxhi Ali Cave, Karaburun

October 25, 2026 By Travel
The tall sea-level mouth of Haxhi Ali Cave in the limestone cliffs of Karaburun

A sea cave big enough to sail into, named after a warrior who is said to have hidden here.

Haxhi Ali Cave is a sea cave near Cape Gjuhëz on the Karaburun Peninsula, the largest sea cave of the Albanian coast: an entrance about 45 metres high and a hall about 60 metres long, some 100 metres in all. Small flat-bottomed boats can slip inside on calm days. It is a protected Natural Monument, reached only by sea on boat trips from Vlorë and Orikum.

Who was Haxhi Ali?

The boat rounds the last cliff near Cape Gjuhëz, and the rock suddenly opens: a dark mouth in the limestone, with the sea running straight in. This is Haxhi Ali Cave, the largest sea cave of the Albanian coast. Its entrance rises about 45 metres above the sea, and an underwater sill only 0.8 metres deep lets in small flat-bottomed boats on calm days. Inside, a domed hall about 60 metres long and up to 40 metres wide holds a pool up to 10.9 metres deep; with the entrance corridor, the known cave runs about 100 metres into the cliff. Inside, the light changes and the water turns a deeper blue.

The cave takes its name from Haxhi Ali, remembered as a sailor and warrior from Ulcinj who is said to have taken refuge here with his son. It is also called Shpella e Ilirëve, the Cave of the Illyrians, and finds linked to ancient trade suggest that sailors sheltered here long before the excursion boats came. Today it is a protected Natural Monument within the Karaburun–Sazan Marine Park.

And it is only one door into a hidden world. The caves and sea canyons of Karaburun are among the last refuges in the region of the Mediterranean monk seal, one of the rarest marine mammals on Earth. Sightings are rare, but the same cliffs that make this coast so hard to reach are what keep it wild.

The cave can only be reached by sea, on boat trips that leave from Vlorë and from the marina at Orikum.

What you’ll see

  1. The rock opens

    The boat rounds the last cliff near Cape Gjuhëz, and a dark mouth opens in the limestone, with the sea running straight in.

  2. Turquoise water inside Dafina Cave, a sea cave on the Karaburun Peninsula

    Another sea cave of Karaburun

    The photo shows Dafina Cave, with turquoise water inside.

  3. Inside the cave

    On calm days small boats slip inside. The light changes and the water turns a deeper blue.

  4. Monk seal country

    The caves and sea canyons of Karaburun are among the last refuges of the Mediterranean monk seal. Sightings are rare.

Haxhi Ali Cave in numbers

  • 100 metres

    Known length of the cave into the cliff

  • 45 metres

    Height of the entrance above the sea

  • 0.8 metres

    Depth of the underwater sill at the entrance

  • 17 caves

    Recorded as possible monk seal shelters on this coast

Where it is

On the Karaburun Peninsula, near Cape Gjuhëz, within the Karaburun–Sazan Marine Park.

What to bring

  • Swimwear: boat trips run on calm summer days
  • Towel: for drying off after a swim
  • Sun cream: for a half or full day on the boat
  • Non-slip shoes: for stepping on and off the boat
  • Waterproof phone pouch: small boats slip inside the cave
  • Binoculars: monk seals are rare, but the cliffs reward a look
  • Camera: the light changes and the water deepens inside

Is it worth it?

Yes, if…

you want to see a sea cave from a boat: on calm days small boats slip inside, where the light changes and the water turns a deeper blue.

Maybe not, if…

you want to arrive by road: the cave can only be reached by sea, as part of a Karaburun boat trip.

Go on a calm summer day, June to September, and check current boat trip prices before you go.

Combine it with

Continue exploring

More places and ideas for your days around Vlorë:

Frequently asked questions about Haxhi Ali Cave


How big is Haxhi Ali Cave?

It is the largest sea cave of the Albanian coast: the entrance is about 45 metres high, the domed hall about 60 metres long and up to 40 metres wide, and the known cave about 100 metres long. Small flat-bottomed boats slip inside on calm days. Inside, the light changes and the water turns a deeper blue. Today it is a protected Natural Monument within the Karaburun–Sazan Marine Park.


How do you get to Haxhi Ali Cave?

Only by sea. Boat trips leave from Vlorë and from the marina at Orikum, 20 km south of Valza, and the cave is visited as part of a Karaburun boat trip of half or full day. Check current boat trip prices before you go.


Who was Haxhi Ali?

Haxhi Ali is remembered as a sailor and warrior from Ulcinj who is said to have taken refuge here with his son. The cave is also called Shpella e Ilirëve, the Cave of the Illyrians, and finds linked to ancient trade suggest sailors sheltered here long ago.


Can you see monk seals at Haxhi Ali Cave?

Sightings are rare. The caves and sea canyons of Karaburun are among the last refuges of the Mediterranean monk seal, one of the rarest marine mammals on Earth, and the same cliffs that make this coast so hard to reach are what keep it wild.


Sources

  1. G. Belmonte, A. Costantini, S. Moscatello, F. Denitto and B. Shkurtaj, “Le grotte sommerse della penisola del Karaburun (Albania): primi dati”, Thalassia Salentina 29 suppl. (2006), 15–28, doi:10.1285/i15910725v29supp15 — the measured size of the cave: entrance, sill, hall, pool and known length.
  2. National Tourism Agency of Albania, Haxhi Ali’s Cave, Karaburun — formation by wave erosion of the limestone and Natural Monument status.
  3. L. Kashta et al., “The first MPA in Albania, Sazani Island – Karaburuni Peninsula”, Varstvo Narave 25 suppl. 1 (2011), on dLib — the sea caves of Karaburun as habitat of the Mediterranean monk seal and the marine park.

Dafina Cave, another sea cave of Karaburun. Photo: Fation Plaku, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Photo: Pasztilla aka Attila Terbócs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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