The Vjosa runs 270 km from the Pindus mountains in Greece to the Adriatic near Vlorë, and it is one of the last large rivers in Europe that flows freely, without dams, along its whole length. Two designations now apply to the stretch we raft near Përmet. They are often mixed up, so here is what each one is, and what neither of them is.

Vjosa Wild River National Park (March 2023)

In March 2023 Albania declared the Vjosa and its free-flowing tributaries a national park: Vjosa Wild River National Park, the first national park in Europe created to protect a wild river. It is the legal conservation framework for the river — the protected-area status under Albanian law, with a park administration and rules for what may be built and done along the water. Our 9 km rafting section from Kaludh to Përmet lies inside the park.

UNESCO-designated Vjosa Valley Biosphere Reserve (September 2025)

On 27 September 2025 UNESCO designated the Vjosa Valley a Biosphere Reserve under its Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. A biosphere reserve is international recognition of a landscape where conservation, local communities and sustainable development are meant to work together; it is not a national park and not a World Heritage Site. The Vjosa Valley joined UNESCO’s world network of biosphere reserves that day.

Official sources: the UNESCO announcement of the 2025 designations and the UNESCO profile of the Vjosa Valley reserve.

What that means, and what it does not

Both designations recognise the valley, its river and its biodiversity. Neither is an award, certificate or endorsement of any company — not ours, not anyone’s. If you read “UNESCO-certified rafting”, it is wrong.
The national park is Albanian law; the biosphere reserve is UNESCO recognition. They overlap on the Vjosa but they are separate things with separate names.
Gjirokastër, 60 km away, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (the Ottoman old town). That is a third, unrelated designation.
For a visitor, the practical effect is that the river you raft is protected by law, with a park administration you can ask about rules and access.

Rafting inside the park

Our trip has run on the same section since 2012, eleven years before the park existed. Departures at 10:00, 13:30 and 15:30 from the centre in Përmet, March to November; 9 km of Class II–III water, a guide in every raft, €25 per person. The rafting tour · The kayak option.

Questions

Is the Vjosa a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

No. The Vjosa Valley is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (designated 27 September 2025). World Heritage is a different UNESCO list; in this region it is Gjirokastër and Berat that are on it.

Is Vjosa Wild River National Park the same as the biosphere reserve?

No. The park (March 2023) is Albania’s protected-area status for the river; the biosphere reserve (September 2025) is UNESCO’s recognition of the wider valley. Our rafting section is inside the park and within the valley the reserve covers.

Why is the Vjosa called a wild river?

Because it flows without dams along its entire length in Albania, with gravel banks, braided channels and side arms that still move every year. That is rare in Europe and it is the reason for both designations.

Does the designation change the rafting trip?

Not the river or the route. It means the section is protected, and we run the trip within the park’s rules.