THE DESIGN REVIEWER
IT'S WORTH A SECOND LOOK
A MORNING FERRY RIDE on LAKE KOMAN
Lake Koman is actually a reservoir created by damming the Drin River. The journey between Shkodra and the Lake Koman ferry pick-up point would be by Furgon. Furgons is a local term for private car hires where the driver who would pick up enough passengers to fill the entire car. The ride to the ferry point was understandably rushed, as the driver needs to reach the destination before the ferries leave for the day, whilst picking and dropping passengers, with a short coffee and toilet interlude. I was picked up from my accommodation at 0645hrs, and by 0900hrs, I was dropped off at the ferry pick up point. There are two ferries: a larger one called Berisha that can carry vehicles, and a smaller one called Dragobia for only passengers. Naturally, I took the smaller ferry, which was more the size of a large boat, rather than a ferry, as it was cheaper. The smaller ferry also taken by more locals as it was able to make stops as per required by locals at various stops along the lake.
Apart from the smokers on board, the boat ride was largely enjoyable passing by various mountains like it would do for in a fjord. Dragobia reached Fierze only at 1230hrs, a little later than Berisha due to the additional stops taken. However, as the 21-seater transfer to Valbona is yet to be full, passengers who were on Berisha had to wait for passengers on the Dragobia to board. There is a café at the ferry drop-off point in Fierze, but good only for those with vehicles. I had sandwiches on board the Dragobia.

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Lake Koman on a shoestring, how much did I spend?
- 500leke – Furgon to Lake Koman Ferry Point (Pay 5€ if you have no leke)
- 500leke – Ride on the Dragobia (Pay 5€ if you have no leke)
- 500leke – 21-seater transfer to Valbona (Pay 5€ if you have no leke)
- Look up the Shkodra; Valbona; and Theth pages for local expenditures.
What should I have done?
- Nothing different. There were smokers on the Berisha as well. The reservoir was very calm so the stability of the vessels were not much different due to size.

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Verdict: 5 Stars
The nice thing about Lake Koman is its serenity. There is likely only one other boat on the entire reservoir apart from the one you are on. Despite the scenery not being as majestic as that at the Milford Sound in New Zealand, it also does not yet have that many vessels plying up or down, nor have noisy hordes of tourists at its embarking and disembarking points. The minor chatter on board is tolerable, apart from the occasional second hand smoke, and it is interesting to be sharing the same boat as the locals staying in villages along the lake, which are only accessible only by boat. The boat moves at a steady pace without being too much into the wind, making standing outside on the deck to enjoy the views very comfortable in summer. It was all very unrushed and relaxing, which makes it a very affordable kind of luxury.