KARABURUN · IONIAN COAST
Grama Bay
Grama Bay: the cove where sailors carved their names
Grama Bay is a small inlet on the south-west, Ionian-facing coast of the Karaburun peninsula, west of Orikum. Sailors sheltering here from storms cut names and prayers into the rock from the 3rd century BC onwards. The bay and its cave are a protected natural monument inside the Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park. No road leads down to it: on Triton's day trip from Vlorë it is the last and longest stop.
Grama within the day's route
Secret Blue Cave & Grama Bay- Around 8 hours
- From Vlorë
- Grama Bay stop: about 2.5 hours, the last of the day
Where is Grama Bay?
Grama Bay is on the south-west shore of the Karaburun peninsula, the mountainous strip of land between the Adriatic and the Ionian seas. Albania's National Agency of Protected Areas places it at the foot of the western slope of Rrëza e Kanalit, west of the small town of Orikum, on the side of the peninsula that faces the open Ionian.
The inlet is short: the sea reaches only a few hundred metres into the land, between rocky shores and cliffs.
Where does the name come from?
From writing. Grama comes from the Greek word gramma, “letter”, and the place is also known by its Greek name, Grammata, after the inscriptions carved into the rock around the cove. Albania's National Tourism Agency keeps the same idea in Albanian: its page on the bay calls it Gjiri i Shkrimeve, the Bay of Writings.
The scholars who surveyed the inscriptions in 2005 used that name: their study, published in 2007, is called “Les inscriptions de Grammata”.
How do you get to Grama Bay?
By boat. The protected-areas agency describes Grama as a place visited by sea from Vlorë or Himarë, and no road runs down to the cove. Triton's day trip from Vlorë finishes here: after five shorter stops along Karaburun, the boat spends about two and a half hours in the bay before the return.
Overland, reaching the cove means a long hike on the peninsula's trails. As for when to go, Triton lists spring, summer and autumn as the seasons for Grama Bay.
THE DAY TRIP THAT ENDS AT GRAMA
Secret Blue Cave & Grama Bay
Triton's day trip from Vlorë takes about eight hours, works its way along the Karaburun coast and finishes at Grama Bay, the stop where guests spend the most time. It is the only scheduled Triton tour to Grama; private boat tours are arranged on request.
Operated by Triton- Around 8 hours
- From Vlorë
- Grama Bay stop: about 2.5 hours, the last of the day
Your ticket to Grama
Snorkelling equipment, bottled water, 2 beers, 1 soft drink and 2 sandwiches or 2 pieces of byrek come with the ticket. Triton confirms the price, the meeting point and the current package before you pay.
Stop times are approximate; the captain and Triton's team set the final route on the day, according to the sea.
Choose a departure time See the full itinerary on TritonVISITORS AT GRAMA
What visitors say
What visitors wrote about Grama Bay on Google, shown unedited and in their own words.
Original text
Bellissimo lo consiglio
Original text
Great spot. Accessible with boat
Visitor reviews for this destination. Original text is preserved. Read reviews on Google Maps Reviews as shown on Triton's Grama Bay page
Grama Bay