Syri i Kaltër — a deep, vivid-blue karst spring.
Syri i Kaltër — a deep, vivid-blue karst spring.
The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër), near Muzinë between Sarandë and Gjirokastër, is a karst spring — a near-perfect circle of vivid blue water welling up from a cave system whose depth has never been fully measured.
Rain sinking into the limestone mountains of the south resurfaces here under pressure, rising through a deep vertical cave. The centre is a dark sapphire 'pupil' ringed by pale turquoise; divers have descended past 50 metres without reaching the source. The cold, constant flow feeds the Bistricë river.
The Blue Eye is a protected natural monument set in oak and plane forest. It is busiest at midday, so arrive early. Swimming in the icy eye itself is discouraged, but the surrounding pools and shaded walkways make it an easy, beautiful stop between the coast and Gjirokastër.
One of the simplest and strangest sights in Albania — and one of the most photographed.
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