TL;DR: Soldiers Beach (Plazhi i Ushtarit) is a small, stone-covered cove about 9 km north of Saranda, accessible almost exclusively by boat. The water is clear, the surroundings are quiet, and the name comes from a Communist-era military base that once sat on the hill above. Ajla Boat stops here for 30 minutes on the north route.
What Is Soldiers Beach?
Soldiers Beach is a sheltered cove on Albania’s northern Ionian coast, roughly 9 km from Saranda’s port and about 2 km from Cape Qefali. In Albanian it is known as Plazhi i Ushtarit, Beach of the Soldier. It sits between two stretches of green hillside, cut off from the road by the terrain, which is what keeps it quiet even in peak summer.
The beach itself is small. It does not have the kind of surface that Kakome or Kroreza offer, the shore is covered in large stones rather than sand or fine pebble. What it does have is clear water, a tight bay that shelters it from open-sea swell, and an almost total absence of the sunbed infrastructure that defines most of the southern Riviera.
Why Is It Called Soldiers Beach?
During Albania’s Communist period, a military base operated on the hillside directly above the cove. The soldiers stationed there had little contact with the outside world and came down to this stretch of water to swim. The name stuck long after the base was abandoned, and the ruins of the installation are still visible from the sea.
It is one of those pieces of local history that changes how a place reads. The cove was not discovered by tourism, it was used by people living in enforced isolation, and the landscape reflects that: no development, no infrastructure, just the hill and the water.
What the Beach Is Actually Like
Small, stone, and calm. The bay is sheltered enough that the water stays clear even when conditions offshore are not ideal, and the surrounding hillside is dense green scrub that shades the upper part of the shore in the morning.
There are no facilities here, no bar, no sunbeds, no toilet. It is a swim stop, not a beach day. For the right kind of traveller that is the appeal: a stretch of coast that looks and feels nothing like the organised beaches further south.
The water depth drops off reasonably quickly from the stone shore, which makes it better for swimming than for wading. If you are visiting with children, that is worth knowing in advance.
How to Get to Soldiers Beach
By boat is the only realistic option. A path exists on foot but it involves a long and rough descent through scrub with no clear trail markers, and there is no road access or parking nearby.
Ajla Boat includes Soldiers Beach as a stop on the north route, alongside the Turtle Cave, Plazhi i Ridhes, Kakome Bay, and Kroreza Beach. The stop is 30 minutes, enough time to swim and take in the cove from the water. You can book the tour on GetYourGuide.
What to Expect at the Stop
Thirty minutes. The boat anchors in the bay and guests can swim directly from the boat or make their way onto the stones. The cove is calm enough that neither is difficult.
It is not the longest stop on the route, Kroreza gets three hours, but it consistently surprises people who are not expecting much from a short swimming break. The combination of the quiet bay, the visible ruins above, and the contrast with the busier stops on either side of it is what makes it land differently than the time allocation suggests.
Is It Worth It?
As a standalone destination, it is limited, no facilities, a stone shore, and 30 minutes is not long. As part of the north route it earns its place. The history gives it context that most Riviera beaches lack, and the water is good.
For a full picture of what the north route covers, the things to do in Saranda guide covers the whole area. If Kakome is the stop you want to understand before booking, Kakome Beach Albania covers it in detail.
Key Takeaways
- Soldiers Beach is about 9 km north of Saranda, on the same north route as Kakome and Kroreza
- The shore is large stones, not sand, it is a swim stop, not a beach day
- The name comes from a Communist-era military base on the hillside above, ruins still visible from the sea
- The only practical way to reach it is by boat
- Ajla Boat stops here for 30 minutes, with swimming from the boat or the shore
