Benja Thermal Baths

Benja sits at the entrance to the Lengarica Canyon near Përmet, inside the Bredhi i Hotovës-Dangëlli protected landscape in southern Albania. Six to eight lukewarm pools, roughly 22-30°C, are scattered along both banks of the Lengarica River, fed by chloride-sodium-calcium water carrying sulphur, fluoride, and silica. The site's best-known landmark is the single-arch Kadiu Bridge (Ura e Kadiut), an Ottoman-era stone bridge built around 1760-1780, which frames the springs and draws photographers alongside bathers. There is no entrance fee for the pools themselves, only a small parking charge, and no infrastructure - no changing rooms, lifeguards, or paved paths - so the rocks can be slippery. Beyond the springs, the gorge offers hiking routes and, further upstream, WWII and Cold War-era tunnels cut into the cliffs.