About us

Hello and welcome (or should we say dobrodošli!) to Undiscovered Balkans, your go-to activity holiday specialist in the Balkans.

We’re Ben and Emma Heywood, the adventure-loving husband and wife behind this operation, and we’re thrilled to have you here with us in Europe’s most unexplored corner. 

When we landed in Montenegro in 2008 as frivolous travellers without kids, this beautiful country stopped us in our tracks. Its jagged mountains footed by blue and green lakes could easily be mistaken for the Canadian Rockies while miles of unspoiled wilderness resemble an African game reserve. 

Having visited more than 50 countries worldwide we’re not easy to impress, so you can trust we’ve selected only the most breathtaking locations for our holiday activities, with the help of our expert local guides. 

You won’t find big, brash resorts and double decker tour buses on our trips. We do small group travel, community tourism and family-run establishments – including our very own Villa Miela, where it all began. Sitting at the heart of Lake Skadar National Park, it’s the base for several of our holidays, from yoga retreats to kayak safaris.

Like our family, our holiday offering has expanded. We now run tours in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo and Serbia.

We pride ourselves on being a small business and we personally handle all bookings, so rest assured you will never be on hold to an operator when you get in touch. 

When you travel with us, you’re officially part of our ever expanding Balkan family and as a family, we take care of one another. That’s why a percentage of our takings go back to the communities we work with. You can learn more about that here.

We look forward to seeing you in the Balkans soon!


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2 days ago

"A deep, authentic journey into the heart of a place."We couldn’t have put it better ourselves. 💛Fresh from our first-ever South Albania adventure, Dawn has shared her experience of hiking, rafting, kayaking, feasting (vegetarian-friendly), and exploring everything from ancient fortresses to remote hilltop churches.Huge thanks to Dawn for joining us once again — and for capturing this extraordinary corner of the Balkans so beautifully. Photos + full 5-star review below 👇📍 Link to our South Albania holiday in the comments – book for this autumn, or next year!#undiscoveredbalkans #albania See MoreSee Less
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Pelicans and painting – what a day! 🎨 🐦More than 100 Dalmatian Pelicans turned up for breakfast near Virpazar on Tuesday – and so did we, sketchbooks in hand!We cruised across Lake Skadar to Grmožur, the old island prison, before heading up to the monastery of St Nicholas on Vranjina. Those views over the Morača river and the lake? Just wow.Add in carpets of water lilies, the soundtrack of reed warblers and frogs, and a few photobombing pygmy cormorants, and this was one unforgettable artists’ day out.Who's joining us and Karen PearsonArt to do this all over again in 2026?📍Lake Skadar National Park📅 June 2026 painting retreat now booking(Link in comments!)#undiscoveredmontenegro #villamiela See MoreSee Less
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1 week ago

Much has been said about Albania’s coastline, but far fewer people know it’s also home to some truly stunning lakes.We’d even go as far to say some are more beautiful than Italy’s. 🙊Out of some 1,040 lakes in Albania, we’ve whittled it down to our top six. Find out where they are and how you can visit them with us on below 👇.f.mtr.cool/rdhrisomwm#undiscoveredbalkans See MoreSee Less
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Sunset dining, misty morning rain, sunshine bursting through the clouds ☀️, and the most beguiling lake viewpoint for some en plein air sketching 🎨 – just a taste of Days 1 & 2 on this week’s art retreat with the brilliant Karen PearsonArt .Spending time with our artists is a lovely reminder of how vibrantly beautiful Montenegro is in spring. Of course, it’s still a bit of a rough diamond – even in national parks you’ll sometimes find a bit of rubbish. So before heading up to the our viewpoint of the day, we did a quick clean-up. So much better to see just nature. 🌱Can’t wait for today’s trip to Lake Skadar's rock-studded northern shores. Sketchbooks at the ready…#undiscoveredmontenegro #villamiela #paintingholiday See MoreSee Less
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2 weeks ago

That’s a wrap on another magical week of yoga in Montenegro 💫Massive thanks to our lovely guests, and the wonderful Yoga with Fiona for leading us so beautifully through our daily practice – always with grace, insight and just the right amount of giggles. And to our retreat chef Cooks of Kotor, whose nourishing veggie feasts had us all asking for seconds (and thirds…).What a way to spend a week:🧘‍♀️ Stretching to birdsong🚣‍♀️ Meeting nuns by kayak🌊 Swimming in rivers so blue they look photoshopped🌅 Taking in the spectacular views and sunsets at Villa Miela🌿 And generally reminding ourselves what joy and rest *should* feel like.September can’t come soon enough, when Fiona will be back for another sell-out retreat. And we’ve just opened bookings for our 2026 yoga retreats too. Join us in May or September next year – link in the comments!#YogaRetreat #UndiscoveredMontenegro #VillaMiela See MoreSee Less
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Holidays

Man on an activity holiday swimming in a crystal clear, bright blue rock pool near Lake Skadar
£200pp off!

7 Day Activity Holiday at Lake Skadar

Our original adventure loved by everyone! Kayaking, hiking & wild-swimming…
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Moderate
A girl sitting on a mule while trekking on Mount Tomorr in Albania
£100pp off!

7 Day Multi-Activity Holiday in Albania

Discover Albania’s lakes, mountains & sea on this multi-active adventure!
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Moderate

7 Day Multi-Activity Holiday in Kosovo

Discover the beauty of Europe’s newest and most fascinating country!
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Moderate

7 Day Winter Activity Holiday in Montenegro

Skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing on the alpine slopes of Montenegro!
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Moderate