It’s been a while since we last caught up with one of our awesome local guides. And following International Women’s Day on 8th March, it’s only right that the next guide we introduce you to is one of the badass women we work with.
Meet Aurora. She’s a guide, biologist, teacher, wildlife photographer, conservationist and a mother – how she fits this all in we will never know!
Being Shkodër born-and-raised, Aurora primarily leads our North Albania trip, which includes visiting her hometown and Lake Shkodra. You may also have her as your tour leader on one of our cross-border hiking holidays or in South Albania, where you can pick her brains about the wildlife at Lakes Ohrid and Prespa.
Over to Aurora…
Tell us about yourself. You are a woman of many talents – tour guide, teacher, wildlife photographer, biologist… How did all of this come about?
I’ve been a biologist since 2001 and I have a master’s degree in environmental biology from the University of Shkodra. For the past 24 years, I’ve taught natural science, biology and chemistry in
high schools throughout Albania. I currently teach at a school in Zogaj, a village on Lake Shkodra.
In 2015, I finished a training course for birdwatching organised by the Albanian Ornithology Society and Norway’s Nord University. That year, I helped establish Well Point in Shkodra, [a non-profit to preserve public and environmental health] and today I’m the association’s CEO.
In 2017, I started to work as a mountain guide, and became the president of the Taraboshi Mountain Club in Shkodra for three years. The following year, I helped establish the Albanian Wildlife Photographers group to promote wildlife and the art of photography.
And in 2020, I established a “Naturalist” youth group with the main goals of increasing environmental education, and getting young people to socialise through outdoor activities like biking, hiking, swimming and climbing.
Where did you grow up and what was it like?
My roots are in the ethnic Albanian community of Montenegro. During World War II, my grandfather emigrated with his family to Shkodra and married an Albanian woman, my grandmother.
So, my father and I were born in Shkodra. I grew up there and still live there. I love my city not only because of the natural beauty of its lakes, rivers and mountains, but also because it’s a major cultural and historical hub in Albania. As a child, I used to spend all my time in nature— biking, swimming or doing other outdoor activities.
What inspired you to become a tour guide?
Being fascinated by nature since childhood, it was always my dream to become a biologist. But here in Albania, it was impossible to specialise in any branch of biology at university. So in 2015, I registered to take a birdwatching guide course that was being organized for the first time in Albania, through a program offered by Albania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Also, from 2015 I started to work at the Zogaj school close to the lake. And that really inspired me to be a birdwatching guide. The mountains were nearby, so that led me to become a mountain guide too.
For me, guiding is not only a profession, but a passion. And if you’re passionate about your job, then you’re a professional.
Do you have any particularly memorable moments or funny stories to tell from guiding guests?
Every tour is special because my guests are different, and so are the experiences. Once, I guided a group of Belgians on a one-week “Peaks of the Balkans” tour. They all learned the Tropoja dance. So during every rest stop in the mountains and any free time in the guest house, they practiced. At the end of the tour, we did an excellent performance of Tropoja dance, taking home beautiful memories.
Related:
- Meet Aleks, our Serbia adventure guide
- Meet Skender, our Bosnia adventure guide
- Meet Vera, our Montenegro tour guide
In your spare time (do you have any?!), what do you like to do?
I don’t have much free time. My days are packed. From Monday to Friday, I’m busy with school, and in the afternoon I work with Well Point. On the weekends, I devote my time to NGOs and monitoring activities in protected areas. Even in my spare time, I try to be outdoors.
In the winter, my friends and I organise hiking or mountain biking tours, for example a 146-kilometer circuit around Shkodra lake. And when it’s raining, I enjoy reading—usually books on science or philosophy. In the afternoon usually I take my bike and go to Zogaj, the village where my school is located, or to other villages along the Buna River.
Do you think there are enough female tour guides in Albania?
Over the last 10 years, we’ve started to see more female tour guides in various sectors of Albanian tourism. Most work in cultural tourism and mountaineering, and far fewer in birdwatching and kayaking.
Lately, more women have qualified as guides and have been certified by accredited agencies. Albanians are very smart people. We are multilingual, and most guides speak at least two languages. Mine are English, Italian and French, in addition to my native Albanian.
And finally, International Women’s Day is a huge deal in the Balkans. What does it mean to you?
For me, International Women’s Day means a call to respect women’s rights — and to promote women as absolutely essential to our economies and our families.
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