The location of Nivica castle, 20km west of Tepelena, is as defensive as can be - surrounded on three sides by the 200-400-metre deep Kurvelesh or Nivica Canyon, it's practically impossible to besiege. With ancient walls mixed in with construction from later periods, it's a splendid place for a picnic. The village itself has recently been given a new boost with government tourism development investment, and it's fun to explore the quaint cobbled streets and the reconstructed main square with views of the 2122-metre-high Kendrevica mountain beyond. The canyon below is one of the longest in Europe and lends itself for impressive hikes between sheer rock walls; the narrowest stretches of the canyon are just a few metres wide and only accessible with professional equipment, with rocks taking abstract shapes and the river regularly dropping dramatically after millennia of erosion. If your nerves are as sturdy as your car, you could attempt the rough road leading west to the Adriatic at Borsh; the first section from Nivica to Kuç has recently been asphalted (and forms a fantastic mountainous detour to Vlora); the remaining stretch via Fterrë to the coast is still rough going.