trees and water in the Divjake-Karavasta National Park

trees and water in the Divjake-Karavasta National Park

Just north of the Albanian oil fields and the Ardenica Monastery is a national park, at least in the mid-1990s unknown to any tourist guide books, and quite unusual in Albania. The park surrounds the Karavasta Lagoon, near the village – and the natural gas fields – of Divjake.

two pelicans

two pelicans

Always adept at combining business with pleasure, I visited the gas fields with a few Albanian colleagues on a Saturday morning, followed by a great picnic on the shores of the lagoon, which is best known for its pelicans. The contrast couldn’t be bigger, a rickety drilling rig and gas production installation inside the beautiful, pristine nature of the park.

the Karavasta lagoon, and pelican

the Karavasta lagoon, and pelican

Albanian drilling rig in the Divjake gas field

drilling rig in the Divjake gas field

looking up

looking up

pipes stacked on the Divjake drilling location

pipes stacked on the Divjake drilling location

the rickety structures at the site

the rickety structures at the site

the Karavasta lagoon, separated from the sea in the back

the Karavasta lagoon, separated from the sea in the back

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