Throttle, Dust, and Still Water: Buggying from Asim Zeneli to Cini Lake

The engine hiccups, then settles into a steady, cheerful rumble. Under the narrow windshield, a ridge of sunburnt rock slides past, olive trees throwing jagged shadows across the track. You and a partner share the cockpit of a compact off-road buggy, trading steering duties at a roadside farm where a shepherd looks up from his flock and gives a casual wave. Ninety minutes later the land opens and a small, glassy lake waits like a secret—Cini Lake dares you to stop the throttle and listen to the wind across still water. This is southern Albania on a micro scale: a compressed landscape of limestone, terraced fields, and Ottoman-era villages, best seen kicked up by a cloud of dust and a grin.