Other toponyms including "Bistrica" in Balkan countries indicate the Slavic origin of the toponym.Bistricë starts from Mali i Gjerë (also known as Sopot) in Finiq municipality directing initially versus south-west.

[1] It passes through Mesopotam and Finiq municipalities, parallel with the Sarandë-Gjirokastër road.

Initially the river ended in Lake Butrint, which connects with the Ionian sea through the Channel of Vivari.

[2] The river's waters are used to a certain extent as a supply for the nearby fields of Vurg area.

[3][4] A well known touristic place is the "Azure Eye", often referred as "Blue Eye" (Albanian: Syri i Kaltër), a spring tributary to Bistrica river near the village named Krongj, with a rich flora and fauna.