Trips & Tours: Trekking in Northern Albania

Arrive in Kruja and check in to the hotel. We will have a welcome drink and meeting with the guide at 1800 hours and discuss the program for the coming week. Depending on the time of arrival you can visit the Kruja Bazar and the Kruja castle, epicenter of the legendary Albanian resistance of Scanderbeg to the Ottomans in the 14th century.

Today we will hike up the holy mountain of Kruja and visit the Bectasci teqe. After the decent, we will have lunch on the way to Shkodra, where we will visit the Rozafa Castle. In the evening, we will relax at the Shkodra lake and walkabout in town. The dinner will take place in a traditional restaurant and accommodation in a hotel in Shkodra, located right at the centre of the town.

In the early morning, we will drive to the ferry, which goes through the spectacular canyon of River Drin. The lake is created, after the construction of the dam of Koman, in the 80's. The transfer will continue along the beautiful valley of river Valbona, until the picturesque village where we will stay overnight.

The trekking will start from the house in direction of the village of Kukaj (alt. 900m). From there, a shepherd’s path will bring us to remote landscapes of the eastern Alps of Albania until reaching Qafa e Rosit (alt. 2000m 7-8 hours). The path climbs smoothly in the middle of green meadows, with gorgeous views of Jezerca Mountain and Rrethi i Bardhë - The White Circle. The duration of the trip is about 6 hours. At the end of the day we will rest at the same place as the night before in Dunishë.

After breakfast, we will drive for 10 km to the village of Rragam, where our next trekking begins. It points to the Pass of Valbona (alt. 1966m and is the classic pass of the Albanian Alps that for centuries linked the two most known valleys of the area, Valbona and Thethi. We will use mules to carry part of the luggage to the next house. The path is used commonly by highlanders from late spring, until the first snow of winter. Several springs of water will make the stops pleasant and refreshing, while admiring the steep and jagged surrounding peaks of Jezerca, Radohima, etc. From there the group will start the descent towards the village of Thethi (alt. 800m), where we will stay overnight after up to 8 hrs of walking. Thethi is the best-preserved alpine village in Albania. It has typical houses still roofed with wooden tiles and its location is spectacular.

Today we will have a nice day going around in the surroundings of Thethi, one of the most known charming villages of northern Albania, because of its stunning nature and traditional wooden-tiled houses. We will start walking downhill from the house, and visit the attractions near by the village, like: the Church, the Kulla e Ngujimit (a tower house used in the past by men as a shelter against on going vendetta ), the Thethi Waterfall, Grunasi Canyon, and the 2007 revelation: cyclopean stone walled terraces dating from the late bronze era! We will overnight at the same house as the night before.

We will leave Thethi (alt. 800m) to start another day of spectacular trekking in direction of the village of Boga. During this day we will walk along Shtegu i Dheneve - the Path of the Sheep, which is another classic way of the Albanian Alps that connects the villages of Thethi and Boga. After Pass (alt. 1830m) and the stunning views it offers of Bjeshket e Namuna – The Accursed Mountains, the walk will continue downhill along the side Radohima mountain range until we reach the village of Boga (alt. 900m). We will have lunch in this picturesque village surrounded by vertical slopes with peaks above 2000m high, and than leave through the Boga valley towards Shkodra and than Tirana (120km – 3hrs).

Tour ends after breakfast. If you leave in the afternoon you will have some time to spend in Tirana where you can walk, passing the important buildings of the capital – the Italian buildings, The Mosque of Ethem Bej and/or the National Museum of History. Alternatively, you can enjoy your free time to visit the museum in Tirana or one of the many markets.