Day-by-day programme of this 7-day itinerary across The Albanian Alps: Koman, Valbona and Theth.
Day 1 â Arrival in Tirana
Landing in Tirana, capital of Albania, the starting point for the Accursed Mountains of the north. A first taste of the city before the mountain adventure.
- âïļ Tirana â Aeroporto di Tirana (TIA)
- ð Skanderbeg Square â An evening stroll in the heart of Tirana, around the great Skanderbeg Square with the statue of the national hero, the Et'hem Bey mosque and the colourful buildings. You dine in the lively Blloku district, once off-limits as it was reserved for communist officials. It is a pleasant urban prelude before plunging into nature. Tomorrow you set off early northwards, to Shkoder, gateway to the Alps.
- ðĻ Mondial Hotel â Centro, Tirana
Day 2 â Shkoder, gateway to the Alps
Transfer to Shkoder, a historic city on the largest lake in the Balkans, dominated by Rozafa castle. It is the base from which the ferries and 4x4s for the Alps depart.
- âïļ Tirana â Shkoder â Scutari, Albania
- ð Rozafa Castle â Rozafa castle rises on a hill where three rivers and the lake meet: from its ancient walls the view sweeps over Lake Shkoder, the mountains and the plain. Legend tells of a woman, Rozafa, walled up alive in the foundations so the fortress would hold. At sunset it is the most evocative spot in the city. You dine in Shkoder on lake fish. Tomorrow the great adventure: the ferry on Lake Koman, one of the most beautiful boat trips in the world.
- ðĻ Hotel Tradita Geg & Tosk â Centro, Scutari
Day 3 â Lake Koman and Valbona
One of the most spectacular boat trips in Europe: the ferry on Lake Koman, among sheer rock walls, and then up into the lush Valbona valley.
- ðŊ Lake Koman â From the Koman pier the ferry departs and in about three hours sails up the artificial lake set among mountains: it is a breathtaking journey, compared to the Norwegian fjords, among vertical rock walls, waterfalls and remote villages reachable only by water. The emerald of the water and the green of the slopes take your breath away. Disembarking at Fierze, a 4x4 takes you up into the Valbona valley. You arrive in the afternoon, surrounded by peaks.
- ð Valbona â The Valbona valley is the heart of the Albanian Alps, the 'Accursed Mountains': a broad glacial valley crossed by a river with a white pebble bed, surrounded by sharp peaks over 2,500 metres. The air is pure, the silence absolute, broken only by cowbells. You stay in a family-run mountain guesthouse, where you dine on garden produce, cheese and homemade raki. Tomorrow the queen of hikes: the trek over the pass to Theth.
- ðĻ Guesthouse Kol Gjoni â Valle di Valbona
Day 4 â Valbona to Theth trek
The signature hike of the Albanian Alps: the walk from Valbona to Theth, crossing a pass at 1,800 metres amid grand panoramas.
- ðŊ Valbona-Theth Trail â The trek from Valbona to Theth is one of the most beautiful hikes in the Balkans (about 6-7 hours, 17 km): you climb among woods and pastures to the pass at 1,800 metres, where the view embraces both valleys and the peaks of the Accursed Mountains, then descend gently towards Theth, stopping at the cabin-cafes along the trail for a tea or a refreshment. Luggage is transferred by 4x4. It is a day of pure nature, in one of the most remote places in Europe. You arrive in Theth in the afternoon.
- ðĻ Harusha Guest House â Theth, Parco Nazionale
Day 5 â The wonders of Theth
A day in Theth among its treasures: the symbolic church, the Grunas waterfall, the turquoise Blue Eye of Theth and the ancient lock-in tower.
- ð Grunas Waterfall â You set off on foot from the village of Theth, dominated by the photogenic little white Catholic church with its stone roof, the symbol of the place. A path leads to the Grunas waterfall, 25 metres high, which plunges into a cool pool among the woods. Along the way you also come across the 'lock-in tower' (kulla), where men involved in the blood feuds regulated by the Kanun, the ancient code of the mountains, once took refuge. In the afternoon the excursion to the Blue Eye.
- ðŊ Blue Eye of Theth â The Blue Eye of Theth is a natural pool of unreal turquoise water, fed by a waterfall, hidden in a gorge reachable by a hike (or a stretch by 4x4 plus a walk). The water is icy but the bravest dive in. It is one of the most spectacular places in the Albanian Alps, less famous and crowded than its southern namesake. You return to Theth for the last mountain night, under a sky full of stars. Tomorrow you head back down to the valley.
Day 6 â Back to Tirana
A 4x4 descent from Theth along the spectacular mountain road and return to Tirana, for a last evening in the capital.
- âïļ Theth â Tirana â Tirana
- ðĻ Mondial Hotel â Centro, Tirana
Day 7 â Departure from Tirana
Return flight from Tirana. The end of a journey in the Accursed Mountains, among emerald lakes, alpine passes and the hospitality of the mountain villages.
- âïļ Tirana â Aeroporto di Milano Malpensa (MXP)
