Off the Beaten Path in Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro
Hiking the Heart of the Balkans
Overview
Discover a wild mountain realm on one of the last frontiers of Europe! The steep Albanian Alps stretch across Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro, rising to nearly 9,000 feet and graced with rock pinnacles, ancient beech forests, and stone-built villages. Hiking part of the Peaks of the Balkans long-distance trail, we’ll cross Albania’s Valbona Valley and Theth national parks and Montenegro’s Grebaje Valley. Along the way, cultural delights abound, including a visit to Kosovo’s historic Gjakova, once a stop on the Silk Road, lunch at a family homestead, and dinner at Mrizi I Zanave, Albania’s famous Slow Food restaurant.
Arrive: Tirana, Albania
Depart: Tirana, Albania
Highlights
- Explore the Peaks of the Balkans trail connecting three countries and four national parks
- Stay in a variety of accommodations, from historic hotels to village guesthouses
- Hike up the “three-border peak” of Mt. Trekufiri (7,762')
- Visit the 14th century Visiko Decani Monastery, explore Gjakova, with its Ottoman-era bazaar
- Savor the cuisine at Mrizi I Zanave, Albania's organic Slow Food restaurant
Itinerary
After a walking tour of Tirana, we head to charming Shkodër, Albania’s more traditional capital. Moving into the Albanian Alps, we’ll cross flower-carpeted meadows and beech forests to the now-open border with Montenegro. Mt. Kolata (8,313'), the highest peak in Montenegro, provides breathtaking views along the way. Local people still live among these peaks, and we’ll visit a family in their mountain home. Our guesthouse for three nights is in the mountains of Valbona Valley National Park, laced with glacier-fed springs.
Crossing the border into Kosovo, Europe's youngest country, we’ll visit the city’s mosques and monasteries, including the World Heritage-listed monastery of Visoki Decani, nestled among chestnut groves. Our hike on the “three-border peak” of Trekufiri ends with a descent on foot right to our guesthouse in Montenegro. Another hike brings us through Montenegro’s magnificent Grebaje Valley, the most inspiring mountain cirque in the Western Balkans, with massive, soaring jagged spires on par with the Dolomites.
Our last hike is through the glacier-carved Ropojana Valley down to the village of Theth in Theth National Park. On Day 9, we celebrate our journey’s end with an overnight at Mrizi I Zanave, Albania’s famous organic Slow Food farm-restaurant and agriturismo. Depart on Day 10 via Tirana.
Accommodations
Scroll through our signature accommodations for this trip below. Although it is highly unlikely, we may make substitutions when necessary.
What the Trip is Like
This trip is rated a Level 4, Moderate to Strenuous, according to our trip grading system. You will need to be comfortable hiking over 10 miles in a day and being on your feet for 5-6 hours a day. You will also need to be able to keep up with the moderate but steady pace of the group, including steep ascents and descents, as there are no alternative hiking options available. Trail conditions, weather, and the group's level of fitness can affect hiking times and pacing.
Average Hiking Day
- 6 miles
- 4 hours
- 1,800 feet gain/loss
Challenge Day
- Day 6: 10+ miles, 5 hours, 1,500 feet gain/2,900 feet loss
While the Accursed Mountains are not exceptionally high, they are steep and rugged, and this trip, while not technically difficult, is aimed at those who have at least some experience mountain hiking. At lower elevations, the trails are usually packed dirt, but at higher elevations they can be uneven, with large rocks or loose scree, so participants must have good balance and be confident on their feet. Hiking poles are highly recommended. After the first two days, each hike includes serious elevation gain and/or loss, and there are no alternate hiking options available. Trails typically have a steep ascent to begin, then follow a ridgeline before taking a steep descent back to the valley floor.
We strongly urge you to train for your trip, as your enjoyment will be highly dependent on your level of fitness. The best training for a hike is to hike, especially over hills or rough terrain. Next best are running, swimming, bicycling, or other cardiovascular exercises. Stair-climbing machines are excellent preparation for hiking uphill. Your feet should also be well prepared—make sure your hiking boots are sturdy, comfortable, and thoroughly broken-in. Altitude is generally not a problem on this trip. However, some people still experience a few problems when they first reach high altitude. Slight headache and sleeplessness are the most common symptoms.
In Albania, the climate is Mediterranean on the coast (mild, rainy winters, hot, sunny summers), while slightly more continental and cooler in the mountainous interior, depending on the altitude. In the lowlands, the average summer temperature is 75°F, with mild winters at 45°F. In the mountainous interior, the dominant factor is elevation, with big daily fluctuations in temperatures between daytime and night. The snow line in the Albanian Alps is at 4,900 feet, compared to the Swiss Alps at around 8,500 feet. In June, the meadows are covered in wildflowers and by September, the last snowfields disappear and foliage begins to turn red, indicating the arrival of autumn. As in all mountain regions, there is a chance of summer rainfall and the possibility of thunderstorms.
The hotels, mountain lodges, and guesthouses we use on this trip are basic given how far off the typical tourist path they are, but they are the best-available accommodations in the rural mountain areas we visit. They are well located, comfortable, and offer hearty homemade meals to fuel us as we hike through this gorgeous and lightly touristed region. It is important to arrive with an open mind and sense of adventure as we explore valleys without the tourist infrastructure you might expect in the Alps of Western Europe. Since guesthouses are often in historic rural buildings, the rooms are not always of uniform or international size. Many of our local hosts were farmers or shepherds until recently, and their lodges may lack common amenities in their guestrooms and bathrooms. Our leaders do their best to assign rooms in a fair way so that all participants experience an equal advantage throughout the trip as a whole.
Located on the Adriatic and Ionian coasts, Albania has a cuisine typical of a Mediterranean country, and you'll recognize elements from Italian, Greek, and Turkish cuisine. Mixed grills of meat and vegetable (zgara) are typical, as well as byrek, a savory pie with layers of flaky phyllo dough filled with various meat, vegetables, and herbs. Typical salads include chopped tomatoes, cucumber, and onion, topped with white brine cheese. In the mountain villages, vegetable or beef stews offer nourishment, along with homemade cheeses and fresh-baked breads, and on the coast, there is catch-of-the-day fish. Lunches on Days 4, 6, 7, and 8 will be enjoyed picnic-style on the trail.
Client Testimonials
"Loved this trip, the warm, open, and friendly people, the culture, and hospitality. I highly recommend this trip!"
David D.
Baltimore, MD
"The people were so wonderfully friendly, which was a joy. The landscape was stunning, as amazing as Yosemite, and Montenegro is really beautiful. The history of Albania and the Balkans is also fascinating and extraordinarily complex, and I was glad to learn more about that region on this tour."
Delle M.
Portola Valley, CA
"The hiking in the Albanian Alps was spectacular, the hotels and guest houses we stayed at were clean, and the food and drinks were excellent. So very much two thumbs up for this wonderful trip with exceptional guides."
John L.
Watertown, MA
"The trip was just amazing and I contribute most of this success to the wonderful leaders. Of course, the landscape and food were exceptional."
Luba G.
Randolph , NJ
"The itinerary gave us a terrific experience, both urban and rural, of the amazing countries on the trip, and the hiking was superb."
Nicholas H.
Kettering,
"Exceptional organization given the rural areas involved and rugged roads! As with our past Wilderness Travel trips, our three guides showed outstanding team work with at least one of the obvious goals of giving each of us the best trip possible. It was apparent that they did a lot of preparing beforehand to provide a first tour of the Balkans that I would have thought they'd been putting on for WT multiple times over together. Each of our three leaders were outstanding with their mix of both personable and professional behavior."
Pamela S.
Baltimore, MD
"Between the scenery, history, and cultural experience, this is one of the most well rounded trips I’ve ever been on."
Rowena P.
San Clemente, CA
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Itinerary
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Trip Levels
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult.