Hikers in search of the last few remaining unspoiled mountain trails have been making their way to Northern Albania lately. The remote Albanian Alps and nearby Balkan ranges are considered some of the last “adventurous” hiking destinations on the continent, and looking at the pace of change in these regions these days, not for long. If you’re into pristine nature and walking to remote villages to see a disappearing way of life then head up here as fast as you can – it’s so worth it. Here’s an inside look into my weeklong journey into the “Accursed Mountains” of Albania…
Getting there is an adventure in itself. If you’re flying into Tirana, you’ll have to make your way to Shkoder first in the north, the last big town before the mountains. From Shkoder it’s over two hours of bumpy ride on mountain roads (some of which were washed out when we passed through from the previous night’s storm) to get to the beginning of a much more pleasant commute – the Lake Koman ferry.
Lake Koman was artificially created in the 1980s as part of a major hydroelectric project which doesn’t take anything away from its breathtaking beauty. Although we embarked under the cover of clouds with a light rain falling, the weather eventually turned around for us to enjoy what is known as one of the best boat trips in the world.
The ride is calm on the small public ferry as you gently glide over the 34 km2 expanse of the lake. The roughly 2½ hours journey takes you through a wonderful moving panorama of untouched landscape along the Drin River.
Once the sun finally showed up, the technicolor switch turned on and with it the spectacular sight of the emerald lake with green rolling hills in the background.
Always twisting and turning, you cruise from wide open views to narrow passageways with towering cliffs on each side, reminiscent of the fjords of Norway or even the Philippines. The walls get higher and higher the further north you go, a sign that you’re soon arriving at your destination.
The ferry drops you off in Fierza and then it’s an hour long (and quite stunning) drive through the Valbonë Valley, deep into the Albanian Alps with the glacier-fed Valbona river rushing to your left.
Valbona is a sleepy little village for now but it sure won’t stay that way forever seeing the number of hotels currently being built. On the positive side, I didn’t notice any big resorts and it means you have a plethora of choices among the many family-owned stone houses and alpine chalets. Wherever you stay, you’ll get a warm welcome, a quiet room overlooking the dramatic scenery, and a home cooked meal which is all you can dream of after a long day in the mountains.
The location can’t be beat with many trails starting right from the village and the arresting views all around you of towering limestone cliffs.
Right after dropping our bags we were off on our first late afternoon hike, following the only road out of the village.
A gentle climb through the forest gave us glimpses of the changing sky and the kind of golden hour magic 19th century impressionist painters were always chasing after.
Also, I’m usually not the superstitious type but anyone else seeing the devil’s eyes shining bright on the “Accursed Mountains” below?? I swore they were looking right at me…ominous sign for tomorrow’s big hike?
Thankfully the skies cleared once again and the Albanian evil spirit gave way to flowery meadows and pastoral scenes all the way back to the village.
If the bucolic alpine landscape could easily have you fooled and thinking you’re in Switzerland or Italy, the sight of a few bunkers by the side of the road is confirmation that you’re indeed in Albania (I explain a bit more about the bunkers in a previous post if you’re interested in their origin).
We settled in for the night with a traditional meal washed with the local beer and obligatory post-dinner shot of their homemade raki.
Waking up to a glorious sunrise casting a deep reddish light over the Accursed mountain range, we set off on foot after breakfast (typically bread, local cheeses and jams) to explore these jagged landscapes right in front of us.
Following a shepherd’s path up took us through beech and pine forests to one of the remotest areas of the eastern Alps of Albania and we eventually reached the quaint little hamlet of Kukaj.
A quick stop at a refuge for a strong cup of coffee gave us fuel for the climb ahead and some very fine views.
Out of the woods (and after a period of rain) we finally get dramatic views of the surrounding rocky domes and the ideal spot to unpack our lunch by a shepherd’s hut.
Back in Valbona by mid-afternoon in time for some local herbal tea and a relaxing night at the inn.
Next day, we drove this time towards the Montenegro border, spotting carved busts of historical local leaders along the mountain roads.
We arrived at the secluded village of Çerem, populated mostly by shepherds during the summer season but otherwise left uninhabited due to poor weather conditions during the winter. We started on foot from the village up into the mountains, crossing lush forests and meadows.
Horses were seen roaming and grazing on our left as we climbed higher and higher.
As we had now become accustomed to (and absolutely loving), we soon reached a small shepherd’s hut to rest for a bit.
The daughter of the local shepherd was there to offer us not only deliciously strong Turkish coffee but also her homemade yogurt and freshly picked wild blueberries. She’s currently studying at the university in Tirana and spends her summer and time off here helping her parents and welcoming hikers to the mountain.
Honestly couldn’t have dreamed of a better mid-hike snack!
Other animals soon joined us as we neared the highest grazing meadows and top of the mountain range.
We made it to Bori Pass which marks the border with Montenegro. Shepherd families were split with this added border in the 1950s so you’ll find the closest village to the Bori Pass on the Montenegro side to be populated by ethnic Albanians, cousins of the shepherds from Çerem.
From there we turned around and made our way down the winding slopes of Mount Sqapit, all the way back to the village.
This was turning out to be quite the food highlight day – after this morning’s blueberry yogurt I found ketchup-flavored chips in the village to accompany my local beer… the Canadian in me was really happy! (if you know you know) 🙂
