Top 3 Hikes in the Peaks of the Balkans
The Albanian Alps are stunning! It’s a transformative experience to get out there and touch the calcium carbonate of the limestone cliffs. The same cliffs that have been shaped by glaciers which left their indelible mark on the valley shapes. The stark contrast between the white rocks and verdant green foliage is a sight to behold and never gets old.
Let’s get one thing straight: all the hikes are good.
But for the sake of this post, we will narrow it down to three:
#3: Theth to Valbona
Some folks do the opposite direction, but I prefer it this way. The most spectacular sight is on Valbona pass where you can look down the prototypical glacial valley toward the little village of Valbona.
But the hike all starts in Theth, going up a pretty darn steep incline. It’s unrelenting and seemingly endless, until you arrive a little hut selling beer, drinks, and little snacks. But the best part about the little hut is the spring-fed fountain for filling your water. It tastes perfect, like water from a dream. Be nice and buy something from the hut while you fill up.
After the hut is where the views start to go from amazing to otherworldly.
And then, gloriously, the clouds break up, the sun comes out, and you get the chills from the breeze and the fact that you can’t believe your eyes!
I mean, c’mon, are you seeing this picture?! This is amazing. There’s a little detour as you arrive to the pass. Head up to the right for this viewpoint.
What you’re seeing here is pure beauty. The hike to get here is definitely not easy. Given that many of the trails started as shepherds’ routes, they don’t always have switchbacks, meaning that steepness is definitely present. Same goes for the way down which can really do a number on your knees (and IT bands, my lord!).
#2: Vusanje to Theth
This hike crosses the border between Montenegro and Albania. First off, it was hard to even leave Vusanje to begin with it’s just so dang pretty with lots of side hikes to do, including the Oko Skakavice or Eye of the Grasshopper.
Anyway, you eventually have to leave Vusanje, that’s just how it goes and while saddening to see the proverbial rear view mirror, the hike ahead is stunning. It’s also a lot easier of a beginning, a very gradual uphill. Just watch out for those pesky sheepherder dogs. They will bite you.
You’ve also got to pay for a pass since it’s a national park, which was $1. We gladly paid.
The further we hiked, the more the clouds gave way, revealing a crown of sharp peaks that surrounded us. We kept thinking we were at the best part, but it kept getting better (a common theme). The moments of relatively flat, grass-lined trail created such a pleasant atmosphere, we couldn’t stop smiling.
#1: Plav to Vusanje
While the grueling start to this hike (made all the worse by rain) was a challenge to enjoy, WAIT. What am I saying? It was never a challenge to enjoy, even when I was puking up chicken schnitzel into Lake Plav from contaminated water.
But yes, this is one of the biggest days in terms of mileage and elevation gain and loss. And it was quite wet and slippery. But oh my, what a treat!
And thankfully it was grueling because it slowed us down enough to see the sun poke through right as we reached the summit of Vrh Bora! We found out later that the hyper fast duo of gals who passed us in the morning got to the summit and just kept on hiking because they couldn’t see anything, missing one of the best views on the entire trip. We rubbed it in later.
In every direction there were peaks, giant monoliths of calcium carbonate carved by time. Normally we didn’t take long breaks, but given the old bunker that shielded us from the wind and the heavenly views, we would have been fools to not soak it up.
