Peaks of the Balkans 7 Days – self-guided hiking Tour

Explore the peaks of the Balkans on your own in 7 days, with transfers, private accommodation, all meals in the mountains, border permits, GPS files & route description included.

Peaks-of-the-balkans

Start/End                                Shkoder

Duration                                 7 Days

Difficulty                                 Medium 

Reisezeit                                  June – Oct.

per person                               € 540,00

(min. 2 people)

Self Guided Hiking Tour Highlights

Viewpoints – Experience breathtaking views of rocky valleys and forests in the Albanian Alps.

Shkodra – Walk through the picturesque city centre and experience local highlights such as the Marubi Photo Collection, Lake Shkodra and the view of the city from the Illyrian fortress of Rozafa.

Village of Theth – You will visit one of the most picturesque villages in Albania, located in the middle of Theth National Park. Experience the „Blue Eye“, the waterfall-fed limestone pool, located in the middle of the forests of Albania’s cursed mountains.

Taljanka and Grebaje Valley – Climb the Taljanka peak with breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks and the Grebaje Valley, considered the most beautiful in the former Yugoslavia.

Valbona Pass – Embark on the epic hike from Theth to Valbona, one of the most beautiful hikes in Albania, and enjoy the spectacular views from the pass into the Valbona Valley.

Bunkers – Explore the country’s scattered bunkers and learn why Enver Hoxha built some 200,000 of them.

Culinary – Discover the unique cuisine of Albania and be impressed by the hospitality of the locals in the mountains.

  • 7 Tage
  • Blick von der Rozafa Festung ins Tal mit dem Shkodra See
  • Vusanje - Theth: Peaks of the Balkans
  • Wander Tour Valbona nach Theth via Koman See - Kirche in Teth Albanische Alpen
  • Marubi-Museum Albanien
  • Kulinarisches, Albanien
  • Theth Valbona Koman Wander-Tour Albanien
  • Wandern, Peaks of the Balkans
  • Pispili is an Albanian dish that consists of cornbread filled with leeks and feta cheese.
  • Peaks of the Balkans
  • Peaks of the Balkans Hiking
  • Peaks of the Balkans
  • Vusanje - Theth: Meadows along the trail
  • Peaks of the Balkans

> for 5, 6 and 10 day self-guided tours in the Peaks of the Balkans with shared accommodation, click here <<

Your Peaks of the Balkans 7 Day Itinerary

Experience rural Albania and Montenegro on a 7-day self-guided hiking tour starting from Shkoder. All transfers, private accommodation and meals in guest houses are included.

Day 1: Arrival and overnight stay in Shkoder

Day 2: Transfer to Theth (07:30) – Blue Eye & Grunas Waterfall – (approx. 6 hours, 260 m↑, 430 m↓, 10 km)

Day 3: Valbona Pass – Valbona National Park & Valbona Valley – (approx. 7h, 1068 m↑, 850 m↓, 19 km)

Day 4: Transfer to Cerem – Pass Crossing – Zarunica Valley – Vusanje – (approx. 4h, 690 m↑, 810 m↓, 13 km)

Day 5: Transfer to the Grebaje valley – circular hike Taljanka – transfer back to Vusanje – (ca. 6h, 830 m↑, 910 m↓, 9,8 km)

Day 6: Transfer to trailhead – Pejës Pass and Karanfili Summit – Theth – (approx. 8h, 900 m↑, 1200 m↓, 21.5 km)

Day 7: Transfer back to Shkoder (Arrival 14:00)

On Day 1

You will arrive in Shkodra on your own. Your double room in the guesthouse will be ready from 15:00. Use the day to visit the Marubi Photo Museum, explore the picturesque old town, head up to Rozafa Fortress for some great views or have dinner near the peaceful Lake Shkodra. You are welcome to leave any additional luggage at the guest house for the duration of the tour and simply collect it when you return. We recommend taking only a daypack with you into the mountains.

Early in the morning at 07:30 after breakfast, you will leave Shkodra with a pick-up at your accommodation and drive through the stunning landscapes of northern Albania to the mountain village of Theth. Arrive at the guest house.

You will start your adventure with a short hike to the fabulous „Blue Eye“ (Syri i Kalter), a natural pool of water located about 10 kilometres from the center of Theth. The 5-metre deep and ice-cold water (8 °C) of the „Blue Eye“ was formed by rock erosion caused by water falling from the mountains. Enjoy a picnic lunch at the Blue Eye and return to the guest house in the afternoon. On the way back, it is worth taking a short detour to Grunas Waterfall.  Dinner, overnight at the guest house.

Today, you will already wake up in the Albanian Alps. After breakfast, you make your way across scree fields to the foot of the mountains and up to the Valbona pass, following the old shepherds path that was once the only way to travel between Valbona and Shkoder.

You will pass through old villages where people still live in their 100+ year-old stone towers. Enjoy the spectacular views of the long, rocky valley intermingled with quiet, restful forests, and stop for lunch at one of the traditional cafés of your choice. On arrival in Valbona, be amazed by the unique nature, history, and traditions of the village. Dinner and overnight at the guesthouse.

A transfer will take you to Cerem. A very picturesque stage awaits you there, winding through beech and birch forests. Cerem came into being in the early 1950s when shepherds from Vusanje began to exploit pastures in Albania. After these incursions, the Albanian state decided to send in the armed forces and seal off the borders. The descent is on a well-marked path through the Zarunica valley to Vusanje, with the wild peaks of the Prokletije mountains in front of you. The small village of Vusanje (Vuthaj in Albanian) at the entrance to the impressive Ropojana Valley is in Montenegro, but the population is Albanian. Dinner and overnight stay in the guesthouse.

Begins with a transfer to the Grebaje Valley, the heart of the Prokletije (Cursed Mountains). The small detour from the classic Peaks of the Balkans Trail brings you to what we believe is the most spectacular section for hiking in this region. The hike up to the ridges of the Taljanka (2056m) and Volušnica mountains leads you to high meadows with fabulous views of the rugged rock massif of the Karanfil peaks.

After the descent down to the Grebaje valley, a transfer brings you back to Vusanje with breathtaking impressions in your luggage. Dinner and overnight stay at the guest house.

A 30-minute transfer will bring you to the trailhead. The hike will lead you along vast mountain meadows and pine forests, at the foot of which you can easily find wild strawberries and raspberries. To the side, the majestic Karanfili peaks, which you saw yesterday from the other side in the Grebaje valley, rise. You will reach the seasonal mountain lake Gjeshtarës, and further on, Lake Pejës, situated in a huge rocky valley, inviting you to have a picnic at noon.

Over the Pejës pass, from where you have a magnificent view of the mythical mountain Harapit, also known as the „jagged“, you will descend again to Theth via a steep descent. Dinner and overnight in the guest house. The following day, a minibus will take you back to Shkoder at 11:00.

You will start your day with a hearty breakfast at the guesthouse. Afterwards, you leave Theth behind at 11:00 a.m. and drive about 3 hours in a minibus to Shkoder (arrival around 2:00 p.m.). Switchbacks and narrow mountain roads give you another wonderful view of the Albanian Alps.

Included in the hike

✓ 1 Night: Hotel in Shkoder in a double room

✓ 5 Nights: Guest house in private room

✓ All transfers by minibus/4×4 (5x)

✓ Border crossing permits

✓ GPX files & route descriptions

✓ Meals: 6 x breakfast, 5 x packed lunch, 5 x dinner

What to bring

Good to know

  • This is an intensive tour, which is more suitable for people in a good physical condition.
  • The maximum difference in altitude for the hike on day 6 is 1,100 meters and covers a distance of 23 km.

Hotel & Guesthouses

  • Hotel Colosseo Shkoder
  • Gästehaus in Theth in den Albanische Alpen von außen
  • Unterkuenfte Theth Valbona - Gästehaus
  • Abendessen im Gästehaus in Teth auf der Wanderung Theth-Valbona
  • Unterkuenfte Theth Valbona
  • Gästehaus Valbona im Valbona Tal Albanien
  • Gästehaus Valbona Tal Zimmer
  • Verpflegung auf der Wanderung Theth-Valbona
  • Gästehaus in Shkoder Nordalbanien
  • 4x4 Transfer Trailhead Vusanje - Jeep beladen
  • Riverside Guest House
  • Riverside Guest House

Book your adventure now!

Your hiking tour will be organized by our partners in Shkoder. After submitting the form, you will receive an email with all relevant details.

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Your Albania Expert
Your Albania ExpertDirk Pohlers
Simply call or text us
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Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to hike the Peaks of the Balkans Trail

The best time to hike the Peaks of the Balkans Trail is mid-June to mid-Oktober. If you want to hike earlier or later, you should expect snow and closed huts.

The hikes usually take between six and eight hours per day, so previous hiking experience is an advantage, but not necessary for those who are in very good shape. During the hikes, you will carry your own day pack with mainly clothing, toiletries and water, as you will stay in guest houses every day in the mountains.

The tour starts at a hotel/guesthouse in the center of Shkodra. The transfer to the mountains takes place the following day from a guesthouse. The tour ends after the return from Theth at the roundabout near the central mosque, at approximately 2pm. From here, various buses depart for your onward journey.

From the north/south bus station in Tirana, buses run hourly to the north, the last one around 18:00, journey time approx. 2 hours. Just be at the bus terminal about 15 minutes before and get on, you pay later on the bus.

This hiking trail is characterized by many descents and ascents. The route leads over a relief that represents alpine terrain with steep slopes, river valleys carved into the mountain, rocky peaks, mountain pine belts, etc. However, the chosen paths are mostly passable and safe.

We will arrange the border crossing permits for your trip, the price for these is included in the package.

The region is known for the hospitality of its inhabitants, which visitors can enjoy while staying in one of the traditional guest houses found along the trail. The variety of accommodation ranges from traditional stone houses, so called “Kulas”, to mountain huts and small mountain lodges where local and home-made dishes are served by the local hosts. Bed linen, towels, shampoo, hot water and other basic items are provided, but we recommend packing a travel towel, just in case.

Euro (EUR) in Kosovo and Montenegro, Lek in Albania, Euro is also accepted here. Credit cards and ATMs are available in Peja, Plav and Gjakova. For snacks and drinks other than water besides meals, it is advisable to withdraw a few LEK in Shkodra or take some EUROs with you.

The food in this part of the world is something you will look forward to at the end of each day. The food is freshly prepared in the traditional way and has a mix of Balkan, Turkish and European influences. In the guesthouses, breakfast includes simple homemade bread with locally grown vegetables, dairy products and eggs. For dinner there are salads, traditional soups, meat dishes, vegetables, and pies.

The guesthouses will also provide you with a packed lunch, which often includes a sandwich with cheese and vegetables. Vegetarians and diets are not a problem as the host families can provide alternatives. Remember to take your water bottle with you to refill it along the way. You can get water from springs along the way or from the taps in the guesthouses, as this is also drinkable water. However, if you are concerned about drinking untreated water, we recommend that you take water purification tablets with you.

220 V, 50 Hz, two-pin round plugs. In most villages, the guesthouses have solar panels, which provide hot water and can charge electrical appliances. In some villages or on the mountain, there is sometimes mobile phone reception. Especially in Valbona and Theth you can expect a very good network.

  • Sturdy (ankle-high) walking shoes, 2 pairs of hiking socks
  • A comfortable second pair of shoes or sandals
  • Hat or another form of sun protection, in addition to sunscreen and glasses
  • Light rainwear (95% of the rain falls in winter)
  • Warm fleece jumper & walking trousers as nights are cold even in summer
  • 2l water gear
  • Daypack 25-40l
  • Swimwear/shorts (optional but recommended)

Peaks of the Balkans Packages

10 Day Peaks of the Balkans BNA_Mountain-Panorama Grebaje Valley

10 Days Peaks of the Balkans Hiking Tour

10 days Peaks of the Balkans through all 3 countries - Albania, Kosovo & Montenegro incl. Gjeravica Peak and Taljanka Peak in the Grebaje Valley (photo)

€ 770,00

Peaks of the Balkans BNA

6 Days Peaks of the Balkans Hiking Tour

The 6-day option including overnight stay in the shepherd village of Doberdol (Albania), Lake Hrid and Zlat Kolata Peak in Montenegro & Theth - Valbona pass crossing

€ 570,00

Peaks of the Balkans Self Guided_BNA_Blue Eye

5 Days Peaks of the Balkans Hiking Tour

The short version of the trail, including a ferry crossing on Lake Koman and the hike to the Blue Eye Theth

€ 530,00