On any long hike, at some point you’re going to stop admiring your surroundings and only focus on putting one foot in front of the other. It may happen only once, or it could happen daily, but it will almost certainly happen.
Hiking the Peaks of the Balkans trail was something Steven and I had planned to do in 2022, but due to a technical issue with a walking boot on day one of the hike (the sole literally came away from the bottom of the shoe), we had to call it off and head home frustrated and disappointed. This year, however, was going to be different – we were going to get past day one and indeed do the whole ten days walking through some of the most dramatic highlands of Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro.
Luke in Albania, Steve in Montenegro.
We had learnt a few lessons from the previous year, even though we had barely made it off the starting block then. We didn’t pack as much this time, ensured our boots were in good condition, and took a more measured approach to the task ahead of us: there are going to be things out of your control, often all you can do is mitigate for them.
Whilst growing in popularity, this hike remains relatively unscathed by tourism, but this is changing. We chose to begin in Theth, Albania, which is almost unrecognisable from just a few years ago thanks to an asphalt road that replaced the old gravel and dirt track you needed a 4x4 to navigate. New roads, new guesthouses, large groups of both national and international tourists popping up even just for the day to take photos for their Instagram accounts. I’m glad I experienced Theth before this happened, and that we were able to appreciate the remoteness of some of the spots we hiked too even more so because of this.
Dobërdoll
Charting a route through these three Balkan neighbours, we decided to cover all the stops off – including the less scenic aspects of Kosovo. Unfortunately, a significant amount of those hikes were on asphalt roads, which provided a welcome relief to the feet and knees for the first half kilometre after a tricky descent, but quickly grew tiresome after four or five kilometres walking up hill on it.
Generally, maps and guides recommend that you do the whole route in ten days (seven or eight if you’re not doing most of the Kosovo segment), adding on where needed depending on how you’re coping with the steep inclines and tricky downhill stumbles. We had initially planned to take a rest day about halfway through but decided to skip this and carry on – completing it in ten days. Most of our accommodation was flexible to change, but it’s clear that places like Theth now book up months in advance, getting increasingly more Western European in their pricing the closer you get to the date you wish to travel. Whilst we did prebook all our accommodation (details of where we stayed below), this wasn’t necessary in most of the destinations we stopped off at – but by not booking you accept that you may not get your first choice if you arrive in a seasonal shepherd’s village long after all the other hikers have.
Standout moments for me were arriving at and then spending the night in Dobërdoll after walking past old men picking tea from the side of the mountain; reaching the summit of Tre Kufinjtë, where you can survey Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro from the peak at which they meet; bumping into familiar faces each day as we each made our own physical and mental journeys, never feeling pressured to chat too long or change pace to accommodate one another but appreciating the camaraderie all the same; the surprise of what meal times may bring; and listening to the experiences of an Albanian family living closer to the border of Montenegro and how that has shaped their identity. Oh, and whole ten days of just me and Steven plodding along together wasn’t too shabby either.
At the peak of Tre Kufinjtë.
Finishing the hike was a slightly surreal experience, in that the only thing that signified it was the end was that we decided to stop walking. We had gone full circle, making it back to our starting point, yet as with all long walks – it only begins and ends when you say so. As I had written in my journal the evening of our last day:
“And so, it concluded. With no fanfare, only an end – a conscious decision to stop walking.”
Arriving back at Thethi, with only this tiny sign to prove it.
I could sit here and wax lyrical about the poignant metaphors such an experience offers, because of course for those that have ears to hear, there are many. Yet the hike for me was not an opportunity to come up with some good content to share online, but rather an opportunity (sometimes the compulsion) to be grounded and present in the moment. Of course, my mind did wander a LOT and I’d find myself thinking about something bizarrely mundane at home whilst summiting an extraordinarily beautiful peak with no other human soul about other than Steven and I, but time and time again the necessity of focussing on one foot in front of another to avoid tripping or slipping brought me back to the “there and then”, not the “what could be and when”.
Below you can read my less than comprehensive journal entries (it’s not something I’m known to embrace), and where we stayed, and our recommendations for what to do and what not do if you ever decide to take on this wonderful experience.
More photos on Instagram: @anglo_in_albania
Guesthouses:
Thethi: we got straight off the furgon from Shkodër and began our hike so didn’t stay the night here at the beginning of the hike.
Valbonë: Bujtina Arturi
Çerem: Guesthouse Kujtim Gocaj
Dobërdoll: Bilbil Vatnika Guest House
Milishevc: Kula Guesthouse
Reka e Allegës: Pushimorja Hajla
Kuqishtë: Guri i Kuq
Babino Polje: Gago's Wooden House
Plav: Apartmani Ambiente
Vusanje/Vuthaj: Riverside Guesthouse
Thethi: Shpella Guesthouse (original booking, we have stayed here previously) Petriti Hotel (new booking after our date changes)
Tips:
· You really don’t miss much if you cut out some of Kosovo as recommended by many guides. Our stubbornness and desire to do the whole route meant we did, and some of it was great, but generally you could happily skip parts of the route to ensure you can get the trail done over seven days.
· Don’t overpack! Food and drink are readily available pretty much everywhere you go if you’re staying in guesthouses.
· However, we did find a protein meal replacement to drink during the hike was a great addition even if it did add some weight. We stuck to a vegetarian diet whilst doing the hike, and so it was good to have a boost to compensate for the energy you burn. We use Form Nutrition.
· Get a good map and/or be comfortable using GPS etc. on your phone/smartwatch to help navigate. There are noticeable gaps where the route markers suddenly disappear for a while, and so map-reading skills or a guide are needed.
· You don’t generally need to prebook accommodation, but we appreciated knowing we had a bed waiting for us, and others said not to make the mistake of going to the first guesthouse you find, as inevitably it’s the busiest.
· We took a lightweight sleeping sack with us, which was a good thing to pack – as were our similarly handy travel towels.
The attempt at a journal:
Thethi to Valbonë
A tried and tested route. We bumped into two female travellers (British and Irish it seemed) a couple of times, stopped off at the usual café for coffee and fli, and made to Valbonë in about 5 hours, not including breaks.
Our guesthouse hosts were very warm, and grateful for my simple Albanian.
The bread was almost like focaccia, the soup was rustic, but delicious, along with sharp and tangy djathë e bardhë.
Valbonë to Çerem
It’s strange to walk a route we don’t know. Stepping out on to next part of the hike that follows the familiar Thethi – Valbonë.
Knowing that the hike was shorter, but still setting off early, we took the opportunity to have a coffee at “Bar Relax” before finally turning off the main road and beginning our trek through the woods.
The path did not seem regularly used, but the familiar white and red signs were well maintained. Other than an almost attempt at scaling a landslip, and then being redirected by another hiker, we didn’t find it challenging to navigate the route – despite it not being one of the recommended trails in the guides we had read.
After stopping for lunch about 30 minutes away from Çerem, a teenage boy on a bike called Bjordi decided to accompany us the rest of the way; he was from Kosova but in Albania for the tourist season. A harmless presence seemingly confused by our being here and my Albanian, asking a lot of simple questions.
We dined on traditional far, including spec më gjiz, pilaf, perimë të zgarë, and byrek made with cornflour. Some of our company lamented the lack of meat, but the conversation was jovial and, as expected, included much swapping of hiking experiences and tips.
Our dinner companions were:
Brian, a Canadian living in London
Charlotte and Jitzer from Belgium
Raffit and Yassir, two Moroccan guys living in France
The guesthouse was busy, but not many stayed up and outside beyond sunset. The joys of resetting your circadian rhythm.
Çerem to Dobërdoll
The aches in my ankles and shins had gone with rest and the application of blessed arnica gel. Any lingering doubts as to whether I should have packed it were well and truly gone.
We set off after a filling breakfast of petulla, kek, bukë, and both çaj malli and kafe. We packed a lunch and then began the steep ascent into the mountains again. However, we made good time, briefly weaving into Montenegro and then back into Albania again.
At the top of one of the ascents we paused in a small glade, not realising that a short distance ahead was an open view and a small house and bar selling drinks and importantly: coffee.
As we left our second break, Brian from Çerem stopped at the same spot. We wished him well for the rest of this part of the hike and then continued along the flank – choosing not to walk the ridge route that we knew others had chosen to try.
Deciding not to stop for lunch until Dobërdoll, and concerned about some grey clouds forming, we pushed on through the ups and downs passing through “not-even-hamlets” and spotting Albanians pulling a living out of the earth. Two older men harvesting çaj malli from a steep hillside evoked quite the image.
After the final push and ascent, we arrived at Dobërdoll, ramshackle dwellings and some livestock greeting us in perhaps the most remote place we’ve stayed in. Our accommodation was basic, but it slowly filled as the afternoon faded into the evening. Charlotte and Jitzer arrived too, before our ways were due to part the next day as they planned to journey directly to Montenegro without passing through Kosova.
The shower was an experience, with gaps in the wooden-slat walls and an unfinished rock floor, but the water was warm.
We waited to see what dinner that evening in our hut would be that flew the Union Jack. From where I was sat, I could see the point at which Albania, Kosova and Montenegro all meet at the top of a peak.
It was a cold night, with hard beds, but there was trahana for breakfast: a sturdy highlander meal.
Dobërdoll to Milleshevc
The day began with an incredibly steep ascent – a real head down and trudge it out climb. On reaching the summit our total elevation was 1,000m higher than Ben Nevis. It was slow and sweaty going and in my trudging on I neglected to notice that my focus had meant that I had not considered how Steve was faring – a good lesson to be reminded of.
Charlotte and Jitzer were also making the climb, as were an older Belgian couple, and a Dutch couple we had briefly met the day before.
(Oh! And I neglected to mention my meeting with Sean in Dobërdoll, an American living in Korçe with his Lithuanian wife and their family.)
Further along the route, Jitzer and I decided to summit the peak at which the three countries meet, whilst Steve and Charlotte remained with the bags. It felt like a significant moment, and I’m glad to have made the effort to do so.
A little while later we said goodbye to Charlotte and Jitzer as they would head into Montenegro and not complete the Kosova route – it seemed that many didn’t choose that path!
Much of the day passed as the others, with a notable descent through pine shrubs and other challenging plants and rocks, as well as walking through a village that seemed to carry the air of holiday residences.
After a steep climb we made it to the Kulla Guesthouse, soon to be joined by a new German face we had not met before, and another we had briefly encountered on the Valbonë to Çerem segment, where we corrected our path to avoid scrambling up a landslide.
It remained the four of us in at the guesthouse, which was pleasant, and dinner was the most filling to date – I was particularly happy that we were served byrek më kungull, something that is hard to come by out of the home environment.
Another early night followed, warmer and more comfortable than the night before.
Milleshevc to Reka e Alleges
We made an early start again after a filling breakfast, which included a sort of minestrone soup…
A very steep ascent greeted us almost straight away, and throughout the day we were reminded that the Kosova segment is less maintained than Albania and has fewer route markers. Thankfully Steve’s map-reading skills were up to the task.
After a brief walk across the summit, past an almost empty lake, we began the tiresome descent of more than 1200m over 4km. The terrain was uneven and unforgiving, and I mentally had to remain focussed on both the ground ahead but also the removal of irritated or negative emotions.
After much careful footwork, but still a few slips and slides, we made it to the bottom and were greeted by an expertly placed “motel” and restaurant. We stopped for coffee and, feeling refreshed, began the last 7ish km on entirely asphalt road to our destination for the evening. Just as we set off, we bumped into Brian again as he finished the long climb down. It was enjoyable to see familiar faces throughout the trip, and indeed we spent much of the day with a shadow in the form of the older couple from Belgium.
On the road to Reka e Alleges we agreed that we would alter our plans so that we would not stay for 2 nights, including a rest day, but continue to Kuqishtë the next day if possible.
Upon arrival at our guesthouse for the evening we began the usual routine of cleaning ourselves and our clothes, and then enjoyed a beer for Steve and a çaj malli for me – as well as what I sincerely hoped was not a €40 slice of fli each (as the menu indicated), as good as it was.
Dinner was confused as they had made food without checking with us. I assume they ate the speca më mish, whilst we had salad and rice with peppers.
Reka e Alleges – Liqenat (up the hill from Kuqishtë)
After a hearty breakfast of an abundance of petulla, and a slightly awkward negotiation over the bill (as they hadn’t agreed a rate with us beforehand), we began our journey for the day.
We had a large packed lunch, including more petulla and additional leftover from breakfast, that would be much needed to perk us up before we had a 5km slog up the tarmac road to our guesthouse.
We bumped into the German (burly) again soon after we had set off and later learned that his name is Aike. We spent much of the day leapfrogging each other that way.
Passing through some small villages, and a brief renavigation down a long and winding dirt road, meant that there was not much to report from this day. A long 24km that rang true to what we had read about the Kosova section of this hike: there is a lot of tarmac.
When we stopped for lunch, we spent an amusing 20 minutes or so watching all manner of vehicles seemingly getting lost at/around the junction by the river. Our bus shelter seating provided an excellent vantage point for this.
The final push to Guri i Kuq was sweaty, prompting even I to have a large beer after my shower. We were sharing an old chalet with Aike, and seemingly a colony of ants. For dinner we went rogue and ordered vegetable spaghetti but also the Kosovar “pogaqe” bread – bad tourists but necessary to take a break from all the dairy.
As the sun went behind the mountains, we took our cue to retire early again, but not before enjoying the owner of the guesthouse declare his excitement at having an Indian couple stay there for the first time.
It was not the most restful night sleep, but we got up at the usual time, had a “sharing egg platter” with the two German guys, and set off on our way.
Liqenat – Babino Polje
After we parted from Aike we began the first incline of the day, and it wasn’t long until we met the Belgian couple again. They must have taken a taxi from Drelaj to Liqenat, skipping the asphalt road, as we knew that had planned to only walk to Drelaj the day before and visit Pejë.
The steep ascent was split in two, with the final segment taking us to the “Logu Shkodres” (the Shkodër Pass) names as it was the former route into Albania and on to Shkodër through the mountains. At the top this was the highest point in the whole Peaks of the Balkans hike if you didn’t summit any of the peaks themselves. Stunning views greeted us, as did a strong and cold wind.
Here began the descent which would take place over about 10km, with a brief climb in the middle where we stopped for a windy lunch break.
The path was not clear for much of the descent and there was some scrambling through sloped meadows needed. However, generally this was a simpler and shorter day, which was welcome after a night with mixed rest.
Arriving at our guesthouse, there were people present who we had not met before and who had done the shorter 7/8-day itinerary starting from Plav. After a heaty meal, two faces we recognised from both Dobërdoll and Valbonë arrived, although I’m still not sure if they recognised us.
As dinner was earlier than usual, we had time to read and for me to catch up on this journal. I hope that those we’ve encountered and not seen for a while are doing OK. It’s an odd experience that over the course of this hike your world shrinks to the faces of and encounters with people on the way – a loosely affiliated nomadic community of sorts. This was one of the reasons we decided to continue without a rest day, so that our “cohort” would remain relatively constant.
On the eve of day 7, we only have 3 days left ahead of us. Some long walks, but Thethi is almost in sight.
Babino Polje – Plav
I awoke to find that one of the water packs we had filled the evening before and left out of packs ready for the morning, had slowly been leaking overnight and had consequently made my bag and a lot of the contents rather soggy. It transpires this was to be an omen for the day ahead.
After an odd breakfast and some negotiations on the cost of the meals we ate, we set off for what our dinner companions had described as a bustling town with a “night life”. I suppose it’s all relative, but I’ll add that to the category of other not helpful comments like: “the first 8km out of Plav is tarmac” (i.e., also not true).
Unfortunately, there really isn’t much to share about this segment as my energy levels were increasingly low that day, not helped that we decided to push on and get to Plav without taking lunch with us – with very few options available to us in or around Babino Polje. It also chucked it down for 2/3 of the route, which dampens one’s spirits like a leaking water pack, but it also spurs you on to get somewhere dier.
The view of Plav as you approach it is picturesque enough, but unfortunately the town feels a little neglected. Ironically the one place we thought we might have a stable internet connection and a chance to withdraw cash was not to be true as network issues prevented both.
After we had unpacked everything to dry it out, we explored Plav – which was a brief affair. However, we bumped into Aike, offering us a chance to say goodbye. We also think our Belgian friends ended their hike here. With nowhere looking all that appealing for dinner, we braved the supermarkets who also had no access to their servers and inventories (therefore having to write down each item purchased and check the price against the labels on the shelves) and then went back to our room to eat cereal and fruit and attempt to finalise our change of accommodation in Thethi.
Three noise prominently made themselves known to us that night: the call to prayer, which I never find to be frustrating – no matter the volume, very loud music from a bar into the small hours, and then a shouting man before the sun rose; both latter I took issue with.
Plav – Vusanje
After a surprisingly pleasant breakfast, we managed to get cash out, and waved goodbye to the young group of four German siblings we had occasionally encountered on our trails, as well as the dreary town of Plav.
There was a fair amount of winding ascent, the majority of which was through woodland. Surprisingly we were asked to pay €3 each as a fee for access to the national park.
Some familiar faces on the section between Plav and Vusanje, but also some new fresh faces who were only just beginning their journeys. One such couple rescued and returned Steve’s sunglasses after he slipped and fell, thankfully with no major injuries – just a fair amount of mud and some bruising.
We reached a meadow and a large group of female hikers, where then our paths diverged as we followed the ridgeline on the flank just below it, before rising to meet it just before our descent.
As well as the usual horses, sheep, and an abundance of cows, we also came across two large and rather mean looking dogs, and a semi-permanent tent campsite nestled into the rocks – for seasonal shepherds, it seemed.
It was clear that we were on the approach to Albania again as the mountains once more became jagged. We paused for lunch tucked into the rocks, as the wind and brief showers returned every now and again, and then resumed what felt as if it were an eternal descent, especially as this was the first guesthouse, I booked for this trip that added an extra 20 minutes to our route.
After we had checked in, we spent some time hearing about the border-life of an Albanian family living in Montenegro, and often in Kosova too, from the son of the owner. I wonder if much work has been done to record the stories and the experiences of those in these borderlands.
Dinner was a strange affair, not my favourite from the trip, and once again I played translator for some other guests who wanted to know about breakfast.
Bags packed once again. Final day tomorrow.
Vusanje/Vuthaj – Thethi
The day began as it so often has on this trip: with an omelette, bread, tomatoes, cucumber, and cheese. Vegetarianism is just about possible in the mountains; veganism most certainly is not. Today there was also ajvar, which is the first time we’ve had it on this trip.
There was a sense of apprehension as we set off for our final day, an acknowledgement that the end of something was approaching. With the mountains wrapped in mist and a light drizzle in the air, we hiked back the 1.5km to the Peaks of the Balkans route – the first time we needed to do so on this trip, having usually lucked out with the location of our guesthouse bookings.
We passed the large group of women we had briefly bumped into the day before, as well as a minibus dropping hikers further up the canyon. It feels good to have completed the whole route without any vehicles at all.
The weather chopped and changed and remained indecisive throughout the day. Not before long were out coats damp, not from the rain but from that uncomfortable warmth only a waterproof jacket can create. At times I felt like a “boil in a bag” meal.
The route rose and up, with a few familiar faces from the last few days but none of our regulars from earlier in the trip.
It’s fair to say that our bodies were a little tired and likely sensing the end of our journey, but we pushed on – knowing that we had a longer route today and a tricky descent, potentially to navigate in the looming mist and rain.
We decided to push on with as few breaks as possible – pausing a few times to briefly eat a snack, but otherwise carrying straight on to the pass that would take us through back into Albania and our final descent.
The route down was tricky as expected but perhaps as intimidating as the various blogs and map commentaries had suggested. Taking it slow and steady, we stopped off to eat our packed lunch of doorstopper rolls from the guesthouse for just 15 minutes.
We spiralled down into the valley, noting the sheer drop at times, and eventually came to more familiar terrain indicating the valley was near. The last 5km was an hour that required mental fortitude, but at last we approached the final slope into Thethi and the point at which we had had begun our trek.
And so, it concluded. With no fanfare, only an end – a conscious decision to stop walking.
We stopped for a coffee, and a beer and ice-cream respectively, gladly saw Brian again as he ended his trip too and paid the waiter, he believed me to be Albanian.
The final 1.5km to our guesthouse drifted by as we noted the changes Thethi has undergone since our last visit only a year ago – ned roads, new buildings, and certainly a new vibe. Sadly, gone are the days where only a 4x4 would get you here.
Chatting with our guesthouse owner, it transpired that he used to live in Clapham Common, and he gladly offered us a glass of raki to toast the end of our trip.
Tonight, we will sit under the umbrellas outside the guesthouse in intermittent rain and enjoy a meal, safe in the knowledge that the next day does not require a challenging ascent by foot.