THE ALBANIAN ALPS | 3-5 Day Hiking Itinerary for Valbona Valley & Theth National Park
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- Опубліковано 15 лип 2024
- The Albanian Alps, also known as the Accursed Mountains, are located in the north of Albania and occupy about 8% of the country’s territory. Home to dramatic mountain peaks, deep green valleys, and thick forests, this is the finest hiking area in Albania. It’s the most attractive and fascinating part of the country in our opinion, but also relatively isolated since there are only a couple of roads in and out. In fact, there is no road connecting the two most famous parks: Valbona and Theth, and you have to hike over a mountain pass to get from one to another.
📍 DAY 1: Shkodra - Komani Lake - Valbona Valley National Park
☑️ Take shuttle from Shkodra to Koman, take the ferry to Fierze, take the shuttle to Valbona Valley National Park, do a short hike to Kukaj Valley (and the Ridge near Thatë peak) or just relax at the guesthouse
🚢 Reserve your spot on the ferry: worldwildhearts.hopp.to/koman...
😴 Where we stayed in Valbona: Guesthouse Skender Selimaj www.booking.com/hotel/al/gues...
📍 DAY 2: Hike in Valbona Valley National Park
☑️ Hike to the Montenegrin-Albanian border pyramid (17.5 kms/11 mi long with 1,280 meters/4,200 ft of elevation gain). From the pass, you can also continue to Rosi peak, which adds another 400 meters/1,300ft of elevation.
Alternative trails include Jezerca Lakes and peak, Thatë peak, and Kolata peak.
📍 DAY 3: Hike the famous Valbona to Theth Trail
☑️ This point-to-point hike is about 17 kms or 10.5 miles long, depending on where you start and finish it. We would say the difficulty level is medium, and you don't need to be fit or have a lot of mountain experience to complete the trek. Just make sure you can walk for 6 to 9 hours!
😴 Where we stayed in Theth: Where we stayed: Bujtina Miqesia www.booking.com/hotel/al/bujt...
📍 DAY 4 (& 5): Hike in Theth National Park + Bus Back To Shkodra
☑️ If you’re catching the bus back on DAY 4, you can do a half-day hike to the iconic Theth Church, Grunas Waterfall, and the Blue Eye. If you plan to hike all the way to the Blue Eye, keep in mind that it’s 17 kms or 10.5 miles total. Alternatively, you can hike to the Church and Grunas Waterfall only, which is a lot shorter and you’ll only need about 3-hours.
If you want to spend a full day in Theth instead (and take the bus back on DAY 5), we don’t recommend hiking this extremely crowded trail! Instead, opt for a more rewarding trek to one of the peaks, caves, or glacial lakes. Find other trail options in the tourist center in town.
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✏️ ALBANIAN ALPS GUIDE (WITH HIKING MAPS):
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🎵 MUSIC CREDITS:
Hope and Glory by Nobo
Rejoice in the morning by The David Roy Collective
Rainbow by Vaeceslav Draganov
Life by ANBR
Local Albanian Music by Theth Musician
🎥 VIDEO CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
1:16 DAY 1 Shkodra and Komani and Valbona
3:23 DAY 2 Hike Valbona Valley National Park
5:15 DAY 3 Hike Valbona to Theth Trail
6:43 DAY 4 OR 5 Hike in Theth and Bus Back To Shkodra
8:24 More Albanian Alps Tips
#thethnationalpark #valbonavalleynationalpark #albania
this country is incredible..
Yes it's so beautiful!
they have beautiful landscapes, atmospheric cities, good nightlife, extraordinary sandy beaches, wonderful crystal-clear water, beautiful towns, magnificent mountains, fantastic weather, amazing historic monuments, delicious traditional food, a very unique language and on top of that you can ski in the winter as well.. I can't think of anything Albania DOESN'T HAVE! Will definitely visit soon! Thank you for the amazing video's. You earned a subcription.
I so appreciate you sharing all these details! I'm about to turn 60 and hiking in Albania with my wife is my present to myself
Nice! That's a great present!
I just did this trail 2 days back, and I think this current Fall season is more beautiful than Summer for this hike. Also, a much lesser crowd. Thank you for your series of Albania videos. Super helpful.
I can imagine it’s magical during the fall season!! And glad it was helpful 😁
What month did you do the hike? - thanks
Breathtaking work folks, shots are spectacular! Views are here simply unreal, what a majestic video! 🔥🔥
Thank you so much 🤩
So beautiful! Excellent info- really like the description area of this you tube too!
Thanks you! 😄
Great video/s... Thank you for discovering our beautiful country to the world!
awesome, thank you so much :)!
Thanks for watching!
Excellent Video! You've collected some beautiful impressions here 👍😊. we wish you a nice day! Best wishes Up'n'Down-Traveling
Thank you! 😁
your video is very interesting and professional. Keep going 🌹
Thanks! ☺️
thanks for sharing .... its beautiful ... soon i will travel there ...
Enjoy!
The best description 😊🎉❤
Thanks!
Thanks for the support! 😊
Great job with the video! I can highly recommend you guys hike in Guatemala, or just central america in general :)
Would love to hike in Guatemala and Central America! It's a region that we haven't explored much yet...
❤❤❤❤❤
AM FROM ALBANIA
Nice country! 🙏
Great video! Did you see any dangerous wildlife while on the trail? We’re doing it soon and am nervous about that!
Don’t be nervous, it’s pretty relaxed
Nice video! What time of the year did you hike there?
We hiked at the end of September!
Awesome video. Can I ask you, where did you leave your car in Shkodër? Any good and safe place to leave it for a few days?
We left it at our hotel. Most hotels offer overnight parking. It was about 5€ per night to leave it there and there were cameras so was all safe
Safe is a good question
THANK YOU FOR THIS!!!
I was struggling to find a complete guide for this hike and now I finally have an overview.
I am going solo in september and a bit worried that this wont work out. Do you know where i can book the package including minivan in advance?
Glad it was helpful! We booked it at the hotel we stayed at. All hotels in Shkoder seem to know what they're doing (and they're all connected somehow). They can book the complete package for you. If you want to be more prepared, it might be best to contact the Komani Lake Ferry company. Here is more info: komanilakeferry.com/en/services/pick-up-service-from-tirana-shkodra-and-valbona/
So did I 😊
Awesome, thank you for the info! So everyone just leaves theirs main backpack at Shkodra? Do you pay for the room there or are there lockers to rent in the city?
We left them with the reception! Just talk to the staff in your hotel and they will help you!
Great video - A couple of questions: 1 - What are the best months for hiking in the area ; 2: is it 17+ kilometers to the mountain saddle one way, or there and back; and 3: Can you camp at the top of the saddle?
1. Probably June-October. We hiked at the end of September and there wasn't any snow in the mountains yet. Though the evenings were very cold
2. For the hike in Valbona, it's out-and-back so total length, for the hike from Valbona to Theth it's one way over the mountain so 17km from Valbona town over the pass and down to Theth in total.
3. We didn't see any people camping on the trails / into the mountains. There were a few campgrounds in Valbona itself, but in the town, and they were on an official campground (but no one was there at the end of Sept)
@@worldwildhearts Thanks, I think if I went I would try to take a week in the area and do some day hikes on both sides. The Saddle hike looked amazing
I am planning this tour in October, i hope it doesn’t get cold
🦅🇦🇱🇦🇱🦅
Thanks for the Video! How much did you pay for the whole Package? And you left your big bags in shkodra in the hotel, so you payed two hotels (1 in shkodra for the bags and 1 in theth/valbona/…) during this 5 day trip? Best regards:)
I think the package was over 20€ per person. Not sure the price has changed since then. And we paid about 5€ per day to keep our bags in the hotel + car in the parking lot in Shkoder. Then, we booked a hotel in Valbona and Theth seperately.
Is this trip able to do solo? i want to sly in to tirana and head up that way, so this itinerary helped a ton. How much was the round trip costs!
Yes absolutely able to do it solo!! There’s many backpackers that head that way so you’ll sure meet some people. The bus and boat weren’t very expensive (maybe 30€ per person for the transportation), but the higher cost was the places to stay (between 30-50€ per night for a basic room with breakfast included). There also aren’t any restaurants really (especially in Valbona) so you usually eat dinner at your accommodation, which was another 10€ for dinner.
amazing , inspiring video. Great detail. Please can i get som,e sort of map for day 2
This is the trail on day 2: Valbonë: Rosni Peak on AllTrails
www.alltrails.com/trail/albania/kukes/valbona-maja-rosit?sh=ykxicp
You don’t have to hike the entire way up to get spectacular views! We went about 3/4 of the hike and had some amazing views
also, where did you stay and are there places to eat/drink?
In Theth there are many places to eat! In Valbona, it’s more limited. But usually the accommodation provides a full dinner (has to be paid in cash and is generally about 10$ per person for a full meal with drinks)
Hello, am jairos invite you to seize this high season and explore Tanzania like never before!
Sounds great! We hope to visit soon!
Would late March/early April be too cold to do this?
It might be too snowy to hike in the mountains… hiking season generally runs from May to October
What kind of wildlife is these mountain ranges? Bears?
No bears that we were aware of! Didn’t see much wildlife to be honest. Just livestock and dogs 😉
Hows October for this hike
Should be fine if you’re going earlier in the month! Weather might be a bit more unpredictable though (so make sure you can be flexible enough )
How much for the bus package arranged?
We don't remember the exact price but it was pretty cheap overall :) All hotels offer the exact same package at the same price
Do you think this is doable with a bicycle..? Theth to Valbona.
I think that would be pretty hard as the trail is narrow and steep with rocks! Didn’t see anyone biking it tbh
@@worldwildhearts im giving it a try this summer tbh, with the mindset that i will have to lift my bicycle at some points...but overall not dangerous like being on edge of cliffs etc.