A GUIDE TO HIKING FROM VALBONË TO THETH IN ALBANIA’S ALPS
Hands down, hiking through the Accursed Mountains from Valbonë (Valbona) to Theth in Albania is one of the most memorable things that I have done throughout my travels so far. The hike is actually a 3(+) day ordeal, and the journey to, from and before and after the hike is just as memorable and beautiful as walking the ∼15km (9.3mi) trail.
The Albanian Alps are surreal, they have an energy that is not explainable no matter what I write.
Theth, Albania
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HIKE OVERVIEW
Day 1: Shkodër→Koman→Firenze→Valbonë
Day 2: Valbonë→Theth Hike
Day 3: Theth→Shkodër
The trip is done is done in 3 days minimum, starting and ending in Shkodër. Many people do spread the journey out, staying in either Valbonë or Theth (or both) for more than 1 night to explore the areas, or even to camp along the trail overnight. The total for the minimum 3 days was €90 (not including drinks, etc.).
The best thing you can do is book this trip through the Wanderers Hostel in Shkodër. They will book all of the rides, the ferry, and the guesthouses for you and all you have to do is pay the LEK.
They will also keep your big bags at the hostel for you as you will be carrying your things from village to village. They made this trip so extremely easy and I met some awesome people doing it as well.
You can book Wanderer’s Here.
Valbonë National Park
DAY 1: TRAVEL DAY, SHKODËR→VALBONË
8:45am-12pm: Bus from Shkodër-Koman 7€ (700L)
2pm-4:30pm: Ferry from Koman-Firenze 12€ (1200L)
4:30pm-5:15pm: Bus from Firenze-Valbonë 4€ (400L)
Stay at Guesthouse Arben Selimaj for the night 28€ (2800L)
A bus, a ferry, and another bus seems like it is a long travel day, but it really is not bad at all, mostly because it is just so unbelievably beautiful.
In the morning you will drop your bags in the storage room at Wanderers to keep until you get back. From there, you will hop onto a big van and drive out even further north into the middle of nowhere to the Komani Lake Ferry.
The road through Wanderer’s will cost you 7€ (or 700L), and stops at a tiny little café to get snacks and drinks around half way through the first ride.
Komani (Koman) Lake
Komani Lake Ferry:
You will come to a tunnel through a mountain at the end of the road in Koman, the buses will drop you off at the start of it and from there you will walk ∼10 minutes to the other side to the opening and there you’ll board the ferry.
Our ferry ride was delayed by around two hours, but how was I supposed to complain when I was in a place so absurdly gorgeous.
The ferry ride take takes about 2 and a half hours and the entire trip is unreal. It had been a little while since I’ve been to a place that had made my jaw drop like Lake Komani did. A ferry ticket will cost you 12€ (or 1200L).
Getting off the ferry, you will hop on a bus to Valbonë, and the driver will stop on the side of the road to ask everyone where to be dropped off.
If you booked everything through Wanderer’s you will stay at Guesthouse Arben Selimaj, which will cost you 28€ (2800L) and includes dinner and breakfast.
The night before the hike at Arben Selimaj, the family provides supplies and snacks to pack for breakfast and lunch for the morning.
We spent the rest of the evening relaxing by the river in front of the guesthouse and having a big delicious Albanian dinner before going to bed early.
DAY 2: HIKE DAY, VALBONË→THETH
∼5:30am: Van ride from Guesthouse-trail head 1€ (100L)
6-8 hour, ∼15km (9.3mi) hike.
Stay at Guesthouse Dreni for the night 28€ (2800L)
Bright and early around 5:30am, we all hopped into this little van driven by the man that owns the guesthouse, and the girls that I became friends with and I all stood in the back surrounded by everyones bags. The ride to the start of the trail takes ∼10 minutes and will cost you 1€ (100L).
Valbonë-Theth Hike Trail Head, Valbona National Park
THE HIKE
The start of the hike in Valbonë is flat for the first 50 minutes or so, just walking along a gravel road as the sun rises over the mountains. This is one of the spots that is really exposed to then sun during the summer, so it is best to start early in the morning.
It is an easy walk for the first quarter of the trail with a little café in the middle of the woods about 2 or so hours in. About 3 hours in, you start to really hit the incline in a big huge open field with such beautiful views all around, lots of gorgeous wildflowers, and again lots of sun because it is so open and exposed.
The Accursed Mountains
After this part you will hit the summit of the trail, and I highly recommend walking up to the very top viewpoint. Unreal.
From there, the whole rest of the trail is downhill and shaded-which is why people really recommend getting the first half in Valbonë done before the heat gets intense.
Around 3 hours later you will get to the end of the trail, the last ∼2km are somewhat straight down hill, and the gravel is quite literally eroding and it was-seriously-just fall after fall.
When you get out to the road you will come out to a bridge over the river where the hikers all cool off, a restaurant, and a little convenience store.
The trail end is around a 20 min walk away from the center of the village and the guesthouses. People were walking and it wasn’t that bad, but we were more than ready to hitchhike because it was so hot-we didn’t even leave the parking lot without people being so kind and immediately finding a ride.
For the rest of the day we all hung out at the Guesthouse (Dreni) showering, and sitting outside in the sun, drinking their homemade wine until the evening when dinner came out. Dinner (and breakfast) are included at Dreni, and they also have a big legitimate menu and kitchen where the family cooks-dinner after the hike was fabulous.
After dinner, the family brings out the speakers and makes a fire, and everyone dances to both traditional music, along with some ABBA into the night.
Theth:
Way up north by the Montenegro border, Theth is a remote village in Albania’s Accursed Mountains. Accessible by only one road (that is only open in the summer), or a 6 hour hike, this little corner of the earth is indescribable. I would highly recommend staying in Theth for more than 2 nights, there is so much to do around the area, like the Blue Eye, and beautiful waterfalls.
DAY 3: TRAVEL DAY, THETH→SHKODËR AND ONWARDS
∼11am-2pm: Van ride from Guesthouse Dreni-Shkodër 18€ (1800L)
Most people stay in Theth for over two nights to do some of the hikes and see some of the waterfalls around, but I had to get to Tirana.
For 18€ (1800L) the guesthouse runs a big van ride from ∼11am-2pm back to Shkodër.
This day and ride back to Shkodër is easy, if you do not get motion sickness, the mountain road down is extremely twisty and steep. In classic Albanian fashion, the driver was driving so crazy, and also taking his sweet time stopping on the side of the roads to get food and talk to people, and stopping to have drinks with his buddies. Of course I never mind, but when you are car sick-it is rough.
The bus will drop you off in the center of Shkodër, where the rest of the buses all park on the side of the road to bring you to Tirana.
THINKING OF TRAVELING TO THETH? DO IT.
HERE ARE ALL OF THE RESOURCES I USE TO PLAN MY TRIPS:
FLIGHTS AND ACCOMMODATION: BOOKING.COM IS WHAT I WILL ALWAYS USE TO BOOK FLIGHTS AND STAYS. NEVER DONE ME WRONG.
TOURS, DRIVERS, AND ALL THAT FUN STUFF: VIATOR IS MY GO-TO.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: SAFETYWING HAS ALWAYS BEEN FABULOUS. THE BEST EVER.
RENTAL CARS: WHEN BOOKING ANY TRIP THAT YOU DECIDE TO RENT A CAR FOR, BOOKING.COM IS FABULOUS LIKE ALWAYS.
