June 4-10, 2025

May you live as long as the mountains.

• Albanian Proverb

Most Americans are familiar with some of the iconic Balkan highlights such as Athens and Dubrovnik, but much of the region is something of a mystery.  It was to me. So, I made note of a trail called “The Peaks of the Balkans” when I ran across it a year or two ago, and this was the year to take the next step.

As hiking trails go, the “Peaks of the Balkans Trail” is a youngster, coming into existence in 2012. The full trail covers about 119 miles and can take 7-10 days, crisscrossing the borders of Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo in the Accursed Mountains (also known as the Albanian Alps). Portions of the trail existed as shepherd paths for centuries if not millennia; creating the trail tied these together in a manner to connect remote villages. The hike was created, in part, to help foster economic development in these remote areas. The hike also helps to promote peace and cooperation between three countries where that didn’t always exist. Variations are available; our trek covered 47 miles in five days of hiking.  

Marketing hikes in an area called the Accursed Mountains (Albanian: Bjeshkët e Nëmuna) could be considered a questionable marketing practice. Where does such a name come from? There are as many legends as a person chooses to look for. The one I took a fancy to was that the devil was unleashed from hell for a day of mischief and created the jagged peaks throughout the region. The area certainly has suffered a tortured history in the recent past.  The decade from 1991 to 2001 following the collapse of Yugoslavia was especially violent, with over 100,000 deaths throughout the region in conflicts collectively known as the Balkan Wars. Remnants of machine gun bunkers, military barracks, and other military structures dot the trail today.  On to the hike.

The trail is available as anything ranging from a self-guided trek with each person arranging their own sleeping arrangements and meals, to guided treks with all accommodations and meals provided. I’ve planned my share of hikes – this hike I chose the guided package with all meals and accommodations included. I rarely use a guided tour, but I decided to in this case with multiple border crossings (requiring permits) and the perceived potential for language difficulties. Several vendors offer tour packages. I chose “Balkan Natural Adventure” and gave them a five-star review. Our guides Mergim (“Megi”) and Lumi (both from Kosovo) were a blessing, handling any required communications and sharing a lot of history. Megi in particular seemed to know everyone we passed. When I asked him how many times he had hiked the trail he simply said “many times”.

Day 1, June 4 – Arrival in Shkoder

After flying into the capital and largest city of Tirana, Albania (metro population 536,000) and decompressing for a couple of days, we took a three-hour bus ride to Shkoder where our adventure again. Bill Ramsey joined me from the US for this trip. In Shkoder we met the rest of our diverse group from the UK, US, Japan, and Canada. Megi and Lumi introduced themselves during our pre-hike brief. We got to know each other a little and went over what was to come in the next five days of hiking.

Day 2, June 5 – Transfer from Shkoder to Theth by van, hike from Theth to Valbona

We checked out from the Promenade Hotel in Shkoder and loaded up into the van for a three-hour ride to the start of our hike in Theth, Albania.  We enjoyed getting to know our hiking companions as we left the valley and began our ascent into the Albanian Alps, a long stretch of winding roads with hairpin turns. This was beautiful territory. The elevations aren’t extreme – the highest point on the entire hike was only about 7000 feet with surrounding peaks only around 9000 feet. That certainly doesn’t detract from their grandeur – they compare with any I’ve seen in the European Alps, Patagonia, or the American Rockies.

Theth is a tiny town with a permanent population of about 370 – and that was the largest village we would hike through.  The creation of the hike breathed life into this once nearly deserted village. We began our hike here and it didn’t take long to get a taste of what we would see for the next five days. We climbed about 3450 feet, almost all of that in the first four miles to Valbona Pass. The Swahili term “Pole, Pole” (meaning slowly, slowly) was the theme for the week on these long uphill grinds. We passed a couple of residences as we climbed through beech forests and mountain meadows where locals took advantage of the opportunity to sell refreshments to passing hikers. These were the first of many we would pass with varying levels of service.

We stopped for a break at Valbona Pass, with a spectacular view of Maja Jazerces ahead of us.  The Valbona Valley awaited us as we began our descent, the landscape shifting to a pine forest. Cool mountain streams refreshed us. Arriving at Bar and Restaurant Emanueli when we reached the valley, we chose to enjoy a beverage and opt for a local taxi to our lodging for the night rather than walking down a dry riverbed for the last few miles. Good call!! We arrived at Guest House Kol Gjoni in Valbona for the night.

Hike for the day: 7.2 miles, 3455 feet of ascent (per my Garmin)

Day 3, June 6 – Hike from Valbona to Cerem

After a wonderful breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, fried bread, cheeses, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a refreshing forest tea (herbs collected in the forest, dried, then steeped to make tea), we were ready for another day.

The walk through town was pleasant, passing small farms and a few of the many small mushroom-capped military bunkers we passed this trip.  A whopping 750,000 bunkers were built (14.7 per square mile!), during the rule of Albanian communist dictator Enver Hoxsa from 1944 until his death in 1985. Albania did not prosper during this time. At his death, Albania was the third poorest country in the world with an average income of a mere $15/month.  A regrettable national symbol, remaining bunkers have largely been abandoned in place.

We then began another tough climb to start the day, this time 3600 feet in 4.5 miles. We climbed through forests and meadows before reaching the craggy, rock-strewn landscape of Prosllopi Pass (6689 feet). We enjoyed the wildflowers – June is prime wildflower season in the Balkans, while we ate lunch and listened to Megi share some of his personal history of the war-torn years.

In the saddle of the pass there are remnants of a summer settlement (katun) used by shepherds tending their livestock during the summer. We saw several of these over the course of the hike. Some are still used, others abandoned. We were there early in the season and saw none in use during our hike.

Crossing the Prosllopi Pass, we entered Montenegro for the first time. An optimistic person might think we would have some relief on the trail after climbing to the pass, but no, there was a couple of miles of rock-picking to be had before finally arriving at a pleasant mountain meadow. We gathered for some photos as we crossed the border back into Albania.

The last leg of the hike was a gentle drop through meadows and forest to the hamlet of Çerem, really just a collection of a few houses. Çerem was home to the wonderful Guesthouse Afrimi where we spent the night. Opened in 2022, this family-run guesthouse is a prime example of hiker money supporting development in remote areas. Facilities are simple but adequate, and the home-cooked meals have a unique charm giving a glimpse into local life that isn’t available on more established hikes in other areas. Chickens roam the yard while laundry dries on the line. The mother tends the kitchen preparing the next meal. The whole Peaks of the Balkans Trail experience excels in that regard.

Meals on this trip always had a protein, perhaps a chicken leg or a stuffed pepper, but this is not the feature of the meal. Instead, we had a wide variety of breads, fruit, vegetables, eggs, and dairy products as the highlights.

Hike for the day: 10.4 miles, 4015 feet of ascent (per my Garmin)

Day 4, June 7 – Hike from Çerem to Doberdol.

After a lovely breakfast, we packed our lunches from the leftovers and headed out for Doberdol. This day started off easier, with only about a 1300-foot climb through forests and meadows to reach our first high point for the day. Portions of the hike traverse the “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians”, a UNESCO protected woodland that is also part of the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany that now stretch across 12 countries. We crisscrossed the Albanian – Montenegro border twice.

Research before the hike cautioned that Albanian water supplies could not be relied on as potable. That seems to be the case for some municipal supplies with aging infrastructure, but we reliably had mountains spring sources that were pure.

We stopped for lunch in the shade of trees alongside a wildflower filled meadow.  This was a relaxing day after the taxing climb to start the last two days. We hiked a bit further before stopping at Balquina teahouse that had just opened for the season. The sweet lady served us our beverages while I inspected the interesting electrical system made up of solar panels, a car battery, and a small control center. They had a hodgepodge look but worked. The solar panels are a difference maker for these remote locations. The folks up here may not be wealthy, but they certainly enjoy million-dollar views from their highland perches.

The descent into Doberdol Valley was an idyllic stroll into a verdant valley to the tiny village of Doberdol for our stay at Guest House Leonardi. The guest houses can serve more trekkers than there are residents living here. There are perhaps 100 local residents in the summer season; maybe a dozen in the winter.

Hike for the day: 10.3 miles, 3616 feet of ascent (per my Garmin).

Day 5, June 8 – Hike from Doberdol to Babino Polje.

This was to be an easy, fun day. After breakfast of fried eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, and fried dough bread, I packed a dandy sandwich from the leftovers. We headed up the valley with the tri-corner border of Kosovo, Montenegro, and Albania just ahead. We didn’t make it that far, though, turning northwest to angle out of the valley towards Montenegro for a 1300-foot climb to the pass at the Montenegro border at about 7000 feet.

We stopped at the border for a break. I gazed out at the mountains and reflected. The Albanian Alps began forming about 65 million years ago, similar to the European Alps and the American Rocky Mountains. By comparison, the Appalachian Mountains where I was raised began forming about 480 million years ago. I certainly can’t confirm these numbers but it’s easy for me to sense the relative differences from the geography of the land.

We continued our trek into Montenegro through high mountain meadows, passing the remnants of a military compound bombed in 1999 by NATO forces in response to an anti-aircraft battery found here. This was a brutal period of ethnic cleansing when Yugoslav forces sought to drive Kosovar Albanians out of the country (Montenegro was part of Yugoslavia at the time).  A saying popular by those driven out at the time said “When I turn my back to you Kosovo, I leave snow behind and found winter” – there was no improvement in Albania.

We dropped out of the meadows into alpine forest on our way to Hrid Lake. We had a leisurely lunch, reading, relaxing and taking a refreshing swim in the lake. Like many lakes in the area this is glacial fed, so sure to invigorate!

The afternoon was an easy hike through forests and meadows with occasional farms dotting the landscape.  We arrived at Hrid Ecolodge in Babino Polje. With construction still in progress this was another example of tourist money promoting development. We enjoyed comfortable new rooms and a spectacular spread for dinner. The owner Enes Dreskovic and his wife covered the table to overflowing with the fruits of their labor in the kitchen. There was no possible way to eat everything, but we made our best effort!

Hike for the day: 9.4 miles, 1745 feet of ascent (per my Garmin).

Day 6, June 9 – Transfer from Babino Polje to Ropjana Valley. Hike to Theth. Transfer back to Shkoder.

June 9 started a little differently. After a lovely breakfast, we packed our lunches then settled in for an hour and a half van transfer to Ropojana Valley. This cut several miles of road walk and was part of the hike modification to make it a five-day hike.

The hike thus far had been warm clear days and cool nights. This was our first day starting in cloud cover and the clouds shrouding the mountains gave a different perspective. We crossed the valley floor with a few hikers from other groups. This was one of the rare times that occurred. Megi said perhaps a hundred people take our particular version of the hike each year. I appreciate solitude on a hike.

We climbed out of the valley through another beech forest to more mountain meadows. We enjoyed lunch as the clouds in the distance began to part. Our trek up the valley was through some of the rockiest terrain of the hike, with dramatic cliffs on either side. This section of the hike was a forbidden zone during the communist era, with military bunkers, barracks, and border markings remaining as a legacy.

The cloud-shrouded peaks of the border area provided some of the most spectacular vistas of the entire hike. We were nearing the end. We took time to soak in the grandeur of a part of the world that none of us had experienced before.

The last leg of our journey was a steep downhill drop of 4000 feet to Theth. After a brief stop at a guesthouse for a celebratory beverage, we hiked the last few hundred meters to a waiting van that returned us to Shkoder. We checked into our hotel for cleanup, then enjoyed our last dinner as a group. The next morning, we parted ways with a wonderful memory as the best souvenir.

Hike for the day: 9.8 miles, 2595 feet of ascent (per my Garmin).

Total for hike: 47.1 miles, 15,426 feet of ascent.

Parting thoughts….

What makes a great hike? Scenery? Certainly. Fellowship? Weather? Peace and solitude? Wildflowers/wildlife? Expense? Challenge? All the above? Other considerations?  These are all subjective. I’ve taken a few of the hikes you’ll find on lists of the “World’s Greatest Hikes” – Tour de Mont Blanc, John Muir Trail, Torres del Paine Circuit in Patagonia, West Highland Way, Kilimanjaro, a few others. This hike certainly holds a special place in my heart. The group chemistry was great, and the weather was perfect, the landscape was spectacular, the wildflowers were at peak. Whether that makes this hike first, second, third, whatever is simply irrelevant. One area that separates this hike from the others – the Guesthouse experience. Authentic local experiences are of high value to me, and increasingly more difficult to experience in a shrinking world. Another item that made this hike special – the “surprise” factor. I was simply unaware of what this area had to offer. That, along with the kindness shown to us and the personal attention given at each meal separated this from some of the other long-distance hikes.