Albania’s Accursed Mountains: The Hike from Valbona to Theth
The hike from Valbona to Theth is a one day hike that covers approximately 14 kilometers up and over a portion of the Albanian Alps. It is often referred to as a “three day loop” because it will take about one full day of transportation to get to Valbona, and a half a day car ride to get home from Theth.
It is an absolutely gorgeous, doable hike with comfy beds and home cooked meals awaiting you on either end- perfect for a novice hiker.
My husband and I did this hike early July 2018 and I will do my best to break down the stuff you need to know that isn’t easy to find online.
A few things first:
Distance: 12-16 kilometers, varies considerably based on starting and ending points
Elevation gain: 1000 meters
Time: 5-7 hours, again, depends on starting and ends points and hiking speed
Difficulty: Moderate
Lodging: Guesthouses of varying prices and amenities, meals included
What to bring: Sneakers (hiking boots optional), hiking poles (optional but useful), small daypack to carry: snacks, something to sleep in, toiletries (like deodorant, toothpaste/brush, etc), water bottles (we did 2 per person), cash, camera, phone, charger
First you need to get yourself to the jumping off point: Shkoder, Albania. Shkoder is about a 2 hour drive north from Albania’s capital, Tirana, located at the very northern border of Albania and Montenegro.
Because we were planning to spend 2 weeks in Albania traveling down the coast, we did not want to backtrack from Tirana to Shkoder and then back again, therefore flew into Podgorica, Montenegro, which actually only a 1 hour drive from Shkoder. (We flew Austrian Air, Chicago–> Vienna–> Montenegro).
We spent one night in Podgorica, which was actually super adorable (see above) and full of great restaurants and bars. Our hotel, Hotel Hemera, was nice as well. We chose to hire a taxi to take us to Shkoder as taking a rental car from Montenegro to Albania was going to be expensive. The taxi cost 45euro/whole taxi to go to Shkoder. Having a driver was also nice at the border crossing as saw other tourists unloading their entire cars to be inspected and we just had to hand over our passports to be checked and were on our way.
In Shkoder, we stayed at The Rose Garden Hotel, which, true to it’s name, had a beautiful rose garden. It was 44 euro for the night and included complimentary breakfast to go in the morning.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Shkoder, which was scorching hot in July, so we eventually landed at a bar to watch the World Cup games that were going on. (Of note, Aperol spritzes are only $2.50 in Shkoder and very delicious. I do recommend against consuming 3 of them in rapid succession like I did, however). We went to bed pretty early that night (for a variety of reasons).
The plan for the next day:
- Mini-bus from hotel to Koman Lake Ferry (arranged by our hotel)
- Pick up time: 7am
- Cost: 5 euro/per person
- Travel time: approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. (Other blogs mentioned bad/dangerous roads but I found them to be mostly paved and not scary)
- Shuttle from Koman Lake to Fierza- the boat is called the Berisha
- Departs at 9am daily
- We purchased tickets online beforehand here
- It may not be necessary to purchase beforehand but our ferry was PACKED, so better not to be SOL
- Travel time: 3 hours
- Inside the boat is sitting only, outside is standing only. Initially everyone wanted to be inside because it was cold but there wasn’t enough seats so we ended up outside sitting on a pile of backpacks at the front of the boat and this, ultimately, was the best seat in the house
- Fierza to Valbona
- When you disembark the boat, its total chaos (it was also pouring down rain for us), there will be a dozen different people offering rides
- We chose a shared car with one other girl, costing 7 euro/per person (they know all the guesthouses and will drop you where you ask to go)
- Travel time: ~1 hour
- Having a driver who listens to blaring EDM: free of charge!
We stayed at Quki i Valbones Guesthouse in Valbona for 45 euro/night total. This is a new lodge built by the same people behind the more well-known, Rilindaja Guesthouse. Since this lodge was recently opened, we actually had to check-in at Rilindaja, then had lunch, and walked about a mile along the river to our guesthouse.
TWO IMPORTANT NOTES:
- I recommend booking a guesthouse before arriving to Valbona on booking.com, the houses are very spreadout along a not very walkable road. It would be a disaster to have your driver from Fireza taking you from guesthouse to guesthouse to try to find lodging
- The location of your guesthouse in the valley doesn’t really matter. Once you check-in, you’ll likely stay at your guesthouse the rest of the day. We had initially planned to start the hike the next day from our guesthouse, but after seeing the windy/hill-y paved road, we chose to be dropped off closer to the trail head by our hotel shuttle (most people do this)
As the riverbed comes to an end, the trail slowly transitions into the quintessential alpine valley with rolling hills and greenery everywhere. It is not steep and very pleasant. As you transition from the green hills to a more forest-like environment it does become steep- this was probably the least pleasant part of the hike for me since there wasn’t a lot of views and I was starting to get sweaty.
It is important to note that the hike is very well-marked and well-traveled: at any point where the path is not obvious, there will be spray-painted red and white markers point you in the correct direction.
After the forest-like area, it becomes more exposed switchbacks, this is also where the views become great because you can see down the entire valley. The other nice part of this hike- it means you’re really close to the top!
We arrived at the top approximately 3 hours after we started, having taken a few short breaks and hiking at a moderate speed. It was a little cloudy on the pass, so the views were somewhat limited but I was elated just to be heading downhill so I didn’t really mind.
After going over the pass, it was pretty smooth sailing. About 20 minutes into the downhill stretch, we stopped at a small cafe for a coffee. Garan and I tend to hike quickly, without many breaks, so it was nice to stop and just relax for a few minutes.
After getting down and out of the trees, it opens up into beautiful fields covered in flowers. It was seriously a The Sound of Music moment. It was also starting to get pretty warm so I was glad to be close to the finish line.
Soon we reached the bottom of the trail and this is where it gets very confusing.
Pro-tips:
- I recommend booking a lodge in Theth
- Theth is a huuuuge valley, several kilometers long. If you do not have a lodge booked, you could be walking a very long ways from house to house trying to find a place to stay
- At the bottom of the trail, the trail kind of suggests you go to the right however the main part of town (Theth Skolla) is actually to the left. Having a guesthouse booked, you could drop a pin at your location and this will help guide you where you need to go. (Also, the lock in tower and church are in Theth Skolla)
- Don’t drop your phone in the river
- I dropped my phone in the river and it was swept away to it’s new home (and we were on day four of a thirty day trip. ahhhh!)
After consuming more calories than necessary (do not even get me started on those stuffed peppers and that bread!), we decided to burn a little of it off by making the two kilometer walk to Theth Skolla. This is where the lock-in tower and picturesque church are located. (If you want a more centrally located guesthouse, The Shpella Guesthouse is right next to the lock-in tower).
After returning to Bjutina Berisha, we enjoyed another massive feast of a dinner in the garden with our housemates and had a few glasses of wine before it was time to retire. Our stay ended up costing a total of $69 euro total- our room, lunch, dinner, and breakfast (plus alcohol). Overall, a wonderful deal.
We had arranged with our guesthouse for a “mini bus” to pick us up in the morning at 8:30am for the 3 hour drive to Shkoder. We were (mildly) surprised when a 22-year-old guy showed up in a mud-covered jeep and told five of us to pile in. The drive out of the valley took about an hour of windy, gravel roads- it would have been a hair-raising experience except the driver had clearly done this a thousand times. (I was actually more nervous once we got to the paved roads heading down the other side of the mountain because this kid was acting like an F1 driver and my stomach was in my throat).
We arrived in Shkoder just after 11am and were dropped back at The Rose Garden Hotel where they had been holding our luggage (free of charge). Because it was so early in the day, we decided to head to the bus terminal (which is located next to the theatre) to get on the road to Tirana.
When we arrived at the terminal, the next big bus was leaving in 30 minutes for the cost of 3 euro/per person, however it appears locals heading to Tirana often loiter near the bus terminal to get people to ride with them to cover the cost of gas- one such fellow offered to drive us for 5 euro/per person and was leaving immediately, so we chose to go with him and it was a very comfortable, air-conditioned ride!
Although I am a novice hiker, I would say this is one of my favorite hikes I have ever done. It is challenging but so do-able and rewarding. The views (and food!) are amazing. And the Albanian hospitality is truly unparalleled.
Have you done the hike from Valbona to Theth? Have you been to Albania? Questions? Comments? Please let me know!
Pin a photo below to remember this post for your future travels!
Your hike from Valbona-Theth sounds really fun and informative. Also more pictures on this one. Good job honey!
Thanks, John! That was one of my favorite hikes! Good food, warm bed to sleep in, great views!
What a wonderful adventure you two are having. Thanks for this lovely blog so we can all see and enjoy places we never even dreamed of going.
Thank you, Shannon! We are really enjoying getting to see so much and feel fortunate to have this opportunity
Oooh this looks amazing!
What an epic payoff for a moderate hike! Although, 1000m elevation gain is pretty hefty, so surely you can count yourself as an epic hiker now!? 😉
Poor you for losing your phone though. (I imagine the sound in the wilderness at that point sounded like “Nooooooo!”)
SUCH an amazing payoff for not too much work. The views! The food! (but yes, losing my phone on day 4 of like a 30+ day trip was nightmarish)
My friends did this hike a few years ago and I kind of thought, “Meh” when I saw their pictures, but… you had MUCH lovelier weather and I can see from your photos why this hike is so popular! I love visiting rural areas and staying in little guesthouses along the way… a return to Albania might just be in the cards for Summer 2020!
Do it! And do it soon! It wasn’t too busy while we were there but I imagine that will be changing..
This is absolutely gorgeous! I didn’t know about these mountains before, but I’m just getting into backpacking so this is very helpful. Thanks!
wow this is stunning! I’ve never thought to even visit here! Such great photos! I love hikes you can do in a day too.
First of all, the Accursed Mountains sound terrifying from the name alone – but it looks like you had some beautiful weather and views to accompany your trip. I feel like as soon as it gets dark, I would turn into a chicken afraid of ghosts or something. Second, I am so sorry to hear about your phone. I think I would sit down a cry right there.
Looks great! I would love to go on this hike someday 🙂
This Valbona-Theth hike seems challenging for me. The most I do is about 4 hours. I can see the motivation though, the lovely views and the rewarding stops make it worthwhile. You had really good luck with the weather but bad luck about the phone.
Truly a great hiking experience! The views are amazing with huge mountain and big open valley right in front of you! I fall in love with the Theth Skolla village views. And most of all, still far from tourists touch.
Such an amazing place to hike! I had no idea it was so beautiful there. Thanks for sharing, adding this to my bucket list! ::)
What a beautiful landscape! I hardly ever see pictures or posts of Albania, it is beautiful! Good for you for hiking that much, it is no easy feat!
Thank you for sharing. Looking forward even more to a hiking trip in that area I’ll be taking this September. Your pictures were beaurtiful!
Thanks for commenting , Mary Ann! It was SUCH a wonderful experience. Great views, food and and the price point couldn’t be beat.
Amazing adventure and the views are breath taking. I could imagine how pretty and surreal it must have been in person. I plan on taking a trip to Albania next year,
Will travel throughout the entire country from the southern riviera to the northern Albanian Alps- cant wait!