hiking north Albania

Hellow!

My boyfriend %26amp; I are flying to albania at 3-17 of September and planing to traveling in north albania

Were thinking to do a trip shkodra- Razëm - Bogë - Theth - Vermosh and back to Razëm.

We will love to know if this beautifull trip is possible by foot?( we wont rent car there)

We also will be very happy for every kind of information about the western- northern Alps:

where to go (again- by foot), Is there forguns in the secondary roads between shkodra and Razëm?

Any information will be happly accepted!

Thank you,

Lee %26amp; Nir

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Check out with www.outdooralbania.com

These guys are the gurus of these trips here... And they perfectly know the areas...

Have fun!

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Hi there.

I asked few albanian friends who are experienced travellers in those areas. I dont know how much experienced hikers or trekkers you are but I dont think you can do on foot those distances you say. if you are extreme hikers that maybe you can do on foot Theth-Vermosh (about 14 solid hours) but you would definitely need a guide. From Shkoder to Razem it takes about 45 min to 1 hour by van or car, from Shkoder to Theth is just about 70 km, but it takes 4 hours by a four-wheel drive because you have to go slow as the road is not good. My suggestion is this: Take a van from Shkoder to Theth ans stay there for few days, you will have a chance to hike all over Thethi. The villagers can host you in their houses and they would charge 20-25 Euros full board (accomodation and very genuine food). A suggestion would be Mehill Carku%26#39;s house. Otherwise you can set up your tend somewhere, I belive you can make other friends who camp there. From Thethi you can hike to Vermosh but this is a challenging walk. To go by van to Vermosh, this means you have to go back to Koplik (close to Shkoder) then take the way to Vermosh. In total this means 8 hours drive. Last thing to say is that September would the latest time you can travel to Thethi because that area gets covered by snow since October or November.

Thats all I can suggest.

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Hey guys!

thanks for the detailed answers!

the final track will be taking a ferry up the valbone river to from Fierzë to Komani , then take a furgon to bajram Curri. Then wi%26#39;ll take a texi to the village Rrogam. from there wi%26#39;ll walk through Valbona Pass down to Boga and then Kopliku.

just two more questions:

1. how much we need to be concerned from beers? We read there lots of beers (is it true?) Is the albanian beers population ever attack humans?

2. Is it easy and common finding a lucal guide who%26#39;ll take us through the vally? what will be the price on average?

Again%26#39; thanks a lot! you do strongly verified the comman saying about the albanian people%26#39;s kindness and willing to help you out!

Lee and Nir

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i meant bears offcourse...

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Hi

I did the hike over the weekend (2-3 August) in the opposite direction (Theth to Rrogam and then down the valley to Valbone and Bajram Curri)

No sight of a bear - a local boy in Theth said I might see one but (unfortunately?) it was not the case

The start of the track might be a bit difficult to find in the village of Rrogam but then it%26#39;s pretty clear where to go - steeply up the valley (to the right of the valley bottom going up), then after about 90 - 120 mins walk through a beech forest the track turns left until reaching a vertical rock face, then comes a horizontal walk to the right under the face to the Qafa Valbones / Valbona Pass

The path is quite clear on the way down to Theth

Beatiful strenuous hike, great scenery!

A day with a local guide could cost some 30 - 40 EUR

Enjoy!

Adam

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Shalom Lee..

i%26#39;ll be delighted if you could point me to where you got all your knowledge about the northern region of Albania.

i%26#39;m planning a trip as well. around late august. with a friend, but can%26#39;t find anything regarding north Albania.

(except this article... ^^)

and i would really thank you, if you could link me up to a good map of Albania.

one that has all the important villeges in it..

I live in Modiín, if you%26#39;re close. maybe we could chat before your flight.

regards..

Ofer

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Hey Ofer!

All of our knowlege is actually from the net, lots of searching and deeply digging.

We also got an Albania map (by Reise)1:220,000.from one of the duty free shops, its an ok map- 8 euro.

Nir%26#39;s mail is nireshed2@yahoo.com

send us your mail and we%26#39;ll send back some usefull information : a couple of maps and some links we bumped into.

we live in kfar yuval, way up north, so i dont think well bw able to meet, but if youre around here your more then welcome to drop by

:)

Lee%26amp;Nir

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Ok Lee %26amp; Neir,

If you start your trek from Rrogam and go through Valbona peak, then you will have to go through Thethi before going to Boga. I would suggest you sleep in Thethi overnight, is worthy and you should not miss it. It would be a good idea to stay there for a couple of days, you have some options where to go, like the big waterfall, blue eye (this is in Kapre, you can stop in Nderlysaj at the house of Ded Nika and ask him to guide you to Blue Eye), there is a cave you can visit, the lock-in tower etc. Then next day you can advance to Boga. Bears are hard to be found though there might be some. You have to understand that all wild animals have very sharp ears and sight so they might see or hear you, but you can NOT see them. Normally all wild animals would leave as soon as they hear people rumors, so the chances you will see any are really slim. Plus you are not going through virgin paths, you will use paths that people have been using from centuries so you are safe from wild animals. Just take care of any snake, that could be your only concern.

When we talk about guides different people might charge different prices, this all depends on the distances you want guidance but in general they are very reasonable.

Thats all, hope this helps.

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hey Rozefa

Thanks a lot for the tips.

We are planing to stay atleast a week in this area so spending a night or more at the villages sounds great. We%26#39;ll search for Ded Nika

I%26#39;m more then sure that we%26#39;ll have an amazing trip and cant wait until will be in this beautiful country, walking through this breath- taking places and meeting the people..

Nir and Lee

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Ded Nika could be your guide to Blue Eye, but I am not sure if he hosts people in his house. My suggestion would be to stay at Mehill Carku%26#39;s guest house, very good food (everything is home made), full accomodation with very very little money. You will have a chance to see how a Thethi family lives, traditions and culture.

If you have a tent then you have to look for a place where to put it (behind their house is an option).

Best :)

Left luggage in Tirana

Planning to visit Albania next summer and I understand there is not that much to see in Tirana.

I am considering visiting Tirana for 3-4 hours to see the main square, the mosque, some relics of the communist period and a couple of other buildings/monuments before moving on to Durres and spend the night there. But I don%26#39;t want to carry my luggage all the time.

Is there any left luggage facility in Tirana? Does anyone know if it%26#39;s possible at the train station, since there does not seem to be a bus station as such? Or any hotel that might be willing to offer this service for a few euros?

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Nothing like that at the train station or anywhere in Tirana ... You should just go to a bar, make friendship with the waiter or you can go in an agency or a shop look at peoples faces and just trust them... And for sure you can!

If you will need that kind of help go to albaniantrip.com contact them and they will be happy to help you...

And reconsider Tirana... It%26#39;s not as bed as you might think!

Best

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If you wanted to justify spending longer in Tirana (and then spend the night and solve your luggage problem) you can easily go to Kruje for a few hours which is well worth a visit. It%26#39;s about 40mins from Tirana in a furgon. We did both in a day.

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Troptraveller, you can leave your luggage in one of albaniantrip central appartements... and you don%26#39;t have to pay a penny for that...

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Removed on: 10:18 pm, October 07, 2009

Driving from Kroatia to Greece

We are considering driving through Albania from Dubrovnik. We will follow the coast as much as possible, and we have plenty of time, no rush.

We have a couple of questions:

Is it madness to travel in your own car through Albania? We do not have 4WD. I hope the answer is no.

Will we be able to get the correct grade of petrol (95 unleaded) easily?

Where does one stay over night? In western Europe and Kroatia we tend to camp on well run camp sites. Is it possible to that in Albania?

Is it possible to follow the coast all the way down to Sarande? On our maps the road looks little better than a mule track.

Is it possible to cross by car ferry to Corfu and enter Greece that way?

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it shouldn%26#39;t be a problem most of the roads are near coast line and manageable, no need of 4WD. one thing i%26#39;m not 100% sure is about car ferry to Corfu but logically there should be one from Sarande.(as i%26#39;m from Kosova). People here are very helpful compare to Croatians so ask some youngsters in english about camp sites near the place you intend to camp. Good idea and safe and pleasant trip.

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You can drive the coastal road from Montenegro to Greece without a 4WD. Its bad in places where construction is currently going on. Primarily between Lushje and Vlora and again from Dhermi to Saranda. I drove it a few weeks ago and it is definitely passable in a normal car and getting better every day.

Camping is possible, but there are no organized campsites. You%26#39;d be better off staying in small hotels or asking a villager if you can camp out in his garden/olive grove.

Petrol is easy to get and generally reliable. Can%26#39;t guarantee the correct octane level, but I%26#39;ve had a petrol vehicle here for 2 years with no problems so far.

Crossing from Corfu with a car would be much more expensive than just driving into Greece. You can cross the border at several places. Qafe Bota is directly south of Saranda. Kakavije is south of Gjirokaster. Tre Urat is south of Permet. Kapshtice is southeast of Korce.

If you have other questions, e-mail me at sksintirana@hotmail.com.

Good luck.

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Thanks guys, wonderful, precisely the info we were looking for ;)

The border at Konsipol is not yet on our Hallwag map, but I could confirm that it is open for cars by googling and see that there really is a half decent road on Google Earth!

We will drive slowly, take our time, no hurry and expect that 100 km on the coast road may take as long time as 500 km on Autobahn, and we intend to enjoy every meter of the ride.

As for petrol I have two more questions:

— IS UNLEADED PETROL AVAILABLE?

— WHAT IS UNLEADED PETROL IN ALBANIAN?

I like to be able to read the signage for it. Figure the octane grade is not really important, but leaded petrol will ruin the catalyst.

As for a ferry to Corfu, we will take it if it is availabe and the cost is reasonable and it leaves at a convenient hour, if not we will simply cross the border at Konispol.

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Unleaded is available and the albanian way to ask for it is:

Benzine pa plumb

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We did drive through Albania, and can report that we had a good time. No problems at all. Drove in from Montenegro and came out into Greece, just north of Igoumenitsa. Some roads were a bit rough but no major problem for a normal car. People were nice and friendly all the way.

Lots of radar controls, never seen so many, apparently the police supplements their income with fines.

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Removed on: 12:15 pm, October 04, 2009

Sarande

In September, my wife and I will be on a cruise that has a port stop in Sarande. Instead of a ship-offered excursion, we would prefer walking around the town and seeing things on our own for several hours. Is this feasible since we don%26#39;t know the language? What sights or things to do would you most recommend? Any cautions or advice regarding how much things cost, taxis, buses, safety, souvenirs, etc? Thank you.

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Hi! We are also going on a cruise in Sept with a stop in Sarande. We are wondering the same thing as you... have you managed to find any answers to your questions?? We would appreciate any information you may have to share...

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Hi Memms7,

No one has responded to this posting, but I did get some info from the Cruise Line (Holland America). They said we must take a tender to the dock, as the ship anchors offshore. Also, the City Center is about 500m from where the ship anchors. They estimate a charge of 3 Euros (but Albania doesn%26#39;t use Euros) to get to the center. Taxis will be available on the pier. They also said that the ship personnel would be able to help with local currency. Our travel agent has cautioned us about not straying far on our own, and advised taking ship sponsored excursions is safer. But I have read on other blogs that it seems safe enough in the immediate port area near the beach and dock.

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Hi everyone!

About security: you will probably feel in Albania as safe as you might feel in Switzerland... The only dangerous thing there is traffic... Specially Saranda is a very peaceful town...

Do not miss to visit Butrint there... (for sure that must be one of the visits they will organise from the ship).

In town i would strongly reccomand a visit to the Lekuresi Castle... It%26#39;s up in the hills that dominate the town, they have a nice bar and restaurant and a gorgeous view... Should normally cost approx 10-15 euros - both ways...)

Souvenirs can be found on the small alley on the beach (town)...

There are some archeaological ruins right in the center of the town and a small archaeological museum very closed to them... (just ask and people will be happy to help)...

Nice bars and restaurants all along the cost...

An overnight would be nice actually seen that the season is to its end and places are not overcrowded...

Have a lot of fun!

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Hi Papa Al! Thank you very much for this info. We are actually going to be on a Holland America cruise as well - Black Sea Med. for 14 days - would that possibly be the one you will be on?? My email address is mmems7@hotmail.com. It is going to be our honeymoon cruise!! Let me know - we have information about another stop this one is making that might be of use to you as well.

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Thanks to Albaniantrip for the info. We appreciate it. To Mmems7, I have sent an email to your email address.

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Thank you for visiting Albania. After your first visit, I can guarantee that you%26#39;ll recommend a visit to our beatiful country to one of your friend or relatives.

Almost 90% of vendors, taxi drivers, or travel guides speak English fluently. Be sure to visit the Museum City of Butrint and Syri i Kaltert.

Taxis cost approx 5 euros within town and then depending on mileage. There are no urban buses in Saranda. Interurban, yes. Not sure how much they cost, but I believe it won%26#39;t be more than 4-5 euros. Seafood is great and fresh. Lunch or dinner for two, shouldn%26#39;t be more than 2500 Lek (20 euros) without Wine...

Hope you enjoy it

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Hi,

I don%26#39;t know how much time you%26#39;ll have on land in Sarande, but if it%26#39;s anything less than a whole day I%26#39;m afraid a visit to Butrint won%26#39;t leave you much time for anything else.

But there are plenty of other things to do and see in Saranda. Have a meal at the restaurant jutting out over the sea just opposite the Hiotel Butrint (or at another - I%26#39;ve heard they%26#39;re all good, but I know that one - and be amazed at the quality of the fish and the wine, or just go for a stroll along the promenade and see what the Mediterranean used to be like before it got touristified. See castle, or the excavated ruins of the ancient synagogue, or visit the market in the centre of the town and see what a market should be like - farmers bringing in their own produce (tomatoes that taste of tomatoes, for example - remember them ?). People are friendly and honest (I left my stuff lying by the road for hours and nobody touched it), and if you ask (it%26#39;s fairly easy to find someone who speaks a bit of English, because education is still good there) it should be simple to get a taxi. There isn%26#39;t a lot to be had in the way of souvenirs, but you can get pot donkeys and %26quot;Albania%26quot; lighters and sea-shell compositions and so on along the promenade.

%26quot;Tirana%26quot; beer is excellent - better than anything in Greece. Albanian wine%26#39;s excellent too.

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It is very safe in Albania so no worries there, you can walk to the centre of the town by yourself, for most taxies you will pay 5EUR bit agree on the price before, not everybody speaks English but enough people to get by, I would also recommend Butrint as your prime visit, otherwise there is a promanade along the beach, small excavation in town and the castle on top. In any case it is a pretty country and nice people so enjoy it.

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We just returned from a cruise that stopped for 1/2 day in Sarande. I highly recommend a visit to Butrint, only a 30 minute taxi ride, and a wonderful archeological site with a history that spans centuries. Those who stayed on the ship, criticizing why we were stopping here at all from their 1/2 mile out in the harbor vantage point, missed one of the highlights of our cruise.

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Removed on: 5:17 am, October 03, 2009

Photos from Albania

Hey everybody!

we came back after two amazing weaks at Albania..

we are so grateful for all the information you gave us before our flight and thanks to you our trip went so smoothly (most of it..)

I upload to flicke site some photos from out trip- the ferry from Komani to Fierze, the trek from valbone to theth and Shkodra. All with some written information and you can check it out at this link:

http://flickr.com/photos/30811912@N04/

enjoy and of course fill free to ask any question thats on your mind and I%26#39;ll try to answer

Thanks again!

Lee

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Beautiful pictures...

I stayed at Prek Harusha as well in Theth.. Really nice family...

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Removed on: 10:19 am, October 11, 2009

Dog in Albaniea

Is it possible to have a dog in Albania?

We want to run themselves and stay at hotels along the way.

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It%26#39;s negotiable... In some places they will let you bring your dog... Check this one for tirana... they%26#39;ll be flexible there and they might help with info for further...

Have a great time...

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Removed on: 6:18 pm, October 08, 2009

Gjirokaster to Berati

We arrived from Gjirokaster on bus.The bus left from Saranda and stopped for 15 minutes in the modern part of Gjirokaster by the motorway.The bus left at 8am, we got off in the ancient sighte of BYLIS at 10:50am, by the little village of KESH,there in Kesh there is an small restaurant where we left our bagpacks and walk the 15 km to the upper part(acctually after a couple of kilometers a car stopped and drove us all the way to the site).The sigth its marvellous,there is up there a restaurant too, and you have to pay to enter the sight,500 lek per person.On the way down to Kesh we found that there was a local buss(furgon), running every hour or so up and down for 150 lek per person.

When got down in Kesh recolected our bagpacks and waited for the bus (10 minutes or so) coming from Gjhirokaster to Tirana. An hour later we arrived in lovely Berati,we stayed at the REZIDENCA DESARTI, magnificent almost a 4 star hotel, big rooms, air condition the most impresive view of the citadel for 25€ per room per day with brekfast.Do not spend time in Berati looking for a good meal, ther are not many places, We got surpised that at our the hotel they hade almost anything and it was realy good and non expensive at all!!!

We stayed there two nights, very pleased.

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Removed on: 12:25 pm, October 11, 2009