Albania, located south of Montenegro on the Adriatic sea, is a really good place to visit that will probably become significantly less good to visit soon due to increasing tourism. Get in while you can. This is probably one of the best value-natural beauty places in Europe, if not maybe the world. In the south of Albania there is miles and miles of untouched coastline on the Adriatic, and in the north the Accursed mountains and Lake Shkoder are an incredible sight to behold, and offer all manner of mountain-related activities. The people in Albania are incredibly hospitable, and the prices are rock bottom. I don’t have a single negative thing to say about this country. When visiting Albania, you will probably either cross via land, or fly into Tirane intl. airport, a small airport in the heart of the country. From here, you can get to any of the major destinations with a minibus ride.
It’s worth noting that cash is king here, there is not many places that take card, and those that do usually prefer cash. Both euro and Lek (the albanian) currency are widely accepted, but you will get better rates paying in Lek typically. I’d recomend bringing a wad of your local currency in cash, and exchanging it for Lek once your in the country.
There are basically no trains in Albania, so the only way to get around is via minibus. Luckily, they are very cheap. A minibus typically runs about 800 Lek, or about 8 euro, from most places to most other places, at least in the north.
Common minibus routes include:
Tirane/Tirana Airport ←> Shkoder Shkoder ←> Theth Shkoder ←> Valbone (Requires 2 minibus trips, and ferry connection)
Cities in the north of Albania
I only visited the northern part of Albania, namely Shkoder, Theth and Valbone, so I will only cover those spots. I think a week is enough to see the accursed mountains, and I was able to get by with 200 GBP for a week. I started in Shkoder, and then went to Theth and hiked to Valbone.
Shkoder
Shkoder is the biggest city in the north of Albania, and the 5th largest overall. It serves as the “home base” for any adventures into the Accursed mountains from the Albanian side. However, the city itself is very much worth spending some time in, with a beautiful main pedestrian boulevard, Shkodra lake, Roffaza castle, and many other smaller attractions in the area.
Street in Shkoder
Main Pedestrian Walkway
Roffaza Castle
Shkodra Lake at sunset
I stayed at the Wanderer’s hostel, and I highly highly recommend it. A dorm bed is 20 euros a night, and they offer breakfast and dinner, which are both excellent. Additionally, they offer bike rentals, and have free Rakia shots after 8pm. It’s an excellent social/party hotel, but also allows you to get a good nights rest.
Wanderers Hostel after dark
From Shkoder, you can travel to Theth, Shala River, or Valbona.
Theth
Theth is a small mountain village, about 3 hours by bus from Shkodra. The bus runs every morning, and arrives a little before 11. There exists a few guesthouses in Theth, which are all very comfy and affordable. I stayed at Diraki Guesthouse, which had beds for 25 dollars a night, with breakfast and dinner included, as well as a packed lunch if needed.
View on the way to Theth
View from the front of the guesthouse
From Theth, there exists a few excellent hikes. You can do the Blue Eye, which is a 20km out and back hike to a alpine waterfall and swimming hole, the waterfall, which is a waterfall, and the Valbone pass hike, which connects Theth and Valbona via an alpine pass.
The blue eye is the longest, but is not technical at all, requiring nothing but a decent pair of shoes and a level of physical fitness. However, the views are incredible.
River and bridge
Snow-capped peaks
The blue eye itself
I did not end up going on the waterfall hike, because I heard it wasn’t really worth it, but if you have the time it could be a fun quick hike. Its only about 45 minutes out from Theth proper.
Instead, I did the Valbone pass hike to Valbone. I went early in the season, so the summer pass was not passable due to ice and snow, and instead I took the winter pass, an unmarked downhill rocky scramble, with many icy patches. You should hire a guide for this part if you are at all unfamiliar with back-country navigation or winter mountaineering. People die and go missing relatively frequently. However, it is very very rewarding.
View from the Pass. It was rather miserable weather unfortunately.
View from the back of the pass
Valbone Pass Marker
Valbone
I did not spend much time in Valbone, only one night and left early the next morning for Shkoder again. However, the journey from Valbona to Shkoder is rather spectacular, with the Komani lake ferry offering incredible views of the Komani river valley.
Waterfall
Dramatic Rock formations on the coast of Komani lake