From Wikitravel

The Albanian Alps are a mountain range in northern Albania, also known by the Serbian name Prokletije.

[edit] Regions

The area known as the Albanian Alps covers parts of Shkoder and Tropoja districts in Northern Albania. The mountains themselves extend into neighboring Kosovo and Montenegro.

[edit] Towns and villages

The main city of the area is Bajram Curri. Shkoder is located in the coastal plain just west of the region.

The villages of Thethi and Valbonë once were important tourist destinations.

[edit] Parks

The area around Thethi is an Albanian National Park.

The greater region covering the triple border of Albania / Montenegro / Kosovo is where the Balkan Peace Park may one day exist.

[edit] Mountains

The Albanian Alps are where the highest mountain fully in Albania is located.

[edit] Understand

[edit] Talk

[edit] Get in

To access the mountains, you can enter from the north - west from Shkoder through the village of Bogë (where public transportation stops, the asphalted road also stops a few kilometres short of Bogë), which continues to Thethi. In the summer there are various vehicles continuing to Theth and it's possible to hitch a ride, or else to walk the 25 km to Thethi, a long and difficult hike over a 1600m pass, with little water.

It is easier (although also quite long) to head up the beautiful Valbonë valley from Bajram Curri. There are minibuses from Bajram Curri to Valbonë, and almost to the last village in the valley, Rrogami. The mionibuses stop at the end of the road, about 4km from Rrogami. The road is only asphalted a short way out of Bajram Curri.

[edit] Get around

Getting around is best with your own vehicle, or if you have more time, your own bicycle, or on foot. There is little public transportation, and on many routes this means just one minibus early in the morning.

The mountain pass which separates Thethi from Rrogami is only passable on foot, and is a very challenging hike over a very poorly marked trail. Parts of the trail have disappeared under landslides, and the only publicly available map is a soviet map from the 1940s, which is scaled 1:50,000. It is available online (a jpeg scan) from the University of Berkeley library. The best way to find your way over that pass (Qafe e Valbonë) is with a local guide.

[edit] Itineraries

A good itinerary would include the Fierzë-Komani ferry on lake Komani. You could get from Shkoder to Bajram Curri by way of this ferry, then visit the Valbonë valley, and either (for experienced and well-equipped hikers) get over the mountain pass to Thethi, and go back to Shkoder from there (this loop would probably take an absolute minimum of 4 days, and a more likely duration of 6 or 7 days), or from the Valbonë valley get back to Bajram Curri and continue east towards Tropoja or Kosovo.

[edit][add listing] See

Amazing mountains with crystal-clear streams. Remote villages with friendly people. The traditional village of Thethi has been maintained with its typical architecture.

[edit][add listing] Do

Hike those amazing mountains!!! The very little traffic in those remote areas makes it nice to hike even on the roads. Go fishing in the Valbonë river. The rapids near Dragobia seem to be a popular place.

[edit][add listing] Eat

Try buying local foods from people in villages (this may be tricky without speaking Albanian!). You might get delicious locally made cheese, home-baked bread, pickles, and various fruit and vegetables.

[edit][add listing] Drink

Turkish coffee, or home-made rakija (plum alcohol).

[edit][add listing] Sleep

Apart from cities like Bajram Curri and Shkoder, there are very few hotels and places to stay. There is one hostel / campsite in the Valbonë valley in between Dragobia and Valbonë. It it easy to find people willing to accommodate you or let you camp in their garden. They will generally ask for money, and sometimes not mention it until you are leaving in the morning, which is not the nest moment to bargain the price. So be sure you make everything clear when you arrive. Among those who speak English or Italian and have got used to lodging foreign tourists, a price of around 20 euros is common, and includes breakfast and dinner.

[edit] Stay safe

Don't get lost in the mountains. This is a sparsely-inhabited area and the trails are not marked and signalled like in touristy countries.

There are also supposedly some bears and wolves roaming the area, so rough camping is generally not recommended. If you do, be careful to keep your food in a safe place (hanging it in a tree is a good solution).

You don't want bears following the scent of that dry sausage hidden under your pillow. Crime is a major problem, and you need to take precautions. Locals might scare you with the story of a couple of Czech students who disappeared in the area. That apparently did happen, but only once, and people are not very specific with the date. It seems that is was in the first unstable years in the late 90s when the borders were opening up. It can be dangerous.

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