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Peaks of the Balkans

Across mountainous border areas of Albania , Kosovo and Montenegro

By Northern Adventures

Introduction

(SAT Sep 24TH - FRI Sep 30TH, 2022)

Over the last few years, the Peaks of the Balkans trail has swiftly made its way into to-do lists of many hiking enthusiasts.

I’ve been to Tirana, Albania on business couple of years ago, yet the mountainous border region between Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro remained kind of a mystery to us.

In our imagination, it somehow resembled the true “wild east”, traditional Balkan, with just the rudimentary infrastructure, abundant bloody vendetta stories, and with the existence of “burrnesha”, Balkan sworn virgins who take a vow of chastity and live as men in patriarchal northern Albanian society, Kosovo and Montenegro.

Naturally, we were all wrong. Which became clear when we had a look into the well-prepared Peaks of the Balkans guidebook by Cicerone, which was essential for our planning and preparation. It’s not an inaccessible or perhaps even dangerous region any more.

Kosovo and Montenegro were part of the former Yugoslavia, a former communist state which had been known to be the most developed and most “western” from the whole communist block. Albania, on the contrary, was closed to outsiders for much of the 20th century, and until fairly recently its rumpled mountains, fortress towns and beautiful beaches were unknown to the outside world.

The Peaks of the Balkans trail traverses border regions of all the three countries following a well-crafted 200km-long route.

Accommodation may be easily arranged in mountain villages along the trail which makes lightweight trekking perfectly possible. Going without tent, sleeping bag and food stock is very convenient given the daily altitude gains usually exceeding 1000 vertical meters.

Using the guidebook and our favourite mapy.cz map, we designed a bit shorter yet more dramatic alteration of the official route: Leqinat -> Babino polje -> Plav -> Vusanje -> Valbonë -> Çeremi -> Dobërdol -> Milishevc .

The Journey

We chose Kosovo as our starting point for two reasons. First, the Pristina airport is the closest airport to the trail (with a two-hour car journey to the trailhead from the airport). Second, going via Kosovo made possible to arrange border crossing permits online, without the necessity to visit police or border patrol stations in person (permits arranged via the Albanian Zbulo tourist agency).

Going to Pristina was straightforward – we flew with Austrian from Prague via Vienna. Then we opted for a car (jeep) transfer (pre-arranged with Outdoor Kosovo) to Leqinat. (The return journey was arranged as a bumpier jeep drive, from Milishevc back to Pristina.)

In Leqinat, we stayed in one of the cozy wooden cabins of Villa Route Rugove, and started our adventure splendidly with an evening-long feast in the Guri i Kuq restaurant.

Day 1: Leqinat to Babino Polje

We woke up into a chilly morning, with the temperature barely above the freezing point. That wasn’t really surprising, given the elevation (1500m) and beginning of the autumn season. In fact, elevation on the trail varies between 1000m and 2300m, and temperature differences may be rather substantial; encountering snow and enjoying sunbathing within a single day is not uncommon - and it indeed happened to us.

Having a hearty breakfast in Guri i Kuq restaurant, we set out on the trail in the direction towards Liqeni i Kuçishtёs lake, following well-trodden forest footpaths. Ascending continuously, we reached the treeline after some time, and were rewarded by views of surrounding limestone peaks.

Liqeni i Kuçishtёs lake was beautiful, located in a serene setting under a limestone peak.

Sunny weather almost allured us to have a dip in its shallow yet cold waters, however we resisted the temptation and pushed it further to a shepherd hut at another lake, Liqeni Madhe. We had a short break here to change our clothes from trousers to shorts (it became pretty warm despite the altitude).

The path then ascended across mountain meadows, crossing a small stream (water sources are notoriously scarce in the limestone-based landscape), all the way up to Qafa e Jelenkut (Jelenak Pass, 2272m).

Here, we were stunned by the ridges of Prokletije mountains we saw in the southern direction - the area we were about to hike through in upcoming days.

Given the perfect weather, I took my chances and summited an unnamed peak (2424m) east of the pass, to get even more impressive views of the surrounding rugged landscape.

Having returned to the trail, we followed a picture-perfect footpath winding across mountain meadows with scattered trees and berry bushes, all coloured autumnally.

In fact, the open terrain here reminded me of hiking in Lapland; the landscape here looked surprisingly similarly, maybe except for limestone peaks.

Retrospectively, it was one of the most beautiful sections of the overall trail, and we were blessed to enjoy it in sunny and windless weather.

It took us around two hours of lazy hiking to finally reach Sedlo Zavoj (Zavoj pass), yet again with prominent views of Prokletije mountains located in Montenegro.

In fact, it was here when we crossed the border for the first time, this time from Kosovo to Montenegro.

The last leg of today’s section was continuous descent to the dispersed settlement of Babino Polje (literally Grandma’s Field), located down in the valley west of the pass.

Here, with multiple paths to choose, we made an unnecessary detour across Katun Canovića shepherd houses, and finished the journey following the gravel road to the Triangle Woodhouse where we had our accommodation pre-booked.

The Triangle Woodhouse was small yet cozy, with three bedrooms upstairs and a communal dining room and a fireplace on the ground floor.

The friendly and knowledgeable owner, Agron, turned out to be a perfect cook too, and we were admiring his cooking skills on the small wood burning cooker while enjoying a few Nikšićko beers at the wooden bar.

The three-course locally sourced menu that was served was excellent, and we soon realised that the locals like their food made proper.

There was a Belgian and a German couple staying with us in the cabin with whom we had a chat over dinner – having explained them that the one and only original Budweiser is Czech-made, brewed in the Czech national brewery in České Budějovice (Budweis), Czechia, and explaining them carefully that the American Budweiser is just an uninspiring flavourless beer-water, we could successfully call it a day and enjoy our good night’s sleep.

Day 2: Babino Polje 🇲🇪 to Plav 🇲🇪

The morning was chilly and the weather forecast okayish, with overcast skies reported for most of the afternoon yet luckily without rain.

After hearty breakfast prepared by Agron, we set out on the trail following a forest footpath starting just behind the hut. The path soon emerged onto a 4WD track leading through rural landscape to Kolašinski katun and Bajrovića katun summer settlements.

We continued hiking on the well-trodden marked footpath through wooded landscape, ascending continuously.

It took us some effort to finally reach the secluded lake of Hridsko jezero (1970m), with around twenty day-trippers (mostly locals) occupying its shores – the lake may be more easily visited from the opposite side since there is a maintained 4WD track leading close to the lake.

We took a quick lunch break on the lakeshore, enjoying a few short sunny moments in otherwise cloudy and cold weather.

The trail then led us on the before-mentioned 4WD track in the northwest direction till a point where a narrow footpath detached from the gravel road.

We followed this footpath until we reached a beautiful unnamed pass/viewpoint (elevation 1990m), where we had another short break on a lovely mountain meadow with beautiful views across the ridges of Prokletije mountains.

From the pass, we started a long descent all the way down to Plav, passing through pastoral landscape dotted with rural settlements.

It was an easy albeit lengthy exercise, and in mid-afternoon we finally entered the small town of Plav, actually the biggest settlement along the trail.

The evening in Plav was rather uninspiring, with an under-average dinner in one of the few restaurants that were open on Sunday.

Day 3: Plav 🇲🇪 to Vusanje 🇲🇪

During the night and early morning, we checked the weather forecast periodically, unfortunately only to confirm that intensive downpours are expected throughout the day.

If these were short-lasting rain showers, we wouldn’t bother, however 40mm of rain is really something. Given the lengthy section to Vusanje, we practically hadn’t any other option than a car transfer which we arranged around lunchtime.

We spent the whole afternoon and evening in a cozy bed & breakfast accommodation in a family villa in Vusanje, hoping for improved weather forecast for tomorrow and upcoming days.

The situation looked miserable and almost hopeless, with continuous rain reported for the rest of the week. Yet, on the other hand, it simply couldn’t be worse than it was, so we prepared mentally for upcoming days we were about to spend hiking in changeable rainy and cold weather.

Day 4: Vusanje 🇲🇪 to Valbonë 🇦🇱

The next morning was again rainy as was the previous day and night. The weather forecast looked a bit more positively now, with limited rain throughout the rest of the day.

The section planned for today was an adventurous one – we were about to leave the official Peaks of the Balkans route from Vusanje to Theth and pursue a mountainous shortcut to Valbonë instead.

This practically meant we planned to cover two sections of the trail within a single day using the shortcut we put together from bits and pieces of footpaths we found on mapy.cz map. We thus didn’t really know what to expect in terms of the terrain; the only thing certain was the significant altitude gain from 1020m (Vusanje) to 2130m (Saddle of Farumi), all to be done in cloudy and partially rainy weather.

From Vusanje, we followed a 4WD track in the direction to Theth, making short stops at the flooded Grlja waterfall and Oko Skakavice, a well-known karst water spring. The otherwise beautiful spring of turquoise water was naturally flooded after heavy rains, so we unfortunately didn’t see anything interesting here except for flooded muddy river.

We then continued hiking on the 4WD track in the southwest direction until we reached a small forest footpath that climbed through a wooded area to pastures of Zastan Karaula (still with a herd of sheep around despite early autumn).

In slightly improved weather, we continued ascending using a footpath that eventually led to the top of Maja e Rosit (2522m, the third highest peak in Montenegro).

We didn’t really think about summiting its top though, being satisfied with the pass below the peak, the Farumi Saddle (2170m).

The journey to the saddle was beautiful though steep in places, however not dangerous. From time to time, the sun broke trough overcast skies, and we even saw a beautiful rainbow above Zastan Karaula during our ascent.

The final section to Farumi Saddle led us across a high-altitude plateau dotted with limestone peaks, a typical landscape in the highest areas of Prokletije mountains.

The subsequent descent from Farumi Saddle all the way down to Valbonë was straightforward and without any surprise, though a bit lengthy.

The small town itself, spread on the banks of the identically named river, somehow suffers from recent over-development; that was our first impression of the scattered settlement.

We checked-in in one of the bed & breakfasts that dot the valley, and didn’t hesitate to taste local cuisine and different Albanian beers in restaurant Rilindja located nearby.

Day 5: Valbonë 🇦🇱 to Çeremi 🇦🇱

The morning was again cloudy and rainy.

Phlegmatically, we didn’t really think about what to do – despite there is a short and flat route (mostly following a road) to the next village on the trail, Çerem, we decided to pursue another pass-crossing “shortcut” (i.e. detour) via Prosllopit pass (2039m), well-described and suggested in the Cicerone guidebook.

The ascent from Valbonë was lengthy, steep in places, with low clouds, limited visibility, and a few intensive rain showers; nothing fancy.

As we progressed further to the pass, the weather started to clear up, to our great relief – we had been pretty wet that time, both from rain showers and constant sweating.

Accompanied by a street dog (who then followed us all the way Milishevc), we had a short lunch break just below the pass.

The area between Prosllopit and another pass we had to cross, Qafa Borit (1850m), was a high-altitude plateau of mountain meadows dotted with limestone peaks, similar terrain we experienced yesterday when hiking to Valbonë.

Having reached Qafa Borit, the skies cleared up almost completely, and we started to descent towards the mountainous hamlet of Çerem, blessed by beautiful sunny weather.

The autumn colors were at their peak below the pass, and not in a hurry, we enjoyed a prolonged break on a lovely meadow dotted with shepherd huts.

It was here where we met a pair of female Dutch hikers for the first time – we were about to meet them on each of the following days ahead of us since we were following the trail in the same direction.

The last mile to Çerem led us through beautiful deep woods.

Descending continuously, we finally left the woods above the village, and from here it was just a short walk to our overnight destination, the rural and welcoming Kujtim Goçaj guesthouse.

The usual evening routine followed: a shower, hearty dinner, and a few Peja beers together with a shot of rakija as our well-deserved dessert.

Day 6: Çerem 🇦🇱 to Dobërdol 🇦🇱

We woke up into another cloudy morning, yet thankfully without rain this time.

With mixed weather forecast for the rest of the day, we set out on the trail quickly, following the winding 4WD track leading northwest of the settlement.

It was an uninspiring lengthy walk until we reached Vranica Pass (1630m). Things turned for the better here with commanding views over the rolling autumn landscape.

The trail then ascended to a saddle (1800m) below Trokus (1852m), where we took a sharp turn and continued hiking to Aljuci Pass (1916m), crossing the border from Albania back to Kosovo.

We took a short lunch break at a shelter near the pass, yet it was too cold and wet to enjoy it properly.

The trail then winded along the ridge across the shepherd settlement of Balqin and further to the east, unfortunately now in rainy weather again.

The last mile to Dobërdol put smiles back on our faces since not only did it cease to rain, but also the sun started to break through clouds bashfully.

We slowly walked among the mountainous settlement’s scattered houses until we reached our pre-booked Bilbil Vatnika guesthouse, located near a small waterfall.

Given the elevation (1800m), it got chilly quite soon, and having enjoyed a short yet warm shower in the guesthouse's interesting outdoor bathroom, we quickly moved to a fireplace located in a small dining room of the guesthouse.

Basic yet filling local food was accompanied by a few bottles of Peja beer and a few shots of Rakija as usual.

Day 7: Dobërdol to Milishevc

Today was about to be our last day on the trail and we were greeted by another cloudy morning with light drizzle.

After quick breakfast, it took us a while to realize where does the path towards Milishevc actually lead.

We crossed a meadow above Bilbi Vatnika guesthouse checking our direction periodically till we found a small footpath at the foot of Tromedja (2366m; the peak where borders of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro meet).

We crossed the border back to Kosovo in a pass west of Tromedja and continued hiking in the northern direction following the borderline, crossing the peak of Ravno Brdo (2025m) eventually.

Weather luckily started to clear up here and views from the ridgeline, both to Montenegro and Kosovo, were astonishing. The colourful autumn landscape, now occasionally illuminated by the morning sun that broke through overcast skies, formed a perfect hiking terrain and we really enjoyed the winding trail that passed through Bogićevica, Bogiqe and Qafa e Belegut (2180m) pass.

The last section along the border ridge then led us to Roshkodol pass (2250m).

Having reached Roshkodol pass, we took a sharp right turn and started a long beautiful descent across colourful mountain meadows to the summer settlement of Roshkodol.

There were at least two paths to choose from and following the one on the right (east), we kept the elevation, and thus enjoyed splendid views across the mountainous landscape much longer. On the other hand, we had to steeply descent back to the marked trail a kilometre or so above Roshkodol; the descent from the grassy plateau with scattered trees was steep however not dangerous.

It was all quiet in Roshkodol after summer season, and having bumped into an organised big trekking group, we tried to cover the last section following a rough 4WD track as fast as possible.

We spent the last night of the trail in the cosy Chalet Rrusta Guesthouse, together with our Dutch friends, the owner, who resides in Switzerland besides the summer season, and his mother, who prepared delicious local food for all of us.

In the next morning, we were picked up by a jeep of Outdoor Kosovo; the bumpy ride to Pristina airport took us two and a half hours. Flight back to Prague via Vienna then followed.

Afterword & practicalities

First of all, it's fair to say that the Peaks of the Balkans trail surpassed our expectations in many ways.

The Prokletije mountains are vast, rugged and beautiful.

The trail is far from being crowded.

Locals are friendly.

Local food hearty and delicious.

Peja beer is served cold and rakija sends tired hikers right into the deep sleep towards another hiking tomorrow.

Multiple border crossings of three countries doesn’t cause any problem (assuming one had arranged his or her permits in advance).

Cash is the king on the trail; euros are also accepted in Albania. In fact, there is no chance to resupply banknotes except for Plav in Montenegro.

Though the most rugged sections between Vusanje, Valbonë and Çeremi are stunningly beautiful, we liked ridgeline walks between Leqinat and Babino polje and then between Dobërdol and Milishevc even more; surely good weather that blessed us during the latter two was of an influence here as was their colourful autumnal scenery.

Water sources are scarce in the limestone terrain, yet we hadn’t got any problems with drinking water – in colder weather, water management is naturally far much easier.

Detailed look on maps, topography and local paths may reveal more exhilarating hiking opportunities than just blindly following the official trail blindly; such a feeling we had from our shortcut between Vusanje and Valbonë.

All in all, we really liked the trail, and were glad we were not afraid to pursue this adventure in the remotest corners of Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo.

Besides the scenery and remoteness of the area, it was the delicious food and friendly locals operating the guesthouses that contributed positively to our overall feelings of the trail.

Go now, before mountain passes become accessible by roads and hotels will be built around. (That’s actually why I find it difficult to hike in the Alps; there are always signs of civilisation in sight. Here in Prokletije, however, it’s hardly the case.)

The GPS log of our journey may be found on Wikiloc.

Footnotes

All photographs are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without permission of the author.

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FootNotes

All photographs are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without permission of the author.

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