Albanien

Pashtrik is the "third" high mountain near Kukes (next to Gjallica and Koritnik - see separate trails). The other two are higher, but the views from Pashtrik are as dramatic. The upper reaches of Pashtrik are more rocky than those of the other two. Pashtrik is more often climbed from the Kosovo side; there is a shrine on the...

Die Albanischen Alpen gehören zu den unterentwickelsten Regionen Europas. Das hat u.a. zur Folge, dass es dort kaum geteerte Straßen gibt. Viele Ziele sind also nur per Geländewagen erreichbar. Eines der wenigen Ziele, die man auch mit normalen PKW erreichen kann, ist der Komanstausee. Dorthin führt ein mit Schlaglöchern...

Kendërvicës is the highest point of the Mali i Gribës range, which dominates the view when driving from Fier to Tepelene. The shortest hike to the summit requires a long drive from Tepelene to Nivice. The drive leads from Tepelene onto the plateau of Lekdushk, Progonat, Gusmar and Nice, with its magnificant canyons. The road...

Aside from any mountain near the seashore, there is no other mountain in Albania from where so much water can be seen. The summit of Mali i Thatë (the Dry Mountain) is called Pllaja e Pusit, and both Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa - the largest lakes in the Balkans - can be seen from there. The mountain range separating Prespa...

Gramos is the highest Mountain in southern Albania. The summit of Gramos (also called Cuka e Pecit) sits on the border of Albania with Greece, near Erseke. Here, the border forms a sharp triangle so as to share the summit with both countries. From the valley one can see the summit pyramid, but not the summit itself. The trail...

Priskë lies in the shadow of Dajti - it doesn't have a cable car, no restaurants on the balcony, no television towers on top, it doesn't have an interesting shape, it has three hundred meter less altitude than Dajti, and - most importantly - it doesn't have a path to its top. This is, probably, what makes the mountain rarely...

Papingut has a dramatic east face - which drops 2000 Meter into the Vjosa Valley, near Permët. Ascend from the east is reserved for suitably equipped climbers ready to cope with the reputedly bad rock. But the mountain can be relatively easily scaled from the valley of Zagoria on its west side. Zagoria in itself is tremendously...

Rosavere is a somewhat fabled village near Krrabe, which is only available by foot. (We saw an old Mercedes Benz parked in the village, and there might be times in the year when a vehicle can ford the river and reach the village. It is unlikely, however, that driving to Rosaveres would be faster than walking from Krrabe)....

Many travellers make it over the Llogara Pass, and their gaze is usually drawn to the sandy beaches and blue waters of the Ionian Sea. Unless, of course, they hold tight to the steering wheel and fix their attention to the winding road. The pass climbs to an altitude of 1000 Meter, and many find the altitude dizzying. Few...

Not very high-altitude, but a hike in very unspoilt environment with some challenging bits. From the reservoir of the village Fushas near Baldushk the trail it climbs to the highpoint of the area, Mal Zajs. Mal Zajs is heavily wooded, and the summit has no views, so you may as well skip it. But then, when will you be as close...