Albanien

Mali i Rencit has been on our mind for a while, mainly as a low-altitude bad-weather escape. Rencit is the long ridge stretching along the Adriatic coast between Shengjin in the southeast and Velipoja in the northwest. There are actually two parallel ridges, with Rencit being higher with rather steep cliffs at the seafront, and...

Die tausend Fenster bekommt der Bergwanderer als Dreingabe. Jeder hikr, der mehr als die Albanischen Alpen erwandern will, kommt an Berat nicht vorbei. Ganz im Gegenteil, hier lässt es sich noch gut logieren und essen, mit Aussicht auf den mächtigen Tomorri, den hoch aufragenden relativ isolierten Klotz, der noch immer recht...

Milë - or Mali i Millëtit, or Maja e Milës - is a little mountain near Butrint. Visitors to Butrint tend to admire the nearby ruins and rarely direct their gaze towards Milë Mountain, which provides the backdrop to the scenery of the Butrint Lake and the Vivari Channel. Milë has a sharp drop towards the west, allowing...

Mali i Trebeshinës (or Trebeshina Mountain) is the big brother of Shendellisë. Trebeshina is more than 100 meters higher. While Shendellisë has a narrow ridgeline, Trebeshinë is rather broad and long. Its mass makes it the ideal home to probably thousands of sheep in summer time (including their dogs), and that is why we...

We had climbed the north summit of Veles a few years ago from Rraboshtë, and its main (southern) summit in 2013 from the village of Veles. The northern and the main summit are separated by an interesting ridge, about one kilometer long. For traversing this ridge, your return hike to from where you started becomes quite long,...

Mali i Gribes is the name of the bulky range that sits at the northwest corner of the southern Albanian mountains. It is in clear view when driving the new highway from Vlora or Fier towards Tepelene. It rises impressively over the Vjosa valley. In summer, its vast expanse is home to countless herds of sheep and their dogs....

We went to Mali i Stugarës, we climbed it in March, we had a good time and enjoyed it. But it was only after we continued our way towards Kakavije, that we realized how beautiful Mali i Stugares is. Mali i Stugares is the second highest summit in the mountain range separating Greece and Albania between Sarande and Kakavije...

With the prospect of rain for the weekend but a few dry hours on Saturday, we were looking for something not too far and not too high. Thartor is a good choice for a low altitude hike, but do not take it too lightly. The hike is part of our "erosion rambles", which are the hikes west of the Tirana - Elbasan axis. This area...

This is a rather short hike starting and ending at the Ura e Kamares and visiting a - somewhat scary - part of the Via Egnatia. The Ura e Kamares crosses the Shkumbin River near the village of Mirake. Most likely, ancient travellers found it difficult to pass the Shkumbin River Gorge between Mirake and Librazhd, and had...

Mali i Shëndëllisë is along the major highway connecting Fier and Gjirokaster. It is in everybody's view, but we had never heard of anyone climbing it. Shëndëllisë had been on our mind for a while, and we were just waiting for a good opportunity. In mid February 2014, snow conditions were getting good, and we rushed down to...