A short stroll or a 3 hour hike, depending on where you start. Unlike most other hikes in Albania, this has the options of having a drink or a meal at the trailhead or somewhere around. There are superb views across Tirana, the Lake and towards Dajti and the mountain chain east of Tirana. We got the idea of this hike from...

From the distance, Mali i Munellës looks like a giant tooth, like a molar sticking out of the gums. That is, of course, if you know where Munelle is, and from where to look for it. Munelle is the highest point of Lezhe Region. It sits between Fushe Arrëz and the new Autobahn connecting Rreshen and Kukes. As the highway runs...

Hardly anyone seems to know where Ostrovicë Mountain is. There is even wild disagreement on various maps as to its altitude or the highest point of its long summit ridge. From all the mountains in the south of Albania, Ostrovicë must rank among the most remote, certainly among the most beautiful, and also among the most...

What looks like something from one side may look a different matter from the other side. Mali i Lunxherise is one of those two-faced mountains. Lunxherise is the mountain range east of Gjirokastra. It looks not like much from Gjirokastra - more or less like a humangeous loaf of bread - but from the Zagoria valley it becomes...

The Shebenik-Jabllanica National Park is one of the largest National Parks in Albania. It is in a fairly remote corner along the border with Macedonia. The area has great touristic potential, but as of writing, infrastructure is minimal. There are some tourist huts being built in Stebleve, and we were told they will open in winter...

The town of Bulqize is not known for its hiking potential, but for its chromium mines. Mali e Lopës, the mountain that looms large south of Bulqize, has been mined for many decades. Mining is hard work and often hazardous, and while it provides jobs, the conditions and remuneration will remain an issue until properly regulated...

Tomorri is probably the best known mountain in Albania. It has religious significance, and there is a shrine on the (lower) south summit, also called Mali i Kurbanit or Mali i Babait. The south summit is separated from the higher north summit - called Cuka Partizan - by a 10 kilometer long ridge. The ridge is difficult and the...

A hike to Maja e Bukanikut, the highpoint of the Mali i Shpatit (Shpat Mountain Range), From the summit of Bukanikut, one can see down to Elbasan and - depending on weather and visibility - the Adriatic Sea. Bukanik is for Elbasan what Dajti is for Tirana. It should be possible, in case no 4WD is available to reach the...

There might be as many Guri i Zi's (black rocks) in Albania as there are white rocks or red rocks. To our knowledge, this 'black rock' is the highest, topping out at way over 2000 Meter. Guri i Zi is one of the prominent highpoints on the western side of Shkumbin valley. Its striking formation is only recognized from...

Everyone seems to have heard of the fabled Lure Lakes, but not many people seem to venture there. Lure village is considered remote, the road to the Lure Lakes is rumoured to be impossible, nobody talks about climbing Maja e Kunora e Lurës (the "Crown of Lure"). The park is said to be destroyed by excessive logging, the hotel...

Dajti Mountain is so close to Tirana, but many visitors remain baffled on how to climb it - aside from taking the cable car and enjoying the views from the balcony and a good lunch. We have a few trails to the Dajti balcony and also to the summit on this website. This traverse from Qafe Priske to the summit of Dajti is among the...

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...

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...