Mali i Kërçinit, or Kërçin, is one of the outstanding highpoints on the range separating Albania from Macedonia. With 2342 Meter altitude, it is some 20 Meter lower than neighboring Velivar (see separate report in hikr), but the ascent is way more demanding. Your most likely trailhead is in Kërçisht Siperme, at 870 Meter...

Maja e Ostrovices, near Elbasan, has the same name as its more famous namesake in Korca region, though it is 1000 Meter lower. We therefore call it Maja e Ostrovices (e vogel, or the small one), and hope that nobody takes offense. We noticed Ostrovice when travelling from Studen to Librazhd, and Ostrovice appears as a...

Mali i Gurit has been on our mind for quite some time, as it is a prominent mountain seen from Librazhd. The road from Librazhd to Peshkopi - now being upgraded - leads past its foot at Fushë Studën. Fushë Studën and Stebleve are central to the Jablanica - Shebenik National Park, though there is not yet much...

Mali i Korres could be coming out of a novel. It is the backdrop for several villages on an isolated highland plateau. Situated right on the boundary of Tirana and Elbasan regions, it takes a while to get there along winding roads in desolated landscapes. We chose a round-trip across the summit of Korres. Due to the much eroded...

Mali i Buretos is perhaps somewhat neglected by ambitious hikers. This might be because it happens to be a little less high than mighty Cajupi Mountain, or even nearby Nemercka or Papingut. 1759 Meter do not seem to be very high, but remember that the Drinos Valley lies at an altitude of 200 Meter only. So Mali i Buretos (or...

Mali i Palleshit is more of a ridge with several highpoints all just exceeding 500 meter altitude. The ridge itself is not easy to walk because of vegetation and uncomfortable rocky terrain. The intrepid hiker will have to pick just one of the highpoints and aim for it - and this is what we did. Mali i Palleshit connects...

Dajti Balcony is rightfully a top excursion from Tirana. At roughly 1000 Meter, it offers grandiose views across the sprawling city, and on to the Adriatic. It can be reached in many ways - by car, by cable car, or you can walk from Linza or Tujan village. The summit of Dajti can be easily reached from the balcony. Perhaps not...

There is some confusion as to the name of Mal Milot. Following some clues from different maps, we call Mal Milot the north end of the mountain range that has its highest point with Dajti Mountain near Tirana, and continues northwards with Brar Mountain, Gamnit Mountain, Kruja Mountain, Rakshanit and on past the town of Lac,...

Mali i Sukes could well be the "houseberg" of Burrel, if the gaze of ambitious mountaineers would not wander off to Mali i Dejes (see separate page). Mali i Sukes is the northern exponent of the wild mountainous area that stretches roughly (in west-east direction) between Tirana and the Macedonian border, and (in north-south...

Maja e Hutit is the northern end of Mali i Skenderbeut, the major ridge parallel to the coastline of the Adriatic. The highest point of Mali i Skenderbeut is Mali i Liqenit. The ridge spans from Qafe Shtame to the Mat River. It has several highpoints, not all of which have names. We are even unsure about the exact location of...

This is an easy walk, for a short winter afternoon. It follows a dirt road around the hill of Pershkop. A peacefull walk, partly through olive groves and certainly good enough for stretching your legs before settling for a coffee or a meal in the vicinity. Views are excellent to the "front range" of Tirana in the east, and to...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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 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...

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 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...