Albanian Alps, June 2026

Seven days in the Accursed Mountains with my friend Brent, hiking from Valbona to Theth.

Why Albania

We wanted dramatic mountains without the crowds, and the Albanian Alps delivered on both. The scenery is as good as anything in the Alps proper, sharp limestone peaks, deep valleys, and passes that open onto Montenegro, but for most of our hikes we shared the trails with only a handful of other people. Peak season here is July and August, so going in mid-June meant warm, snow-free walking days of 20 to 25°C, cool nights, fifteen-plus hours of daylight, and trails that were quiet. The guesthouses were the other draw: family-run, with generous breakfasts and home-cooked dinners available, and a warmth that made the logistics of getting around feel like part of the trip rather than a chore.

Day 1: London to Shkodër

Jun 14: Hotel Colosseo & Spa, Shkodër

The trains were not running, so we took a taxi to Stansted, and the flight to Tirana was smooth. I had booked a taxi in advance to take us from the airport to Shkodër, but I selected the wrong date. After a lot of confusion, the company managed to get a car to us within twenty minutes, but demanded extra for the trouble. There were plenty of taxis at the airport that would have cost only a little more than the €60 I had pre-booked, maybe €70, so in hindsight I should have just walked out and taken one of those. I told the company as much, but they refused to refund me, so we waited and paid the extra. I think they ended up hiring a different taxi company to do the drive. There were a lot of confusing WhatsApp messages.

Five minutes into the drive we pulled off the road, and a man appeared out of nowhere and knocked on my window. It was the taxi company manager, explaining that I needed to pay him on PayPal, with a commission. The company sent a link and I paid. I was confused and a bit anxious that we were about to be robbed. After the payment went through, the man returned to the bush he had surreptitiously emerged from, and we carried on.

The hotel in Shkodër was excellent, very clean and modern, and we had some downtime there. I got cash out and sorted the next day’s transport before we went to dinner. We ate at Fisi and ordered the Traditional Combination, a sampling plate that was delicious and interesting. It came with fli, the layered Albanian pancake-pastry that sat as a rectangular slab at the bottom; japrak, stuffed vine leaves; a large stuffed pepper; imam bajalldi, eggplant stuffed with onion, tomato, garlic, and herbs; a baked vegetable mix; potato wedges; and a bowl of baked curd in the centre, a savoury strained yogurt topped with olive oil and black sesame. The fli, the baked curd, and the eggplant were the standouts.

Afterwards we went to the grocery store for food and water for the next few days. Shkodër has a clean, buzzy, touristy feel, with lots of outdoor dining and bars showing the World Cup. I wandered the streets for a while before bed.

Day 2: Shkodër to Valbona

Jun 15: Kulla Emini, Valbona

Alarm at 5:45. I had slept well in the twin beds. Brent made coffee with the beans, grinder, and AeroPress he had brought along. I normally resign myself to the hotel instant and pick up something better later if I can, but I respect Brent’s dedication to good coffee.

A bus picked us up at 6:15, then collected more people, made around five unexplained stops, and finally reached Koman at 8. The ferry left at 9, and the ride through the gorge was scenic. From Fierzë we had another bus transfer to Valbona, and the road was windy and bumpy enough that we both ended up a bit carsick. The driver then went past our guesthouse, so we had to walk back two kilometres, which was not what we needed at that point.

The guesthouse itself is lovely, with a little balcony, and the scenery around here is stunning. Dramatic mountains, picturesque. I went for a short run on the road once we arrived, while Brent took a trail, and I felt a good deal better afterwards. We relaxed at the guesthouse for a while, then I went to dinner at Restaurant Rilindja just down the road and had lamb with blueberry sauce and a chicken soup, both good. A quiet rest of the evening before a big hike tomorrow.

Day 3: Rosni Peak

Jun 16: Kulla Emini, Valbona

Actual: 19.75 km, 1,671 m gain, 6h 07m, activity. Planned: 16.95 km, 1,570 m gain, 6h 57m, route.

We were up early, grabbed a packed breakfast, and were walking by six. The one downside of the guesthouse is its location, a few kilometres short of Valbonë, where today’s trailhead was, so we had a walk just to reach the start. Rain was forecast for the early afternoon, which was the other reason we wanted to get going.

It was a beautiful sunny morning, around fourteen degrees when we left, and the trail up Rosni Peak was excellent. A little snow to cross and a bit of scrambling near the top, but a good grade and good conditions throughout. We passed two people and two dogs on the way up, and rather more on the descent, though it never felt busy. We had a picnic lunch at the summit, calm and sunny, and the scenery was glorious. We were right on the Montenegro border, looking down on a village on the far side.

We came back down and finished around one, then found lunch at a guesthouse near the trailhead that turned out to be really good and felt properly local. A lovely day of hiking with beautiful scenery, and I’m just happy to be here. The afternoon forecast threatened rain and delivered a brief sprinkle before turning sunny again, so we spent it enjoying the weather and reading our books. We were both trying to learn a bit about Albania that way. Brent was reading Broken April by Ismail Kadare, and I was reading Free by Lea Ypi.

Dinner at the guesthouse was phenomenal. We started with a sampling platter, then both had trout for the main. The host had asked whether either of us was vegetarian, Brent said he prefers to eat only fish, and we both ended up with the fish. It was really good trout, so no regrets there.

Day 4: Valbona to Theth

Jun 17: Shpella Guesthouse, Theth

Actual: 20.52 km, 1,046 m gain, 4h 59m, activity. Planned: 18.62 km, 945 m gain, 5h 30m, route.

We sat down for breakfast properly this morning, a wonderful spread of cheeses, yogurt, cherry jam, fig jam, and bread. We paid the host €80 for a mule to carry our bags over to the guesthouse in Theth, and started walking around 7:30. The first stretch was on the road and a little dull, but the trail up to the pass that followed was beautiful, if hot and exposed. At the pass we climbed a bit further to a small peak where people were taking photos, with amazing views and bright sun. It was a little crowded up there, so we started down and found our own spot for a picnic.

The descent ran down through a forested, wooded area, and the rain started, so we picked up the pace. The trees made decent cover, but we got fairly damp for a while. We came into Theth and found Gurra for lunch, which was delicious. I had chicken fillets and Brent had potatoes with panna, a kind of cream or cheese, and we waited out the rain there. Then we checked into our next guesthouse, Shpella, which has been good so far. The afternoon turned sunny once the rain cleared, so we relaxed at the guesthouse.

Dinner at the guesthouse was good. I had chicken fillets and fries, and Brent had trout and potatoes. We had talked about finding somewhere to watch the World Cup game, and then a TV simply appeared outside next to where we were sitting, which was great. We ate, watched some of the game, and had a quiet night.

Day 5: Maja e Harapit

Jun 18: Shpella Guesthouse, Theth

Actual: 24.58 km, 1,686 m gain, 7h 12m, activity. Planned: 18.98 km, 1,485 m gain, 4h 49m, route.

In the morning I went for a short jog, then we had breakfast at the guesthouse, a buffet of yogurt, honey, cheese, and eggs. It was good, though the buffet style wasn’t quite as nice as being served the way we had been at the previous place. We picked up packed lunches and set off, walking north up the Theth valley towards a peak. The first few kilometres were on the road, which was a little annoying, and then the ascent steepened up to a pass.

At the pass we decided to carry on up to a summit just off to the left. The trail wasn’t well marked, only rock cairns here and there, and we lost it a few times. There were a few other people doing it, so we knew it wasn’t anything too serious, but the footing was loose in places and a bit scrambly, and it was tiring work to the top. We powered through, and the views up there were phenomenal, really rewarding. A glorious sunny day, a bit windy at the summit, but no complaints at all. On the way down we added a stretch out to a little lake just beyond the pass, where we stopped for lunch before descending back into the valley. That detour is what made it the longest day of the trip. Another day in the mountains I thoroughly enjoyed.

Dinner that evening was at Restaurant Jezerca, where the service was slow. I had a chicken fillet, which was okay, we shared a byrek that was good, and Brent had his usual trout. We turned in fairly early.

Day 6: Theth to Tirana

Jun 19: Hotel Boutique Restaurant Gloria, Tirana

Actual: 11.60 km, 1,113 m gain, 3h 41m, activity. Planned: 10.49 km, 1,097 m gain, 4h 26m, route.

This morning I went for a jog, and then Brent and I did a hike up to a peak a little west of Theth. It was really nice. The trail wasn’t well marked, so we kept an eye out for the paint blazes that showed the way, and it got a bit scrambly towards the top, but the views were well worth it. It was a hot day and we were thoroughly sweaty by the summit. We came down to the north on a much more gradual descent, which was a pleasure, and stopped again at Gurra, where we had eaten a few days before. We went back for the byrek, which was the best we had on the whole trip. We had more or less the same as last time otherwise, fries and a chicken fillet for me, potatoes with cream for Brent, and it was excellent again.

Back at the guesthouse we grabbed our bags. I had arranged a €175 taxi for two, which we chose over the furgon because the furgon left at 10am and we wanted to fit in another hike that morning. There don’t seem to have been any drivers around, so the guesthouse owner ended up taking us himself. He had to collect a friend to split the driving, so we got going closer to 2:40, and the drive was an experience. Six or so stops for smoke breaks, fairly wild driving, but the two of them were lovely, telling us their life stories and what they made of living in Albania. The car had no air conditioning and got very hot. At one of the breaks one of them grabbed water for all of us, which was kind, and the friend in the passenger seat picked up a beer for himself, which was very funny. The traffic was terrible thanks to protests in Tirana over a roughly €5 billion luxury resort near the protected Vjosa-Narta wetlands by Zvërnec, backed by Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Protesters called it the Flamingo Revolution, carried inflatable flamingos, said Albania was not for sale, and many wanted Edi Rama out. It was a small irony in one of the most pro-American countries in Europe.

We checked into Hotel Gloria, and I took a glorious shower. We had dinner at L’Antica da Michele, where the pizza was really good. I had spent a fair chunk of the drive researching the best pizza in Tirana, and I think we did a good job. After dinner we watched the US World Cup game at Duff Bar before heading to bed.

I saw American flags all over Albania. It makes sense: Albania is one of the most pro-American countries in Europe, rooted partly in US support for Kosovo and ethnic Albanians in the late 1990s. People often fly the Stars and Stripes alongside the Albanian flag.

Day 7: Tirana to London

Jun 20

We got up early on Saturday. There was no kettle in the room, but we had asked for one on arrival so we could have a coffee party before leaving, which made up a little for the trip’s running coffee problem. Neither guesthouse had a kettle either, and at one point Brent and I brainstormed how to make coffee without hot water, decided none of the options were worth it, and so he finished the trip with a lot of leftover beans.

Brent made coffee, and we went for a run around the lake in Tirana, past Shkolla Woodrow Wilson and the George W. Bush Library in the park. Back at Hotel Gloria, we packed up and grabbed the takeaway breakfast, which was delicious. The staff were very friendly and the location was excellent.

We took the airport bus, which took about the same time as a taxi for a fraction of the price. Brent and I parted ways at the airport, and I spent the last of my cash on a coffee and a fig pastry to take back to Sarah. The flight back was smooth, I got a meal deal for the train back from Stansted, and I was very happy to be reunited with Sarah and Cally.

Practical notes

When to go. Peak season is July and August. We went in mid-June and had it largely to ourselves: warm, snow-free days of 20 to 25°C, cool nights of 8 to 12°C, the odd afternoon shower, and fifteen-plus hours of daylight. Trails were quiet even on the classic Valbona to Theth crossing.

Getting around. Furgons, informal shared minibuses, are the main mountain transport, and they run to their own logic with unexplained stops along the way. The Koman ferry between Koman and Fierzë is both a transport link and a highlight in its own right, threading through fjord-like gorges. Book a furgon seat through your guesthouse the night before. The Theth to Tirana taxi was €175, costly but worth it if you want to keep the morning free for another hike rather than take the early furgon.

Guesthouses. Family-run, with big breakfasts included and dinners available for around 1500 LEK, about €15, per person. Trout features heavily, and it’s good. The Valbona to Theth bag transfer was €80, much more than I expected. If we had known, we might have packed lighter and skipped it.

Food. We loaded up on snacks in Shkodër because we had not seen many grocery options in Valbonë when searching. There were a few mini markets in Valbonë with crisps and drinks, but we were glad to have brought snacks. The guesthouses did packed lunches for about €5 each, which we took on every hiking day. Theth had bigger mini markets but no large grocery store. There were ATMs in both Valbonë and Theth. If you pass through Theth, eat at Gurra. The byrek there was the best we had on the whole trip.

Brent’s Good Boys

The trip had a recurring cast of dogs, and three stood out. The first we met on the climb on day one, a dog that Brent fed an egg to, though it only ate the yolk. According to fellow hikers it was called Joey, and apparently it follows walkers up from Valbona. The second was near the top of the Valbona to Theth pass, curled in a sad little ball right where everyone stops for photos; Brent gave it some water and tried to share some food. The third was at the Theth guesthouse dinner, a golden retriever among the many dogs running around, especially friendly and happy to collect pats from us both while we ate. There were plenty of well-behaved dogs about, especially in Theth, and they made the trip just a little more fun.