Peak of the Balkans: Hiking from Valbona to Theth

16th September 2024

This hike over the Valbona pass was part of a 3-day adventure through the Albanian Alps, including a picturesque ferry ride across the Komani lake. In this article, disvcover everything you need to know to plan your own unforgettable journey, from essential packing tips to navigating a vegan diet in the heart of the Balkan mountains.

General Info

Length: 15.0 km
Elevation gain: 955 m
Route type: Point to point

Historically, the Valbona Pass served as a vital route through the Albanian Alps, primarily used by local shepherds and traders. It connects the remote villages of Valbona and Theth. While the straight-line distance between the two locations is about 10 to 12 kilometers, traveling by car would take around 7 hours since you have to navigate around the mountains.

This has made the Valbona Pass a popular and exciting hiking trip. However, since most people choose to hike in one direction only, they often leave their cars behind and opt for public transport to reach one of the villages. This way, the journey begins long before the hike itself, as reaching the starting point is an adventure in its own right. It involves both a minibus transfer along bumpy mountain roads and a scenic ferry ride… All in all, you should plan for at least 3 days to complete the entire trip.

The hike can be done in both directions. Since we hiked the pass from Valbona to Theth, we will focus on this route.

Travelling to Valbona

So you’ve decided to leave your car behind and dive into the lively world of Albanian minibusses! In short, the journey to Valbona looks like this:
– Van to Komani Lake (about 1.5 to 2 hours from Shkodra)
– Ferry over Komani Lake (about 1.5 to 2 hours)
– Van to Valbona (about 1 to 1.5 hours)

Van from Shkodra to Lake Komani

We decided to book all our transportation through one company: Komani Lake Ferry Berisha. They offer pick ups from Tirana, Shkodra and Valbona. Since we had spent the previous days in Shkodra, we opted for a van to pick us up from there—at 6:45 a.m., to be precise!

The van will be parked across from Rozafa Hotel (click for google maps location)
and has the ‘Ferry Berisha’ logo

The initial stretch of the route is generally well-maintained, but as the van ascends deeper into the mountains, the roads become narrower and more winding, with some unpaved sections. We were grateful not to be driving ourselves, and that we could sit back and fully enjoy the breathtaking scenery along the way.

Then we arrived at the ferry, where we waited in line with other travelers. About 10 minutes before reaching the ferry dock, the van made a stop at a café, with the possibility to grab a drink and use the toilets.

Ferry to Fierza

The two-and-a-half-hour ferry ride takes you across Lake Komani, navigating through narrow canyons. On the day of our trip, it was exceptionally grey and cooold. We wore all our clothes to be somewhat comfy, but the stunning views more than made up for it. While we didn’t get to experience the famous turquoise water, the clouds hanging over the mountains added to the dramatic scenery and were a highlight on their own right. You know that feeling of awe when you’re standing in front of something monumental and suddenly feel small? That’s exactly how I felt as we entered the canyons, with the mighty cliffs rising up on both sides.

After we arrived at Fierza Port, everyone left the ferry and waited in front of several vans that were already waiting. The ferry staff were assigning groups of people to different vehicles headed for Valbona. One scene that stood out was an American woman running frantically back and forth between the cars, trying to get a seat in one of them. Pro tip: don’t be that person. While it might look chaotic to outsiders, the guys have a plan, and you definitely won’t be left behind!

Things to do in Valbona

One hour later, we finally reached our destination for the day – Valbona! The driver likely asked everyone the name of their accommodation, and you’ll be dropped off right in front. We stayed at the cozy Oda N’Bjeshke, a friendly family-run place. The owner’s nephew gave us a tour of the property while sharing stories about his life in Albania and his studies in Tirana. To our surprise, he had never done the hike that attracts so many visitors to his village from all over the world!

We took a quick afternoon nap before heading out again. The main attraction in Valbona is Mulliri I Vjetër, which is just a few minutes’ walk from most accommodations. It’s a lovely spot to explore and walk around for a while.

Vegan in Valbona

Valbona is quite small and primarily consists of one main street that runs through the village, lined with a few guesthouses, shops, and restaurants. However, the shop turned out to be really tiny and didn’t even sell bread during our visit. Thankfully, we had stocked up on bread, vegan spreads, and cookies while we were in Shkodra, so we could prepare our sandwiches for the hike ahead.

The restaurants in Valbona were all traditional Albanian, offering mostly the same vegan options, like stuffed eggplants and veggie soup. We decided to have dinner at our hotel, which made us full and happy. Our stay included breakfast the next day, but being the good vegans that we are, we planned ahead and prepared some peanut butter sandwiches. And thank goodness we did, because breakfast turned out to be a standard plate for everyone, complete with eggs, sausage, and pancakes.

Hiking from Valbona to Theth

Then the day of the actual hike arrived! Depending on the location of your accommodation, you should allow about 30 to 40 minutes to reach the starting point of the hike. Alternatively, you can ask your hotel to arrange a taxi for the first few kilometers to save time.

If you choose to do the hike in the same direction as us, here are the advantages: first, the ascent is slightly steeper, but the descent won’t be as technical. A significant part of the second half will also be through forest, so you’ll be less exposed to the sun if you start early enough. And finally, the whole journey of travelling to Valbona, will be long and – although spectacular – also tiring. So we preferred to do this part while still feeling fresh and motivated.

All in all, the Valbona – Theth hike was truly stunning and we would recommend it to everyone eyes closed! Especially the first part offered some of the most breathtaking scenery I’ve ever experienced, with a constant view on the Accursed Mountains.

In terms of difficulty, we found the hike manageable with a reasonable fitness level. The first part is steadily going upwards, but there’s no need to rush. Take your time, and each break offers a great excuse to admire the views 😉 There are some rocky and uneven sections that require careful footing, especially at the top. After reaching the peak, the trail transitions into more forested areas, along with some gravel sections that demand good balance. There were three cafés on the way, offering drinks, but no food.

One café before the peak, one after.

Arriving in Theth

After more or less 9 hours (including breaks, photo stops and spending quality time with cows we’ve met on the way), we arrived at our accommodation in Theth. Like Valbona, the village consists of one main street, including hotels and guesthouses, a church, and small shops.

Things to do in Theth

One of the top attractions near Theth is visiting the Blue Eye (Syri i Kalter), a natural spring with crystal-clear, turquoise water. To reach it, you have a couple of options: you can either tackle an approximatively 17-kilometer hike from Theth or take a transport to get there and walk the final 45 minutes on foot. During our visit, we found that spontaneity worked perfectly here. When we wandered through the village in the morning after our Valbona hike, we spotted a van parked on the main street with a sign reading “Blue Eye.” We approached the driver to check for available space and he informed us that he could take us there for 500 ALL/person (around 5 EUR) and that we should be ready to leave at 10 AM. Done deal. Alternatively, you can also ask your accommodation to organize a taxi and they’ll likely have someone ready to drive you to the Blue Eye within the next hour.

Vegan in Theth

Just like Valbona, Theth offers a variety of traditional Albanian restaurants, where you can always find dishes like stuffed vegetables and vegetable soups. There is also a small shop selling essentials and where we stocked up on bread, cookies and spread (jam being the only vegan option we found).

A restaurant that stood out for us was Villa Gjecaj, located just a few minutes away from the main street. They had many vegan options, the staff understood our requests perfectly and we truly had one of the best meals during out trip here.

Another option for vegans is Fast Food Pizzeri Jezerca, where you can order a vegetable pizza without the cheese. When we were there however, we learned that they ran out of vegetables! This experience highlighted an important point for us: while it was unfortunate, in a small village like Theth, restaurants may not always have every ingredient stocked. If you’re vegan, it’s wise to plan ahead and stock up on some essentials before traveling to more remote places.

Going back to Shkodra

To return to Shkodra (or wherever you left your car), you can book your return over the same company as mentioned above, with the departure time from Theth at 11 am. If you’d like more flexibility, for example to visit the Blue Eye, you can also arrange a taxi through them for 90€.

Packing list

To prepare for your multi-day journey from Valbona to Theth, the first thing to consider is what to pack. Remember, you’ll be sleeping (at least) twice in different locations, while also needing to carry everything with you over a 15-kilometer hike. Here is a suggestion on what to pack (or wear):

• hiking shoes
• t-shirts for multiple days
• hiking pants
• jumper or warm layers (even if it’s warm, it can get chilly in the mountains)
• waterproof jacket
• sun cream
• water
• food for the length of the trip: trail snacks (energy bars, nuts, dried fruits, …) sandwiches or wraps -> as mentioned earlier, the vegan options in the shops in Valbona and Theth were limited. We would recommend to plan ahead and pack some bread and spreads in order to prepare some sandwiches for the hike. For more vegan backpacking ideas, check out our article about vegan recipes on the go.
• toiletries