Our Peaks of the Balkans trail began with a minibus to Theth, a small town in the Albanian Alps, and one of the most convenient starting points for the hike. While more convenient than elsewhere, it still required a couple of hours of winding roads up and over the mountains, on thin gravelly roads with large drops to the side of us, and absolutely stunning scenery. We planned to visit Theth properly at the end of our hike, so after arriving at around 9.45am we headed straight off out of town to begin our 11 day adventure.

The first day is a popular hike for people staying in the area that aren’t doing the full loop, so it was very busy on the trail. We were in no rush, so we stopped frequently to take in the views – we didn’t entirely know what to expect for the next 10 days, but in hindsight this was one of the most scenic legs. We were fresh and fairly well rested, but it was still an intense climb to the top of our first peak. At the top we scrambled up some rocks to the side of the trail for an evening better view where we had our picnic lunch. The way down was also very steep, and it was clear why many people make sure to hike with poles, which we (having just come from Egypt) did not have. About half way down we found an abandoned hiking pole, and with no-one around to claim it Creed took it and used it frequently over the next few days. After the steep descent but still a few kilometres from the end of the days hike we took a long break in some grass under the shade of some large trees. The heatwave was well and truly underway, so the shade was incredibly pleasant, and we actually ended up napping in the grass for a little bit. Hikers are often in a rush to get to the end as soon as possible, but we knew that we’d only be relaxing in a guesthouse once we got there, so relaxing in the wilderness seemed like a better option. From here the trail was much flatter but still very scenic.

On the second day we had another 1100m climb, and this time the first few kilometres were significantly steeper. We operated on a 100 steps, 1 minute break basis, although sometimes I only made it about 50 steps before I wanted to stop and turn to point my feet down the hill to give my calves a break. The second half of the climb was a little shallower, though we still took many breaks. In general Creed has better stamina than me, so he walks further without stopping and then takes a longer break, while I want to stop much sooner and more frequently but then recover and move on faster, and so catch Creed up. The trail on this day was also very rocky, which meant most of the time you needed to be looking at your feet while walking, so the frequent stops were not just for recovery but also to look around at the stunning scenery. We eventually got to the peak, 8km into the trail, in just under 5 hours.

What followed was a beautiful mountain pass, with huge peaks either side. Halfway along the pass was a large cave with a very cold breeze coming out of it. Further into the cave the ground dropped away to an unknown depth, creating a natural chimney, and whatever breeze was going in the other end was coming out as a wintery wind at ours. The cave was so much colder than the outside temperature that you could see the shimmer in the air outside where the cold wind hit the heat. It was incredibly nice to escape the heat for a few minutes, especially as we were out of water at this point. After a few more kilometres, once we were through the pass, there was a cafe offering a place to sit in the shade and refill waters. From here it was all downhill and very uneventful.

The next day we started off with a fairly long section of trail just on the road, which wasn’t super interesting. It was supposed to be a shallower climb than the previous two days, but the first 100m or so did not follow this rule, and I was immediately tired after about 3 steps. At this point in the trip we were much less fresh, but our muscles hadn’t yet got used to working hard every day, so even the hint of a steep hill made our legs ache. Fortunately the incline did lessen and we enjoyed a much more leisurely climb up the side of the valley. After a few kilometres of road we veered off onto a wooded trail, the surroundings getting much more green and lush the further we went, in contrast to the first two days of very rocky scenery. The rest of the day was quite pretty, and pretty easy, minus one final hill up and down to get into town. Once at our lodge, we heard from a fellow hiker about a small waterfall very close by, with another guesthouse built at the top of it, and the option to go to the bottom to swim. So we dragged ourselves back out for another small walk, and made our way to the natural swimming spot at the bottom of the waterfall. The water was very cold but very refreshing on sore muscles, and worth the extra excursion. 

The heatwave broke this evening, and it poured with rain overnight. Unfortunately this was the only night of the entire loop that we were housed in a hut with a tin roof, so the rain was incredibly loud and we slept very little all night. The rain continued into the morning, and all the hikers were very concerned at breakfast about having to set off. Most people pre-book all their accommodation, so didn’t have the option to change plans, and we were far enough from civilization at this point that getting a taxi to the next village was not an option. Fortunately after one last burst of rain during breakfast, the skies cleared, and everyone headed out to tackle the day all at the same time.

The fourth day on the trail was one of my favourites of the whole loop. After the initial climb, that is. Of course the first few kilometres of the day were an immediate incline, and this one was the steepest yet. It was also just a big grassy hill, which meant you could see all the way up and all the way down the whole way, and could tell when you hadn’t gone very far and still had a huge climb ahead of you, which wasn’t very motivating. As usually we made many stops, and cared very little about all the people overtaking us. We made the challenge even bigger by choosing to climb all the way to the actual peak here, rather than following the trail around the side of the mountain. We did so because this peak marked the spot where the three countries of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro met. It was very windy at the top, but very cool to look at 3 different valleys belonging to different countries. We moved a little way down the hill to get out of the wind, and plopped ourselves down amongst the wildflowers to enjoy an early but well deserved lunch.

From there we headed away from Albania and followed the ridgeline separating Kosovo and Montenegro. The couple of ups and downs were no problem after the huge hill at the beginning of the day. After crossing between two more peaks, we had the option to follow the official trail down into the valley, or continue along the ridgeline, which is read offered much more scenic views, and avoided one last steep uphill into our village for the night. Obviously we picked the easier and more scenic route, and it turned out to be a great decision. The wildflowers on this section were so stunning that I found myself saying ‘this is so beautiful!’ about every 100 meters. We again took many breaks, not so much out of tiredness, but just to soak it all in. Unfortunately it was not so hot this day, and we were still high up and exposed to the wind, so our breaks were kept short to avoid getting too cold. Our final descent into the valley, and into Kosovo, was a little complex, as being off the official trail meant the route was a lot less obvious, and we took a couple of wrong turns, and ended up scrambling through some overgrown bushes even when we were on the right path. But we struggled through, and ended up arriving at one of the most scenic guesthouses along the route (with the best home cooked dinner) fairly late in the day but very happy.

Rain was again a concern amongst the hikers, with it expected to hit around lunch time on day 5, so lots of people headed off early on this day. We had decided to split this stage in two, so had a much shorter hike ahead of us, but still wanted to get to our destination dry. After the usual steep climb to start the day, we had an enjoyable descent through lush fields scattered with large round stones on amongst yellow flowers that gave a kind of fairytale feel to the landscape. After rounding a mostly dried up lake, we missed the trail turning, and ended up walking a fair way before realising. At which point we looked at the map, and saw an alternative route that would rejoin with the correct trail further down the mountain. This was a terrible mistake. We continued along the path we were on until it turned into a forested area, and started descending down the mountainside. It was steep, but well marked at this point. Having gone wrong previously I was monitoring the map closely this time, and noticed that we were heading away from where the map thought the trail went. But there was very clearly only one path, and so we followed it. Until it stopped. A third of the way down the mountain, there just ceased to be any path, and we were 200m away from where the map said the trail was supposed to be. We tried to push our way through bushes first in one direction, then the other, to try to find the path again, or at least a reasonable way to continue. But it was incredibly steep, and the grass was slick, and I ended up on my butt a couple of times. We were aware the the further we went, the worse we were making it for ourselves to turn around again. We’d descended about 400m of elevation, and really didn’t want to climb back up again just to have to retrace our steps and go down the mountain another way. But we also still had 800m to descend even from where we were, and with no path and such a steep incline that was looking really quite dangerous. In the end we had no choice but to return to the top of the mountain. At which point we tried to find another trail to rejoin the official route without completely retracing our steps, but the mountain ridge gave us few options. But the time we rejoined the correct path we’d hiked an extra 4km, descended and climbed 400m of elevation unnecessarily, and were only 200m away from where we’d been 2 hours earlier.

Fortunately the decent on the official trail was significantly easier. Still steep, but not dangerously so, and with an obvious and well marked path all the way down. It still took us a long time, and was rough on the knees, and at times running down the hill was more comfortable than taking careful steps. There also weren’t many nice places to stop and take a break, so we were quite speedy and even managed to catch back up to some other hikers who had not taken the wrong turn. By the time we reached the valley floor we were very tired and achy and ready to be done with the day. From here we had decided to book a night in the closest town, rather than continue hiking to the next village on the trail. The valley had a main road running through it, so we stuck out a thumb and got picked up by the 5th car going past, a hotel owner driving from his lodge further up the valley who took us all the way into town. The rain started about 10 minutes into the drive, so it was perfect timing despite our terrible detour. To finish off the rough day we had an issue with our accommodation in town, and ended up having to move to another place before we could finally relax. But after a lazy afternoon in a very comfortable bed, we headed out to explore Peja, a lively mountain town in Kosovo.

We were still monitoring the rain, and considered staying an extra day in Peja to enjoy the nice hotel and many restaurant options. We discovered a Via Ferrata in the valley that didn’t require hiring a guide, meaning that you could rent the gear and go at your own pace for a fraction of what it normally costs, and in an amazing location walkable from town. But with the rain and the risk of lightening, this was not going to be possible, which meant we would have very little to do if we stayed, and we’d still have to hike in the rain the next day, so it didn’t make much sense not to continue with our hike as planned. We were only doing the second half of yesterday’s hike, which would only take a couple of hours, so we were able to take it slow in the morning and leave in the afternoon. We stocked up on snacks and lunches from the supermarket and headed towards the edge of town, where a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage monastery sat beside the river. After visiting here briefly we headed back to the main road, hoping to hitchhike back to the trailhead again, and again got a ride within the first few cars, this time a French/Albanian family on their holidays. Today’s hike was entirely on the road, and entirely uphill. We took a brief detour to a waterfall where a water nymph was supposed to live, before continuing onwards. We were about 100m from the guesthouse when the rain started, another day of great timing. I was looking forward to sitting in the mountain lodge watching the rain come down, which is always enjoyable and would also make us feel good about our decision to leave Peja, but the rain ended up not lasting that long, and so the Via Ferrata would actually probably have been doable. But we couldn’t have known.

The following day we were planning a side hike from the main trail to a peak known for being one of the most beautiful in Kosovo. It was raining on and off but was actually quite refreshing given that, yet again, we started with a steep climb. It wasn’t a particularly interesting trail, and we lost sight of every other hiker for a while after following the map rather than the trail markers. We eventually reached a small hut where the path split, one way for the side hike to the peak, and another way towards our village for the night. There was blue sky peeking through the clouds at this point, so after a rest and brunch at the hut we decided to stick to our plan of climbing the peak. I’d planned this trip with the help of a blog, and the author noted that they’d followed an alternative route to rejoin the main trail after the peak and it was very steep and slippery and unpleasant. After our previous terrible experience following the map’s alternative trail down a mountain we decided to take the blog’s advice and return to the same hut before continuing onwards, which also meant we could leave behind a couple of heavy water bottles to lighten our bags. We set off through some long grass and were immediately drenched despite the fact that it was no longer raining. It was a nice enough path, though one section was overtaken by a herd of cows who did not care about our presence or feel the need to move out of the way. We reached the bottom of the peak and found it covered by cloud, but I was still hopeful that this would pass. We veered off to take a slightly less steep trail up, and got to a ridge where supposedly and incredible view waited on the other site. It was completely white. The whole area was covered in fog, and as we continued upwards we realised we were just walking through the cloud sat on top of the mountain, which definitely was not moving. We hiked right along the very top of the ridgeline, scrambling over rocks with sheer drops into whiteness on either side. I could tell the scenery was extremely dramatic, even if I couldn’t see it. We made it to the top and found another group of damp and disappointed hikers, and took the least scenic photos of our whole trip to celebrate making it up the peak. Fortunately it wasn’t too slippery on the way down, and our water bottles were where we’d left them, and the rest of the hike down to the village was leisurely and not too steep. By the time we’d got into the valley we were well out of the clouds and it was actually quite hot. Missing the great views at the peak was a shame, but on the positive side our day ended at the most beautiful lodge of our whole trip, with a balcony outside our room with a swing seat overlooking the whole valley.

This was a long post, so if you made it all the way to the end thank you for sticking with me! And the second half of our trek continues in the next post! Check it out here.

Thanks for following along on my crazy adventures!

 Ros ♥

If you’re interested in how I got here, or where I went next, check out the rest of the story!