SHKODËR → VALBONE → THETH

Hannah McDonald
Jul 19, 2023
12 min read

Updated: Jul 30, 2023

Arrival in Albania

Our arrival in Albania can be described as much more efficient than both our arrival and departure in Athens. In Athens, we enjoy a delicious lunch at Gaby before waiting in the baggage check line for an hour at the airport and making it to our gate just before boarding, despite arriving the normal two hours early. Albania, however, is efficient. There is an automated passport check for certain countries, including the United States, to speed people through border control. Unfortunately, I create enough user error that we have to go through the manual checkpoint, and by the time we are through, our suitcases are sitting abandoned on the still carousel. We missed the entire baggage claim rotation for our flight.

Our driver picks us up just outside the airport, and we begin our drive from Tirana to Shkodër. There seem to be some similarities between Bulgaria and Albania, with some key differences: More corn, no sunflowers, some palm trees, and bigger mountains. The driver drops us off at our hotel, a quaint boutique hotel, museum, and traditional restaurant. The lobby is filled with antiques to explore, and the courtyard is a cute restaurant. We check-in to realize we are the first in our tour group to arrive, leaving us wondering where everyone else is since they landed hours before us.

Albania went from our most planned segment of the trip to our least planned. We intend to do the Peaks of the Balkans - Hiking Beyond Borders tour that takes a group through The Cursed Mountains, hiking 75 kilometers (~46.5 miles) through Albania and Montenegro with a complete itinerary, group, and guide. Essentially, all we have to do is show-up ready to hike and hike. After much consideration, we decide not to do the entire trek, leaving us to rearrange and fill in the gaps of our itinerary. Let’s just say mom and dad were not particularly pleased to leave us in Greece without lodging reservations for three nights or plans for four days of the next week. These days are in the middle of our trip between the days we plan to spend with the group at the beginning and end of the tour.

After getting to our hotel room, I make a mental list of everything we need to do that night, from finding dinner to making some plans and reservations. Joelle quickly reminds me that dinner will be taken care of for us because we are with a group. That is a shift in mindset from fending for ourselves! In terms of a plan, we loosely piece something together, ensuring us lodging each night and transportation to and from the locations.

While exploring the hotel lobby, a group of people enter to check-in, and they appear to be hikers. We observe for a bit, then make our way to the person directing everyone else to see if he is our guide. Sure enough! We have found our group and are told to meet back here in forty-five minutes for dinner. It is oddly nice to have someone else figuring that one out for us.

Forty-five minutes later, we meet our group: two friends from England, a group of four friends also from England, a German couple, a German solo-traveler, “The Sisters” as we become known, and two Albanian guides. Overall, the group is young and all female, except for one German and the guides. Also interesting, there are four teachers among us. Seems like a good group, although we are still in the “hi, I don’t know you yet” phase.

On the way to dinner, we stop at St. Stephen’s Catholic Cathedral (Shkodër Cathedral), which has quite an interesting history. It is a simple church, and during the communist era in Albania, it was used as a sports facility. Religion was banned in Albania during the communist era, with most religious places being destroyed. This church was supposed to be stripped of everything that made it a church and converted into a sports arena. Rather than destroying the church, workers hid it’s frescos behind layers of concrete walls built for the sports facility, allowing the church to later be recovered after Mother Teresa (who is originally from Albania) visited and saw what had been done.

We continue through town to dinner until we round a corner into an alleyway that opens to a courtyard with two large tables, a house, a separate building with a kitchen, and a large mural related to women’s rights painted on the wall. Our group sits around the large table and enjoys a traditional Albanian meal home-cooked by the women inside. Joelle and I’s worries of being the “difficult ones” with food is somewhat relieved when we learn many others are vegetarian and one other is lactose intolerant. We enjoy bread, bean soup, veggies, peppers stuffed with rice, and eggplant. The food seems to just keep coming. After dinner, we learn more about the restaurant, which is actually a women’s center to help women impacted by domestic violence. The center opened in 2001, and each woman is expected to use their skills to contribute something to the center. These women started a restaurant with their cooking skills. Two years ago, it was just two women, and now, there are five women helping in the kitchen. The main restaurant is across the street, and the courtyard we are in is for overflow. Because it started through an association, it is a social business. Now, it is a real business, although the prices are lower because there are also funds from the association. The profits from the business go to lawyers, notaries, rents, and more for women affected by domestic violence.

After dinner, we stop at the market, as those with dietary restrictions are advised to get some snacks because most Albanian food is dairy-based. Fortunately, Joelle and I packed our dehydrated meal packs, knowing this was likely. On our way back to the hotel, we walk through the main pedestrian street of Shkodër, which is hopping with people sitting outside at the bars and restaurants. The majority of these people are young men, which is noticeable. The guide points out a few key sites and then instructs us to get some rest for an early morning tomorrow.

Bus and Ferry to Valbone

There is no simple way to get to Valbone from Shkodër. It requires a car, ferry, and another car, totaling six to seven hours. Alternatively, you can take a car two and a half hours to Theth and then hike about seven hours to Valbone, followed by car-ferry-car to get back to Shkodër. Joelle and I’s current plan is to do car-ferry-car with the group, stay in Valbone for two nights at a guest house, and then do car-ferry-car in reverse back to Shkodër.

Our day starts early with a bus ride to Komani lake, where we will take the ferry. On the drive, we pass three hydroelectric dams built in the communist era plus one new one. Hydro electricity has a significant presence, with dams built and areas flooded to form three lakes, including Komani lake. This flooding destroyed towns, and one can still partially be seen, in ruins. Another village was made into a town during communist times, with many 4-5 story buildings to show it was in fact a town, not a village. The drive is bumpy on a narrow road with significant drops off the edge. In a tunnel near the lake, traffic comes to a halt, and we must walk the rest the way. On the other side of the tunnel are the police. Just this week the police have shut down many boats due to licensing issues and safety concerns, causing quite the disruption for the local boats and tours.

Our guides, having done this numerous times, are experts. We are at the boat over an hour early, and no one else is there yet. The ferry is essentially the opposite of the Greek Island ferries. This one is all metal with no luxury. There are benches around the boat for seating, and a small passenger cabin in the middle with nicer seats. The whole group goes for the benches on the top deck, while our guides make a bee line for the seats in the cabin. Figuring they probably know what they are doing, we follow them into the cabin and find seats of our own. Slowly, the boat starts filling up until finally we start moving up the river. Komani lake is known as the Norwegian fjords of Albania. Joelle and I watch the scenery out the window, and get up to go outside a couple times. The boat is absolutely packed with people lining the floors and little room to go anywhere. The water is beautiful, a blue-green color, and the mountains and rocks extend high above the lake. Having seen Norwegian fjords last summer though, I am not sure there is really a comparison. Soon, the heat on the boat becomes stifling, and the trip draws on and on. The scenery is pretty, but the overall experience is lacking.

Finally off the boat, a bus takes us into town and to a restaurant for lunch. It is similar traditional cuisine to last night, with bread, bean soup, veggies, eggplant, and peppers stuffed with rice. While eating, I tap Joelle on the shoulder and ask something along the lines of, “this might be crazy but how do you feel about hiking out?” To my relief, we are thinking the same thing: That bus and ferry ride was not pleasant, and we do not want to do it in reverse. Once—for the views—is enough.

Valbone Hike and Swim

After lunch, we drive about forty-five minutes to what the guides refer to as our “warm-up” hike, roughly four miles (compared to the 8-10 miles of future days). It is beautiful. There is lots of vegetation and greenery, the river flows crystal blue below us, and the rocky peaks of the mountains extend tall above us. It is amazing.

Our guides stop us at a beautiful part of the river where there is a small swimming hole. They ask if we want to go in, and Joelle and I immediately jump at the opportunity. It is hot out, and a swim sounds nice. We quickly change into our suits while four others do the same. The guides point us to where we can jump, and Joelle is the first to get there. She jumps in, immediately giving away just how cold the water is when she surfaces. It is my turn next, and I am slightly deterred by her reaction to the cold water. Nonetheless, I jump, and goodness is it freezing. There is also a bit of a current. The second time is slightly less cold, perhaps because we are already numb. It is like an ice bath.

As we continue the hike out, my muscles tingle as they warm-up, further indicating the cold water. The scenery remains beautiful, and this “warm-up” hike, ending at a cute hotel and cafe, is bound to be a trip highlight.

Kol Gjoni Guesthouse

From the end of the hike, we take a short bus ride to our guesthouse, which is another bumpy ride over lots of river rock. The guesthouse is very cute, with a garden and lilies out front. We divide into rooming groups and shower before dinner.

Dinner is another homemade, traditional Albanian meal (turned vegan for us). Tonight though, we also have a yummy doughy item. I honestly do not know what it is, and it is modified significantly for vegan. That said, it is yummy. For dessert, we get an apple with honey made from bees right here at the guesthouse. We can see the bee hives just out the window. It is delicious.

After dinner, our guides help Joelle and I fill in the gaps in our plan for the next couple days. For the Valbone to Theth hike, they recommend we start in Rragam, skipping almost five kilometers of walking on river rock in the early morning. They also help us setup transportation from Theth back to Shkodër after our hike. Traveling in Albania seems to relay a lot on word-of-mouth and who you know. As a traveler, it seems you have to ask, and locals send Whats App messages directly to one another to make loose arrangements. You can find information online, but it is challenging to use the internet to actually set anything up, leaving us very thankful for our guides.

We spend the next day at the guesthouse canceling our ferry ride back to Shkodër, walking the guesthouse grounds, writing blogs, playing cards, resting, and star gazing. The guesthouse is run by a family, with everyone from the parents to the adult kids to the cousins pitching in to help. The family’s father is a large, Albanian man with a deep voice from smoking cigars, a handlebar mustache, and bushy eyebrows. He does not seem to speak English, but every time we see him, even when feeding the cows, he is wearing a dress shirt and slides. We watch as they herd sheep, milk cows, garden, and go about their day-to-day. It is a beautiful place snuggled in the beautiful mountains, and we enjoy the day. At night, the sky is dancing with stars in the clear sky, and Joelle even sees a shooting star.

Valbone to Theth Hike

Given lots of advice online, we start early for our Theth to Valbone hike. One of the sons at the guesthouse drives us the five kilometers over river rock to the base of the trail in Rragam, saving us significant time and giving us a 7:00am start on our hike. It feels a bit like cheating given the trail markers and other hikers we pass, but we are going on expert-local advice.

The hike starts in the shade and goes more or less straight up. Soon we learn the trail continues straight up until we summit, at which point we go straight down. The climb is challenging, particularly toward the top. We pass a guesthouse and cafe somewhat early on and fill up on water. Around here, a speedy hiker starts up a conversation, asking if we are Austrian or Dutch. We think he might be a tour guide, but it turns out he is a Turkish traveler who has been traveling for about two years. The trail opens up, exposing us to the strong sun despite it still being early morning. The climb is straight up, with small switch backs on the rocky trail.

We reach the summit and find lots of people, many of whom must have been coming from Theth because the trail did not seem too busy from Valbone. It is beautiful. We can see both valleys—Valbone and Theth—and decide the Valbone side is more beautiful (perhaps we are biased after spending two nights there). We enjoy our meal packs (they are back!) on top of the mountain, where several stray dogs seem to be living.

The way down into Theth seems less steep and more shaded, although it is still straight down. We see several late-start hiking groups getting going, and some of the chosen attire and footwear seems less than desirable. Several horses hauling luggage on their backs are on the trail, with a local wearing only a fanny pack following them to keep them on-track. There are even some fowls following behind without any cargo, likely in training. The bags are big, and the poor horses are working hard in the heat, with a wooden, uncomfortable-looking saddle strapped to them holding the luggage. Our guess is that horses come from either side of the mountain—Valbone and Theth—and switch luggage in the middle, but that is only a guess. We also pass a man riding one of the horses, and we think he must have gotten hurt and not been able to continue on foot.

Beginning to near the bottom, we hear what seems to be a party hopping below us. Turns out, it is a guesthouse and cafe where we can fill our depleting water supply. They are blasting music, disrupting the peace a bit.

Well, I though we were beginning to near the bottom, but we continue descending for quite some time. Finally Theth comes into view below us, and once we reach the bottom, Joelle messages the guesthouse with which our guide coordinated our ride back to Shkodër, letting them know we will be there soon.

“Soon” is another two or so miles through Theth; the guesthouse really is not that close. On the way, we pass the main tourist attraction of Theth, a small church. Our legs feel too tired to climb up and over the fence using the stairs, so we peek from afar, knowing we will be back.

At the guesthouse, we throw the host into a tizzy of confusion with our arrival. She misread our guide’s messages and is expecting us on Friday, with the rest the group. We will be back then, we assure her, but for now, we need a ride to Theth. We peacefully enjoy the shade and some snacks from our packs while she frantically calls around to find us a ride.

The hike totaled eight miles and seven hours for us, including our rest time (just over five hours of active hiking). We agree with All Trails that it is a challenging hike, literally straight up and over a mountain. Yet, it is beautiful, and we much prefer having done that to taking the ferry out of Valbone.

Theth to Shkodër Transfer

The guesthouse host finds us a driver, and we make our way back to Shkodër. We are expecting a rough, bumpy ride, but the road has recently been paved and is relatively smooth. That said, the drive is not exactly cautious. Our driver speeds quickly along the winding roads, slamming on the breaks when another car is approaching. The road is quite narrow for two cars to pass one another. He does not speak English and returns us to Shkodër far faster than someone driving safe would have. Fortunately, we make it and pickup our luggage from the hotel we stayed the first night.

Our Airbnb host meets us to show us the apartment we will be staying in tonight, and it is very nice. We shower and get ready for dinner. Neither of us has much energy to find a place, so we go to the hotel from the first night. No vegan restaurants come up in the area when you search on Google Maps, so this seems like the easiest option. Corn bread is traditional here, and we have been craving it since seeing it on the hotel’s menu the first night. Unfortunately, it is a bust. The cornbread is hard and comes covered in dairy, and the pasta we ordered is soaked in a dairy sauce, leaving us just with the vegetable soups we ordered. We leave still hungry and with a dairy-headache. We try to think of a plan B until it dawns on us that we have a kitchen. We just need a grocery store! Joelle finds one nearby with lots of gluten-free options, so we stock up for the next couple days.

At the Airbnb, we start watching season two of The Summer I Turned Pretty and realize just how nice the place is, particularly with the kitchen. We do not want to move back to the hotel tomorrow. So, Joelle messages our host to ask for another night, and I cancel our hotel reservation. Yay! Once again, our plans change. Albania is becoming our “go with the flow and make decisions as we go” place—what a fun adventure! I wonder what tomorrow has in store…we start looking for tours in the area, less than 24-hours in advance.

SHKODËR → VALBONE → THETH

Recent Posts

1 Comment