Peaks of the Balkans

You arrive in Tirana, where the team welcomes you; we then drive a winding mountain road to the village of Theth, hidden in the heart of the Albanian Alps, with its famous stone church and historic lock-in tower. A first night in a warm mountain guesthouse.

The most famous and most beautiful stage of the trail. We climb from Theth through forests ablaze with autumn colours to the Valbona Pass, where a panorama of rocky peaks opens on both sides, then descend into the wide Valbona valley with its turquoise river shimmering over white pebbles.

A quiet walk away from the beaten paths towards the isolated village of Cerem, through beech forests and pastures dotted with wooden shepherd huts. Here the true solitude begins — villages with no paved roads, and authentic Albanian hospitality at every door.

We climb gradually to the high meadows of Doberdol (1,700 m+), a summer shepherd village of wooden huts scattered across the pastures like a painting from another age. Here the borders of three countries meet: Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro.

Summit day. We climb Gjeravica, Kosovo's highest peak at 2,656 m, over grassy slopes and small glacial lakes mirroring the sky. From the summit, the mountains of the western Balkans stretch as far as the eye can see — without question the high point of the trip.

We cross the border into Kosovo along old shepherd paths that linked the mountain communities before borders were drawn. A long walk across open plateaus and pine forests to the mountain village of Milisevc in the Rugova region.

From the village of Reka e Allages we climb Hajla Peak, overlooking the deep Rugova valley, its imposing rock wall plunging suddenly towards Montenegro. A second view to rival Gjeravica in beauty, before returning to sleep at the mountain guesthouse in the forest.

The trekking ends with a gentle walk to the Liqenati glacial lakes hidden among the peaks — clear waters mirroring rock and sky in total silence. After lunch we descend to the city of Peja — back to civilisation after a week in the wild.

A cultural day in Peja: the old Ottoman bazaar with its cafés and craftsmen, historic mosques, and the dramatic edges of the Rugova valley. Free time for shopping and tasting Balkan cuisine, and a farewell evening reliving the trail's finest moments.

After breakfast we transfer to the airport for the flight home. You leave having crossed two countries on foot, climbed two of the Balkans' highest peaks, and carrying with you the warmth of unforgettable mountain hospitality.