Albanian Alps

Albanian Alps, are located in northern Albania, shared between Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. They are one of the most popular attractions to visit in Albania. Albanian Alps or Accursed Mountains as they are famously called, offer the perfect conditions for adventurers to explore wild nature, do activities like hiking and trekking.

Albanian Alps are worthy of a visit at any time of the year. Today the main villages of the Alps offer good road conditions even in winter months. Some years ago during winter it was impossible to access some of the most beautiful villages of this area because of the high snow.

In Theth, you can visit the main attractions of the village like the Blue Eye of Thethi, Grunasi Waterfall, Isolation Tower , Thethi Baths, and more. Thethi is a very interesting cultural destination in northern Albania. Locals here love to see tourists and are very welcoming, we suggest learning more about their traditions and also enjoy the traditional dishes of this popular tourist destination in Albania.

Beside Thethi there are also other famous villages which offer beautiful nature, majestic landscapes, unique cultural traditions and also traditional cuisine. One of the main destinations is Kelmend region which comprises of villages of Tamara, Lepusha, Vermosh, Kelmend, Selca. The villages offer unique wild nature, breathtaking mountain scenery, it looks like the time has stopped here.

Lepusha is a frequented tourist attraction in Albania. Visitors come in Lepusha for its fresh climate during the hot summer months, welcoming guesthouses, delicious cuisine with fresh foods from the farms in the village. In Lepusha you can visit the Waterfall and then continue toward Vajusha Peak. It is a mountain with moderate difficulty to climb, suitable for everyone, and offers some of the most beautiful views of the Albanian Alps. We definitely suggest a hiking in Vajusha.

Vermosh is a village in Kelmend, Albania. It is located very near the village of Lepusha, and is situated near the valley. Attractions to visit in Vermosh are Bashkimi Canyon, also the village is a cultural site, we also recommend the local foods. The positioning of Vermosh makes it a perfect location for spending family holidays, and you can enjoy a lot of activities in the fields, also the river can be enjoyed during summer months.

Tamara is a village in Northern Albania, it is a popular destination when visiting Shkoder and northern Albania, also it is a pausing location amongst tourists who want to travel toward the villages of Lepusha, Vermosh etc.

Selca village is located in northern Albania, it is located between Tamara and Lepusha village. Attractions to visit are Selca Waterfall.

Thethi, a tourist destination in Albania is located in northern Albania in Shkoder county. It takes around 2 hours to get to Thethi from center of Shkoder. The road is in very good conditions, it goes through the other tourist destinations and villages like Razma and Boga.

Razma is a touristic village in northern Albania, you can get to Razem in less than one hour from the center of Shkoder. It is known for its climate and fresh air, also it is a good location for camping, there are a lot guesthouses and restaurants in the area. Hikers can climb Veleciku mountain , it takes 2 hours to climb this mountain when starting from Razem.

Boga is a touristic village, it takes almost one hour to get there from Shkoder. It is a perfect village for camping , also there are a lot of guesthouses that operate all year in Boga. Boga is surrounded by high mountains.

There are a lot of guesthouses in village of Boga, Albania. We recommend Boga Alpine guesthouse as it offers different kind of accommodation, car camping, tent camping, and single room also apartments suitable for up to 6 people. From our experience this guesthouse has met the expectations so far. Also the meals were delicious in this guesthouse. For adventurers, Boga offers a lot of mountain peaks.

Apart from visiting the main attractions of this village we recommend taking the Theth-Valbona trail, it is one of the most memorable experiences in Albania, the trails goes through some of the most beautiful nature. The area is wild, and there are also stops to pause and enjoy a traditional drink. Tourists take the trail from Thethi towards Valbona and during summer you can see thousands of people in this trail. It is part of the famous ‘Peaks of the Balkans’ trail, which goes in three countries of Albania, Montenegro, Kosova and spans 192 km. There are a lot of adventurers why try to accomplish all the Peaks of the Balkans trail in a multiday tour in this Accursed Mountains. A lot of visitors stay in Theth for one or two nights and then take the trail to Valbona. After visiting Valbona they have the options to take the Koman ferry, passing through some of the most majestic nature, and experiencing a mini Thailand adventure in Albania.

Peaks of the Balkans is a hiking and trekking trail , which passes in northern Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo. It has a length of 192 km making it a challenge for hikers to accomplish this trail.

Gjeravica is the highest point in Kosovo. It reaches 2656 m of altitude making it one of the highest mountains in Balkans. Gjeravica is part of the Albanian Alps, you can get in Gjeravica from different starting points , one of the most frequent is Junik village, in Peja Kosovo. There is also a traditional party called Days of Gjeravica which every year brings hikers, nature lovers, cyclists and more in the village on Junik.

Curraj is a remote village in Albanian Alps, it has become only lately a point of interest as it has excellent conditions for tourism. It can be reached from the trail of Theth-Valbona.

The starting point toward the Accursed Mountain is the city of Shkoder. Shkoder is the unofficial capital of northern Albania. It is one of the main cities in Albania, a cultural and historical city, which is worthy of a tour. Visiting the Castle of Shkoder, Rozafa castle, also the main piazza where you can notice the influence of Vatican.

The villages in northern Albania are mostly Catholic. You can notice crosses as you travel in Albanian Alps as the area here has remained catholic to this day.

Albanian Alps is very safe. Locals are very welcoming and they love to see tourists. Now days every corner of Albania is a safe place.

Expect to try delicious food in this part of Albania. Especially in the touristic villages of Thethi , Lepusha, Vermosh you can enjoy some of the popular dishes of the area. The locals are famous for their ‘fli’, also other meat and dairy products .

You can expect to pay a fair price for your holidays in the popular villages of Thethi, Lepusha, Vermosh, Boga etc. The prices are economical , accommodation ranges from 50-100$ but during the summer the request is very high and it can be challenging to rent a room in months of July or August in some of these villages. Lepusha and Vermosh are even more economical in prices, while Thethi tends to be a little more expensive when comparing.

Thethi offers a variety of accommodation opportunities, from rooms , apartments , and camping. A lot of guesthouses operate in the village , also you can bring your own tent with you and have a more adventurous stay in this popular village.

From center of Thethi you can walk toward the Blu Eye if you have time and like walking, or you can rent a Jeep and get there.

We at albaniatourism.al recommend a visit of Lepusha and a hiking toward Vajusha Peak. When visiting Lepusha village it is very easily to have a short visit to the other tourist destinations of Vermoshi village, Tamara, Selca. Also the most popular destination remains Thethi National Park. It offers unique nature, it is an interesting cultural site, and from there you can visit attractions and also make an adventure to remember by taking the trails that gets you to Valbona. And after arriving in Valbona we recommend taking the ferry which goes through Koman and visit Shala River. This whole experience is dynamic, unique, and an adventure to always remember.

Thethi is very visited during summer months, we also suggest this period of time, even better during the starting of fall as there are less crowds.

Boga is perfect for a visit at any time of the year, during summer you can enjoy outdoor activities more of course but also you can make it a weekend escape from the busy city life at any time of the year, and staying near a chimney in the winter is not that bad though.

Lepusha is mostly recommended for a visit during the summers months. Apart from breathtaking nature and landscapes it is also a perfect getaway from the hot temperatures of summer. Until some years ago it was impossible to get to the villages of Lepusha and Vermosh during the winter as the road could not be accessed.

Razma village is a good option at any time of the year, it also offer good accommodation conditions with some hotels that also offer indoor pools , which make it a popular attraction during winter months.

Gjeravica is more suitable during the summer months, the roads that lead to the villages situated in this mountain may be hard to travel during the winter months as there is heavy snow in this are at this time.