Albania has in recent times been gaining more and more popularity. The beautiful beaches of the south have been said to be stunningly clear and beautiful, some comparing it to the beaches in exotic places like Thailand or Indonesia. However, very little is written about the north of Albania. Although people travel, it seems to be the less travelled road, with information much less than the south. Being the adventure seeking koala (self proclaimed) that I am, the idea of hiking in the mountains and discovering what there is to do, felt more compelling, so off we went.
Driving In Albania
Our first hurdle was the fact that we were only there for 4 days. Tirana is the capital of the country, has the only airport in the whole of the country, and sadly despite the country becoming a more popular destination, travelling around the country by public transport remains very difficult. Driving is the preferred route for the majority of people. However, caution still remains with this. One of the taxi drivers (after we had dropped the car off thankfully, was telling us how corrupt the police here are, and they would often stop foreigners on motorways for fines at an extortionate prices).
We were very fortunate with this. We hired a car online prior to going. There are lots of car companies that are available from the airport itself. We went with enterprise, a company that was available in the UK as well, and allowed us to have some assurance of legitimacy prior to getting the car.
I would HIGHLY advise getting insurance in addition to the one you have at home. THIS IS VITAL.I cannot recommend this enough. Driving in Tirana and further up north of albania, people do not drive as safely as you would expect in the UK. By this i mean, we witnessed driving in the wrong lane with oncoming traffic, barely giving space to allow people through, but the driving was usually the worst in Tirana, as is in any capital city.
SO what sort of car should you take?
Again, with the landscape in the north being mountainous, and often rocky, I would recommend getting a compact SUV or a full SUV to be able to navigate these roads. Although the road is well built in the majority of places, I would recommend not risking it too much. Despite having a compact SUV for us, we still found some of the roads very bumpy, particularly on our way to see Bovilla lake.
day 1
Shkoder
A charming lakeside town, known as the capital of the north of Albania, is one of the oldest towns in Europe, with evidence showing occupants dating back to the Bronze age.
Only an hour from Tirana, by road, (and a very easy drive), the city borders by Montenegro, its a small town, with a gentle atmosphere. We arrived on day 1, in the evening, to a beautiful sight. Our hotel, was located opposite Rozafa Castle, which meant we could do an early morning walk to the castle and see the sunrise (which was perfect for us).
(None of these links are affiliate links, please feel free to have a look elsewhere, this is just where I stayed)
Dining here, with the backdrop of the castle outside, is one of the loveliest experiences, particularly if you are with other friends or family, or even if you just want to cozy up with a book.
Rozafa Castle
On the outskirts of Shkoder and well worth a visit. Touring above the city, watching over it, the castle has its own legend. This is where our morning started.
The legend of Rozafa
As always, I love a legend or a myth, and the onne that surrounds this castle is very interesting. The story starts with three brothers. The three brothers were said to have built this castle, to protect the people of shkoder. Whilst building this castle, they met a shaman, who said that for the castle to truly protect its people they would need to make a sacrifice. This sacrifice would have to be one of their wives and would have to be buried inside the walls of the castle. The wives usually would bring food to their husbands every day for lunch whilst they were building. The brothers decided, that whoever would come first would be the one that is sacrificed. However, the older two brothers told their wives not to come, and the third wife alone came that day and was told she would be sacrificed. She understood this, and did not fight against this, but asked that 3 conditions be met after she was buried within the walls. Her right breast to be left open so she could feed her newborn infant, right arm so she could continue to cradle the child and right foot so she could continue to swing the cradle while he slept.
Today this has been interpreted to represent the strength of women in Shkoder, who know sacrifice to protect something bigger.
The accursed Mountains
Quite easily the best part of the trip, and a genuine hiker’s paradise.
If for nothing else, the drive along the accursed mountains often left us speechless. The 5 of us in the car, would go stretches of time just staring at the mountains and the distant snow melting from it.
The accursed mountains, also known as the Albanian Alps, have roughly 19 peaks and rise up to 2400m . The name of the mountains is believed to come from many tales, ranging from the tale that the devil escaped from hell and created the mountains to slavic soldiers crumbling under the pressure of climbing the mountain. However, through all of this, my favourite (and most tragic) story is about a mother and her two sons. Simply told, this story tells of a mother who lost her husband in the ottomon war, and was forced into the mountains to protect her and her son. However, the sun was particularly bad at the time (said to be in July), and the water had dried out in every place possible. They walked and walked, and the children began to die of thirst, and were in extreme pain. The mother seeing this, got very angry at the mountains and cursed them to never have water and to burn any vegetation it gets. She then died with her children. It is said, that in July every year there are many forest fires, often spreading far and wide, which is attributed to this curse.
Whether cursed or not, the mountain ranges are definitely calm and beautiful. And located within the heart of Theth national Park. We did not get a chance to see this, as we were short on time, but if you have a chance, stop at Theth blue eye. It is not accessible by car, you will need to park and walk, and need to leave a full day for this (sadly we did not have enought time for this). There is also a zipline here, which we would have loved to do had we more time!
The best airbnb stay
I cannot recommend this airbnb enough. In the middle of the mountains, and literally waking up to the mountains. I would come back here for sure!
the airbnb had a pool to share with other residents, as well as a hot tub, for each house. We loved looking at the stars at night, and waking up to the mountains in the morning, it was genuinely amazing.
Bovilla Lake
One of the most striking places nearby Tirana. The reservoir (or lake) is beautiful and has many hikes , a lot of which are available by tours.
The road to the lake is mainly off road, so would need a compact SUV or bigger to get there. We managed with a compact SUV and were able to see the area really nicely. There is a restaurant nearby as well, but I would recommend packing a picnic, and taking easy to take off shoes.
Genuinely beautiful.
Lastly but not least- Dajti Ekspres Cable car
Easily the best thing to do in Tirana as a tourist.
The cable car is a 15 minute journey that takes you to Mount Dajti’s summit, and enables an amazing view of Daijti’s national park.
It is a great way to escape the heat of the city, as it is a few degrees cooler, as well as having lots of adventurous activities to do here. There is paragliding, mini golf, a lovely restaurant, an amazing way to spend a morning or even a full day.
It is 14 euros for the full round trip, and worth getting from the bottom box office.
All in all…
Northern Albania is beautiful in its own right, It is beautiful for hikers and those who wish to relax, and definitely worth a visit!
Two Medics And A Camera 