Hiking in Albania.

Hiking in Albania.

Around Peshkopi in eastern Albania you have some world class hiking places. They have not been discovered yet by foreign tourists.

When I went hiking there I did not see a single foreign hiker. You should really go as this is world class hiking in pristine surroundings. Hiking in Albania rocks.

Hiking in Albania.

Hiking through a small albanian village.

Walking through a small Albanian village.

High up in the Albanian alps. more than 2000 meters above sea level, is a mountain range that divides Albania and Macedonia. I went hiking there last week with an Albanian friend and we had a fantastic trip.

We did not meet a single other hiker. The only people we saw were the local shepherds and their animals.

We started off in a small village outside Peshkopi and hiked up the mountain on a trail that has been marked recently and it worked pretty well. As we got higher up we originally planned to just follow the marked trail. We saw 2 shepherds sitting on a mountain top and we decided to hike up to the top of the mountain to say hello to them. This was quite a steep hike.

But we were rewarded with some stunning views of the surrounding area and we could also see Albania’s highest mountain Korab from there. The shepherds told us that they were living up on the mountain the entire summer period for 6 months. Because they spend no money they could save all the money they earned. So they thought it was a nice job.

They had 3 big dogs with them to chase Wolves and bears away and on the way down we saw that it was no joke when they told us that there were a lot of bears in this mountain range as we saw fresh trails from a bear that had scratched the bark of a tree to mark its territory.

Hiking in Albania gives you great views.

Hiking in Albania gives you great views.

Going down a mountain is often harder than going up.

After a good rest and some lunch on the top of the mountain we decided to head down. We went off the trail and took a steep descent to save a little time. Going downhill is often a lot harder than going up.

That is because you put a lot of pressure on your joints when descending down a mountain. That combined with being tired already makes it quite tough. I was honestly speaking quite worn out on the way down. But this is part of the hiking experience and you get tired “the right way”.

When you do exercise like this, I feel like partying all night after such a hike. Not like a day at work where I am tired in a way that just makes me want to go to bed cause I am so tired in my head too.

On the way back down to the village.

On the way back down to the village.

Back in the village, where we had parked our car, we got invited in for food and drink with a local family. We were fed with goat milk, goat cheese, pasta, ribs and a few other things.

One of the great things about the food in all the Balkan countries is that the folk is often home made country food. Just like the booze that they offer you is homemade.

For a guy like me who grew up in the countryside in rural Denmark this is super cool. And the Balkan region is one of my favourite places in the world for food. Hiking in Albania is good for the stomach too 🙂

Stunning nature and no tourists in the albanian alps.

Stunning nature and no tourists in the Albanian alps.

 

And Peshkopi has hot springs.

Enjoying the hot springs in peshkopi.

Enjoying the hot springs in Peshkopi.

One super cool thing about using Peshkopi as a base for hiking is that the town has natural hot springs. You can use them for free and going down there in the evening after a long hike is possible too and boiling your muscles in hot water after a long hike is one of the best things you can do. So this is another good reason to go hiking around Peshkopi.

Where did I stay in Peshkopi?

Peshkopi Hostel.

Peshkopi Hostel.

In Peshkopi I stayed at the Peshkopi hostel which is situated in the former communist headquarters a little above the town. It has a nice outdoor bar on the terrace overlooking Peshkopi.

Super nice place to stay that is run by friendly folks. They know a lot about outdoor stuff and they can organise both hiking and rafting if you need it.

 

Should you feel ike exploring Albania by bicycle, then I also have some tips and advice for that, on this link.

Hiking in Albania rocks.

Hiking in Albania rocks.

5 Comments

  1. Peshkopia is my hometown. Glad you enjoyed hiking in that area 🙂

  2. I hope that Ilir’s hostel in Peshkopi is taking off and they manage to make those trails accessible, to combine mountain hikes with visits of the “stans” (sheepfolds) and link the villages, Rabdisht and Zagrad are beautiful.

  3. I was born in Peshkopi! Im happy that foreign tourists are visiting the mountains there!

  4. Wonderful, it’s a unforgettable experience to visit mountains, hot springs, food of the villages and staying on hostel of Peshkopia

  5. Hy, very fine report. But you you are writing either too much or not enough about this hiking area, where is it exactly and which kind of trails are they there ? 😉

  6. Pingback: Champions League night in Albania with Skenderbeu Korce

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