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Hiking from Valbona to Theth, Albania
If you’re going to Albania and like hiking, the Valbona to Theth hike is a must. The 1.759 meter high Valbona Pass is Albania’s most famous and popular hike. If you’re coming from the Valbona side, you’ll have beautiful views the whole way up to the peak. I’d advice coming up from that side as the Theth side is more forest and less views. Even though it is just one full day of hiking it will take you three days to do the trip. Here I’ll describe how you can get from Schkoder to Valbona, hike from Valbona to Theth and take a 4×4 from Theth back to Schkoder.
📍 Location: Albanian Alps
🥾 Distance: roughly 17–20 km, depending on your starting point
⛰️ Highest point: Valbona Pass, 1,795 m
⏱️ Hiking time: around 6–8 hours
📈 Difficulty: moderate/strenuous depending on fitness and conditions
📅 Best season: generally late spring through early autumn, depending on snow conditions
🎒 Overnight: Valbona before the hike, Theth after
🚗 Best direction: Valbona → Theth if you want the most rewarding views while climbing
If you’re looking for an affordable rental car, have a look on discover cars.
Keep in mind: The Valbona pass is only open from June until early November. Any later and it will be blocked by snow.
Day 1
Where to Stay in Shkoder
There is no need to book a tour as it is easy to organize the trip by yourself. Your hotel or hostel in Schkoder should be able to help you plan it. We stayed at ‘Our Way hostel‘ which was a good cheap option. Our hostel booked both the bus and ferry for us and let us store our luggage and park our car. Most places in Schkoder will be happy to store your luggage for you. Other travelers have recommended ‘Lake Schkodra Resort‘ which has a campsite by the lake and -even better- treehouses to stay in! I think we would have opted to stay there if we had known about it. It’s only slightly more expensive than a hostel and especially if you are sharing with someone it may be the nicer option. Before you leave Schkoder make sure you get enough cash out, because there are no ATM’s in Valbona or Theth.
Choose a hiking direction
I’d advice on hiking from Valbona to Teth. The part from Valbona to the peak is the most beautiful, which is why I’d recommend doing it from Valbona to Teth. If you do it the other way around you’re hiking up through the forest. Starting from Valbona you’ll get that beautiful morning light with beautiful views of the valley!
How to get from Schkoder to Valbona
From Schkoder you’ll have to take a bus and a ferry that crosses Lake Koman. To make sure you’re in time for the ferry you’ll leave at 06:30 in the morning. The Ferry trip will give you some nice views of the lake and take you Fierze. Once the ferry reaches Fierze another bus will take you to Valbona. This trip should cost no more than €15 total. We realized a little too late that Valbona isn’t really a village, but just one long street with guesthouses spread out along the way. We planned on finding a place once we got there, but this was a bigger challenge than expected. After walking up and down the street for a while, we finally found a place to stay. So if you weren’t planning on sleeping outside, It’s advisable to book a place in advance or at least have a place in mind. I would not advise staying at Fusha e Gjes hotel. We ended up there, but the food was terrible and service wasn’t great either. The room was absolutely freezing and it was hard to stay warm.
Shkodër → Valbona: leave large luggage in Shkodër
Valbona → Theth: hike with a daypack and essentials for 2 nights.
Theth → Shkodër: retrieve luggage on the way back.
Day two
The hike from Valbona to Theth
Depending on your starting point the hike will take 6-8 hours. Since Valbona is spread along a valley, if your accommodation is near the end, it might take some extra time getting to the trailhead. The official trail begins in the village of Rragam, about 4 kilometers past the main guesthouses. On the morning of your hike, you can walk the flat gravel valley bed or ask your guesthouse to arrange a shuttle (around €4 to €9 per person).
Not convinced our fitness abilities were up to the task, we decided to start early. Definitely plan some extra time to take photos of all the beautiful views along the way! The hike isn’t particularly difficult of strenuous so anyone should be able to do it as long as you can hike 6-8 hours. We were even carrying all our heavy photo gear and my friend Heather couldn’t live without her hair dryer, so she brought that too. Without the heavy gear and many photo breaks we could have easily made in in six hours. The first part of the hike is the most beautiful, which is why I’d recommend doing it from Valbona to Teth. If you do it the other way around you’re hiking up through the forest. Starting from Valbona we got that beautiful morning light with beautiful views of the valley! In my experience, going up is a lot more pleasant if you have a pretty view. Don’t forget to take a packed lunch with you to enjoy at the top!
Me and my friend both took time to fly our drone at the top. Sadly, my friends drone crashed and she decided to climb down to get it (basically risking her life for the footage). We did get the drone back and decided to celebrate with a beer on our way down. Enjoyable, but we lost a lot of time and ended up having to hike the last part in the dark.
Day three
Getting back from Theth to Schkoder
We didn’t have a lot of time in Theth, so we had to miss out on visiting the blue eye. However, we did manage to squeeze in a visit to the very picturesque church. Usually your hotel or guesthouse can arrange a ride back to Schkoder, but we had a small problem at our hotel. When we wanted to pay for our room, they wouldn’t accept one of our bills. There was a small tear at the bottom and since there were no ATM’s we had no other way of paying. Just when we thought we were going to be stuck there forever, a guy we’d met the day before spotted us some money. He quite literally saved us from a very uncomfortable situation. We ended up walking to another guesthouse to arrange a ride back. Eventually Guesthouse ‘Bujtina Polia‘ provided us with a ride back and we heard good stories from the people staying there. Also Bujtina terhorja is said to be really great. The ride back to Shkoder should cost around €15 and will take you around 3 hours.
Hiking difficulty
The hike is not technically difficult as there is no climbing/scrambling in normal conditions. The challenge is the length, elevation gain and steep sections. However, I did this hike, when was not in my best shape and basically never worked out at home. Good fitness is helpful, but if you leave early enough in the morning and give yourself enough time to complete it, you should be fine. Just keep in mind that it is 6-8 hours of hiking and take good hiking shoes. The weather does play a big factor and can change the difficulty dramatically. I did this hike during the summer without any snow, but obviously with snow it would be much more difficult.
When to do this hike
The Valbona Pass is a seasonal hike. Snow can remain on the trail well into spring and return in autumn, so the exact hiking season varies from year to year. Summer and early autumn generally offer the most reliable conditions, but always check current trail and weather conditions before setting out.
What to pack
- Hiking boots with good grip
- Water bottle / hydration bladder
- Packed lunch
- Snacks
- Sunscreen
- Hat
- Rain jacket
- Layers
- Power bank
- Cash
- Headlamp, especially if there’s any possibility you’ll finish late
- Basic first-aid supplies
- Hiking poles if they normally use them
Things to see in Theth if you have an extra day
If you have some extra time in Theth, don’t rush straight back to Shkodër. The village and surrounding valley are beautiful and there are several sights worth exploring. Start with the Theth Church, one of the most recognisable sights in the village. It’s also incredible for photos at the church against the dramatic mountain backdrop is one of the most picturesque things I’ve ever seen. Nearby, you’ll find the famous Lock-in Tower (Kulla e Ngujimit), a historic stone tower connected to Albania’s traditional blood-feud culture. Then the highlight is the Blue Eye of Theth. The turquoise pool is surrounded by forest and mountains and can be reached by hiking from Theth. Another popular hike takes you to Grunas Waterfall, where water cascades down the rocky cliffs into the valley below.
Where to Stay
In Schkoder:
‘Lake Schkodra Resort‘: This is a lake resort with gorgeous Chalet’s. Also great for families, as it has a playground and on site restaurant.
Valbone:
Stonehouse Village. A great choice if you’re doing the hike between Theth and Valbone, because they offer free transportation to the trailhead. They have an on site restaurant, which is nice to have before the hike and tasty vegetarian options!
Theth:
Villa Ujëvara e vogël: Stunning guesthouse with beautiful location. They do a campfire in the evening and serve a great breakfast and dinner. They have vegetarian options. Perfect place to relax after coming back from a hike.
Guest House Gjelaj: Affordable guesthouse, that is located closer to the trailhead. If you’re coming from Valbona, this will save you 40 minutes of walking into town. They serve meals at the guesthouse. If you want to stay in Theth and explore the blue eye and other sights, than this is not the most convenient. It’s not really reachable by car and you’ll have to walk up a steep hill.
May 6, 2019 @ 00:09
Hi – great post! It’s helpful for me as I plan to hike the trail in June. Looks like you were okay to do this in sports trainers. Did you feel okay doing that? My hiking boots take up a lot of room and I’m traveling for 2 months. This will be my only major hike so I am trying to decide if I should sacrifice the space for them or not. Thanks in advance!
May 6, 2019 @ 14:33
Yes, I was wearing my running shoes and it wasn’t a problem. Wouldn’t recommend normal sneakers though. Have a great trip!