Balkan Hiking Adventure

The best plan of the journey for this program would be taking a flight to Tirana Airport in arrival and departure from Podgorica on the last day. All guests who arrive straight to Tirana should check-in by themselves in Starlight Hotel****.

For those who arrive at Podgorica Airport there’s still an option of free transfer to Tirana. When everyone is at the hotel, we’ll go together for some dinner and a welcoming drink at some nice local bar, to meet each other and speak in more details about following adventure.

Guided cultural trip through Albanian Capital

The most of the day we’ll spend meeting Albanian capital – we’ll organize guided cultural trip through Tirana visiting the city’s most important sights. Albania is the country of big contrasts regarding the culture and development. Meeting this country we’ll start with the most developed area as Tirana has real metropolitan spirit, great Mediterranean architecture and plenty of cultural monuments from different historical eras.

Transfer to Ohrid, Northern Macedonia (about 3.5 hours)

After a pleasant 2-hours walk in Tirana with a local guide, we’ll hit the road to Ohrid, the real cradle of Macedonian culture. Beside the amazing environment, long and interesting history, this is the place of truly warm and welcoming, easy-going people.

Dinner at a traditional Macedonian restaurant

When in Macedonia, it’s not difficult to decide how to start the journey as it’s a land of amazing food and music. Going out to the most popular local restaurant (Čun) with local traditional dishes and unplugged traditional local music is something that you definitely shouldn’t skip when in Ohrid.

Night in Ohrid

Guided cultural trip in Ohrid

This ancient town is known as the most beautiful one in Macedonia: situated on the shore of amazing Ohridsko Lake, it speaks about rich and turbulent history as well as the pride of local people that have managed to save their unique culture through centuries. Plenty of historical monuments, old churches, architecture from different eras, old craft workshops and above all irresistible charm and kindness of locals – more than enough for an unforgettable experience in this fantastic place. We’ll pass al this with a local guide Apostolis: there’s probably none who could show you all the treasure of Ohrid in its best. We’ll have enough time for some more chilling at nice bars on the Lake’s shore combined with swimming, before we depart to our next destination.

Transfer to Radomire (Albania), in the foothills of the Korab Mountain (about 3 hours of drive).

Night and dinner in Radomire

Length of the tour: approx. 18 km

Altitude gain: approx. 1.450 meters

Grade of difficulty: technically easy, physically moderate to challenging

Our first hiking day we’ll conquer one of the most impressive peaks in whole Balkan. With altitude of 2.764 meters, Golem Korab (Maja Korabit in Albanian) used to be the second highest peak of former Yugoslavia. Being situated straight on the borderline between Albania and Macedonia now, it’s the highest one of both countries. We’ll climb it from Albanian side – the trail starts from the village of Radomire, ends there as well. As Golem Korab is in the group of 10 highest peaks of Balkan Peninsula, there’s no need to speak too much about the views from the top. Let’s just hope for a clear day!

Night and dinner in Radomire

Transfer to Prizren in Kosovo (1h 45min)

City tour with a local guide

There would be so many things to say about this beautiful town. Situated under grandiose Šar Planina/Mountain, by the river of Bistrica, it’s another example of mixing very different cultures in the past. It used to be the capitol of Serbian medieval kings, very important point on trading/caravan roads, strategically important place in Ottoman Empire. Now it’s maybe the most specific town in Kosovo with very special, easy-going and friendly spirit: even being pretty far the seaside, their mentality is very close to Mediterranean (there’s the reason for it!) and they’re very proud of it. In short, visit of this charming place is the best way to spend the rest day between two massive hikes. With a local city guide we’ll know more about the most important sights of Prizren and its history.

Dinner at traditional restaurant in Prizren

Prizren is another place with fantastic food and we’ll enjoy dinner at one of local restaurants that offers wide menu of traditional meals from this area.

Night in a four-star hotel in Prizren

Transfer to Arxhena ski resort (1 hour and 20 minutes)

Start of the hike to Rudoka Peak (2.658 m asl.)

Length of the tour: approx. 21 km

Altitude gain: 1.150 meters

Grade of difficulty: technically easy, physically moderate

We continue our adventure with another national park – it’s Shara Mountain, amazing and massive grassy area placed around the border between Macedonia and Kosovo. It’s a piece of land that deserves whole program to explore it but this time we’ll climb only peak of Velika Rudoka, the highest one in Kosovo.

The day starts with a transfer to Brod Village – small and charming place in so-called Gora: in translation it means “The Mountain” and it covers all Kosovo part of Shara Mountain. It’s populated by Goranci – one of minorities that live in Kosovo, people of unbeatably warm heart that’s possible to feel even if you don’t speak their language. They’ve originally been nomad farmers but this tradition unfortunately slowly disappears; still, it’s possible to see some big herds of sheep on the mountain’s slopes.

Velika Rudoka is placed in a vasttness of pastures in final northern part of the Shara massif. It’s an area of countless springs, brooks and small rivers that gives anther special dimension to this amazing environment. The peak itself uncovers all the beauty of whole area, far to the Macedonian territory. Simply, a real natural beauty to enjoy.

Transfer Prizren (1 hour and 20 minutes)

Night in Prizren

Transfer to Dečani and Peć (about 1,5 hours)

We’ve already done much regarding hiking and we deserve another day of. We’ll spend it in transfer to Plav – a small municipality in Eastern Montenegro, but it’s gonna be one of the most interesting days in the program as we’ll visit so many interesting and beautiful Places. We’ll start with two historical monuments listed by UNESCO – two medieval monasteries that have always been recognized as the heart of Serbian Orthodox Church. Pećka Patrijaršija and Visoki Dečani are maybe the most beautiful and grandiose orthodox monasteries in this part of the world and now, being part of Kosovo, are sort of centers of the culture and tradition of Serbian minority.

We’ll also stop for a quick visit of Peć/Peja – the closest city to Montenegrin border. This is a real place of cultural and historical diversity and there’s plenty of interesting things to see walking its streets. Also, it’s a nice spot for a lunch before we enter heights of Kula Mountain that split territory of Montenegro and Kosovo.

Transfer to Plav, Montenegro (2 hours from Peć)

Dinner at a local farm

This night we’ll stay at a lovely local family that keeps both a farm and a guesthouse: they produce the most of the food they will serve us comes. It’s another real treat for all foodies as well as amazing breath of true hospitality of real Balkan people.

Night in Plav

Day 8: Peaks of the Balkans day 1: entering the Kingdom of Acursed Mountains (Đeravica Peak)

Transfer from Plav to Bogićevica highland (1,5 hours)

Start of the hike to Đeravica Peak (2,656 m asl.)

Length of the tour: approx. 21 km

Altitude gain: approx. 1.200 meters

Grade of difficulty: technically easy to moderate, physically moderate to challenging

Even we aim to the highest peaks of Balkan countries, we’ll not skip Đeravica (Alb. Gjeravice), the second highest peak in Kosovo. Probably the most important reason is the beauty of the mountain but it’s also logical and great way to start our 3-day hut to hut hiking adventure in Prokletije Mountains (so-called Albanian Alps or in literal translation Accursed Mountains). Đeravica is the most eastern and the second highest peak in the massif shared between Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro, considered as maybe the most impressive mountain area in whole Balkan.

The tour starts with transfer to Katun Bogićevica, placed nearby the border with Kosovo. From there the trail climbs up to a pass that shows the goal of this hike: Đeravica Peak, the most impressive and the highes one in sight. The path curves through valleys, above passes, discovering all the beauty of this area, including four amazing glacial lakes. The last part requires higher level of focus due to very steep slopes, but it’s not possible to say it’s technically demanding. The peak itself gives truly stunning views to the territory of Kosovo, the rest of Prokletije Mountains and far into Montenegrin territory.

Declining the peak we’ll take another route that will take us to the ridge above stunning mountain lakes and bellow several peaks over 2.400 meters: depending on the condition of the group we could climb some of them. The ridge finishes with Tromeđa peak (point of crossing of borders of Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania), turning down to beautiful valley of Doberdol Village, the place where we’ll rest for a night, enjoying hospitality of friendly Albanian highlanders.

Dinner and night in Doberdol

Length of the tour: approx. 19 km

Altitude gain: approx. 500 meters

Grade of difficulty: technically easy, physically easy to moderate

The most of our hiking adventure in Prokletije we’ll follow “The Peaks of the Balkans” transversal, one of the most attractive long routes in whole Europe. It leads through the woods, between terrifying peaks, ridges, amazing green valleys surrounded with high craggy walls, over and over again discovering more breathtaking views. That’s how this day trip would literally look like: an awesome trekking tour in a real paradise for all nature lovers. Starting straight from the accommodation in Doberdol, after 5 hours of active walk we will reach another village to stay overnight. It’s called Cerem, situated straight under huge bolder of Kolate Masiff, that hides the highest peak of Montenegro.

Dinner and night Cerem

Length of the tour: approx. 20 km (basic variant)

Altitude gain: approx. 1.470 meters (basic variant)

Grade of difficulty: technically easy to moderate, physically challenging

Another day that starts with no transfers. Leaving Cerem, we’ll hit the trail that leads up to so-called Qafa e Borit, finding a longer flat part of the trail. The last part is physically demanding as in about 1.5 km we have to pass 500 meters of altitude, but as the most of all the tours in this program it’s not technically demanding: it’s just a zig-zag path that leads up to the pass between three grandiose peaks: Zla Kolata (the highest Montenegrin peak at 2.534 meters above the sea), Dobra Kolata (the second highest Montenegrin peak at 2.528 m a.s.l.) and Ravna Kolata situated just several hundreds of meters in Albanian territory. The best solution would be to conquer all three of them J but we’ll make the decision together, depending on the level of tiredness of the most people in the group.

Both Zla and Ravna Kolata are technically easy and anyone can do it. Dobra Kolata is slightly different: upper part of the trail is very open to the vertical drops from both sides and it’s only for those who don’t have problem with heights. The ridge to the top is narrow and this peak could be qualified as psychically demanding and potentially dangerous. Anyway, we’d like to see some people who would feel brave and experienced enough to give it a try: it’s definitely worth it. Those who don’t feel like this can just chill in fantastic ambience on the pass between three peaks.

Getting down from is pretty easy but it just should take a bit more attention as we’ll walk a longer rocky part that could be potentially dangerous for twisting ankles. Final part of the trail leads through dense beech forest, giving some beautiful views to the surroundings for the end of this adventure.

Transfer to Gusinje (20 minutes)

Dinner and night in Gusinje

Last night we’ll spend in Vusanje Village in probably the most beautiful and comfortable guesthouse in the area. Very special accent is on food; the host is passionate cook that enjoys preparing meals typical for this area. Definitely the best choice of accommodation for the last night.

On the last day we’ll provide transfers to Podgorica (about 2 hours of drive).

Starlight Hotel (4-star) – fully modern and super-comfortable accommodation in Tirana City Center (about 800 meters from the main square).

Villa Miranda (3-star) in Ohrid – a nice spot placed 10 minutes of walk from the city center. Nice and clean rooms with all facilities.

Korabit mountain guesthouse – nice rooms with all the reasonable facilities provided. Amazing food and super-welcoming hosts.

Korabit mountain guesthouse.

Centrum Hotel (4-star) is in one of the best hotels in Prizren, placed in the middle of the old town, close to the most of historical and cultural sights. Great location, nice and clean rooms, great breakfast and super-friendly and hospitable staff.

Centrum Hotel****

Hana Guesthouse in Plav; a house of a local family of farmers, nicely furnished and super-comfortable. Another great chance to enjoy homemade food – most of ingredients are from the family farm: all vegetables, fruits, meat and cheese. One of the best dining spots in the program.

Bashkimi Guesthouse – traditional mountain farm turned into tourist eco-resort. Nice and comfortable rooms with shared facilities. Very welcoming and friendly, professional staff, nice food and beverage supply.

Gocaj family’s – about 200 years old village house turned into a guesthouse. There’s a fully new and modern part, with all separate facilities. Super-hospitable hosts, fantastic traditional meals, awesome ambience.

Villa Merak – probably the most beautiful and comfortable guesthouse in the area. Very special accent is on food; the host is passionate cook that enjoys preparing meals typical for this area.