Albania is a diverse country. In the Albanian Alps (also known as the Accursed Mountains), you’ll find sublime, jagged peaks, glimmering mountain lakes, and tranquil villages which seem untouched by time. But Albania also has almost 300 miles (482km) of coastline - Ionian and Adriatic - and hills that backdrop all that coast, where waymarked trails go through olive groves and by perfect beaches.
Albania has only really been open to the world for tourism since the end of Communism in 1991, and so despite the undeniable beauty, the trails are still quieter than other equivalent beauty spots. What that means is that, particularly if you visit in the shoulder or off-seasons, you can often have these trails to yourself (while avoiding the often intense heat of summer).
In this article, we're going to look at three multi-day, long-distance routes which take place (at least partly!) in Albania.
- 1. The Peaks of the Balkans Trek
- 2. The High Scardus Trail
- 3. The Southern Coastal Trail
It’s important to note that these route descriptions are only short summaries, designed to inspire but not to serve any navigational purpose. They are not intended to guide you on the route and further mapping and planning (or a local guide!) will be required if you want to safely walk any of the trails featured.
1. The Peaks of the Balkans Trek
- Start/Finish: Theth, Albania (circular route)
- Distance: 119 miles (192km)
- Walking time: 10 days
- Difficulty: Challenging
This popular 10-stage epic connects Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro - with the classic start and finish point being in the scenic town of Theth, in the heart of the Accursed Mountains. Expect remote valleys, steep mountain passe, borderland ridges and high, jagged peaks above rugged, dramatic, exposed rock faces.
The first stage of this route - from Theth to Valbona - is often hailed as the best hike in Albania in its own right, but there are highlights throughout - the lush wilderness of the Rugova Gorge in Kosovo, Lake Hyrid and Vrh Bora in Montenegro and the sublime hospitality at the guesthouses along the way.
The Peaks of the Balkans is a cross-border trail which is aimed at connecting the most attractive mountain regions of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro...
Ricardo Fahrig is a destination expert involved in the creation of the trail.
“The Peaks of the Balkans is a cross-border trail which is aimed at connecting the most attractive mountain regions of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro,” he told us. “We saw that tourism was concentrated in a few hotspots - but by connecting those hotspots into a circular walk, it brought in a lot of other communities that didn't see any other visitors at all. . When we created the trail we never dreamed it would become one of Europe's top trails.”
The route is well marked for much of it, though a guide is always recommended - not least because they can sort out the cross-border permits required for the walk.
2. Walk the High Scardus Trail
- Start/Finish: Staro Selo (North Macedonia)/Sveti Naum at Ohrid Lake (North Macedonia)
- Distance: 225 miles (362km)
- Walking time: 3 weeks +
- Difficulty: Challenging
If the Peaks of the Balkans trail sounds good to you, but you want something even more off the beaten path - the little-known High Scardus Trail could be for you. This is another route which spans a triangular border area - though this time it’s Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia; tracing an area which, due to war, was off limits for much of the 1900s.
The full route is 20 stages (and 225 miles/362km) long. It loops through six national parks - two in each featured country. The most common starting point for the full route is Staro Selo in North Macedonia, but if you’re looking to hike specifically in Albania, you could join the stage 10 route from Strezimir to Radomirë, crossing Mount Korab, which at 2,764m (9,068ft) is the highest peak in the Western Balkans, and arriving into Albania. The stage is one through forests, alpine pastures and up to summits - leading to the mountain town of Radomirë.
A guide is recommended for this walk, as waymarking is sporadic, route-finding can be tricky and parts of this route are extremely remote.
3. Hike the Coast of the Riviera on the Southern Coastal Trail
- Start/Finish: Vlore, Albania to Borsh Beach (point to point)
- Distance: 35 miles (56km)
- Walking time: 6 days
- Difficulty: Challenging
Join our small group adventure and Hike the Coastal Trails of Albania, on a six-night trip. The southern coastline of Albania is an idyllic place. White, sandy beaches are backdropped by green hills and behind them mountains. On the shores of those beaches, the Ionian Sea - an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea - splashes up and then flows back out again.
Now, word has got out a little about some of those beaches. The likes of Dhërmi beach is busy as it gets in summer now - with sun loungers and tourists enjoying all those views we mentioned (with views just as beautiful as elsewhere, but for a fraction of the price). But if you dive into those hills behind them, you’ll find the Southern Coastal Trail, a hiking route which follows goat trails, dips down to pebble and sand beaches, and passes olive groves in quiet tranquillity.
In summer this route is joyous, but it’s arguably even more so during the shoulder seasons, when the crowds have really dissipated, the trails are empty and the locals are more relaxed.
Ricardo Fahrig was also involved in the development of this long-distance route.
“It's also a diverse region,” Fahrig says. “It's called the Albanian Riviera. When you think about a Riviera you maybe think about concrete blocks at the coast, but this hasn't been as heavily developed. It is the Ionian Sea - Corfu, which is a well-known destination, is just 45 minutes [boat trip] across - and there are mountains behind. You have some features which have a backdrop of 2000m high coastal mountains, and in between the olive groves and the plants.
“You can stay at small family run guesthouses and get a bit of a local touch - and then by travelling in the off-season, in Spring or Autumn, you can really get to know the locals better.”
Inspired? Check out our full range of adventures in Albania now!