The Peaks of the Balkans Trail
I lie on my bed in the guesthouse in Vusanje, body, particularly feet, throbbing. I have completed the first stage of the Peaks of the Balkans hiking trail and vaguely wonder how I am going complete the remaining eight stages.
Breakfast the next morning consists of fresh bread, sliced cucumber and tomatoes, salami and feta cheese sharing a table with hikers, sunshine and a clear mind. I look around at the surrounding peaks and appreciate why I decided to do this hike. The Prokletije Mountains, whose name translates to ‘the accursed mountains’, are an entanglement of concrete-grey craggy sentinels rising starkly from the ground to altitudes of over 2300m challenging the people who decide to hike through them.. The range includes the highest peaks, Maja Gjeravica (2,656m) in Kosovo and Maja Kolata (2528m) in Montenegro.
Located in the Western Balkans, the Peaks of the Balkans Trail is a recently developed long-distance hike traversing Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo. This is an area seeped in history, conflict and striking beauty. Ancient tracks connect remote areas, passing through villages once separated by strict borders and fortified by bunkers that were built when communist regimes controlled Yugoslavia and Albania. The track passes through high alpine meadows rich with flowers and blueberries, crystal clear lakes, deciduous forests and traditional mountain communities.
And along the way, I eat traditional, fresh, scrumptious food.
The official Peaks of the Balkans Trail is a circular route of some 192km in length divided into 10 stages. It’s easy to make your own itinerary as you don’t have to hike the full trail: there are various places along the track where you can enter and exit so you can make your trek as long or short as you like.
The hike is arduous, stunning, challenging and not a Sunday stroll.
I begin my hike in late August, starting and ending in Plav (Montenegro). I divide my walk into nine stages covering some 150km. I also take the opportunity to make a side trip to Peje (Albania) from Milisevc.
Day 1: Plav (Montenegro) to Vusanje (Montenegro) (27.5km)
Overlooking Plav
My two friends, Niel and Pius, accompany me on the first day of my walk. After being woken by the Imam at 0500, we ply into a car to avoid hiking up a tedious 4WD track. The engine overheats on the way up the mountain, so we only save about four kilometers.
Passing first through thick pine forest, my feet negotiate an extremely steep ascent along a rocky, uneven and eroded track to the top of Bajrak Peak (2074m) and after a short walk along a ridge we get to Vrh Bora (2106m).
The slog is worth it. We stand on a wind-swept a meadow with the craggy, custodial peaks of the Prokletije Mountains evoking brutalist architecture to the south and west of us. In the far distance is Maja Kolata.
The trail is not well marked as we pass over the grassy peak of Vrh Bora so we have a wee meander until we find a trail marker. Heading down a steep hill through forest we end up next to a spring where there is a gaggle of hikers, then onto a 4WD track. About an hour and a half later we are at Guesthouse Vucetaj in the small village of Vusanje.
I say goodbye to my friends who head back to Plav in the luxury of a 4WD car.
This is my first introduction to the wonderful meals I encounter, prepared with fresh, local produce. Tonight, I have a sumptuous dinner of vegetable soup, fresh cucumber and tomato salad, beef, chicken, spinach pie, bread and cake.
Day 2: Vusanje (Montenegro) to Theth (Albania) (23.95km)
If I thought Day 1 was tough, Day 2 proves an even bigger challenge. I walk with Sara, a lass from Israel I met at breakfast, both of us dependent on my GPS as the trail and the markings are a bit scant at times.
The beginning of the trail is extremely pleasant. We follow the Ropojana Valley, passing a resting area, and seasonal lake reaching the Montenegro-Albania pyramid shaped, cement border marker. I am now in Albania.
Border marker Between Montenegro and Albania
The trail zigzags uphill through a deciduous forest, the leaves slightly tinged with yellow, ending in an open meadow with the towering peaks forming an amphitheatre of mountains. We are in the meadow area of Fusha e Ruinicës where we encounter a shepherd’s hut, a shepherd with white hair and beard, and two donkeys, one which comes up to say hello asking for a nuzzle.
The dome of an ex-communist army bunker, once a regimented border military post, sits rusty and mute amongst the grass and rocks. This is one of nearly 130,000 infantry and artillery bunkers built all over Albania from 1974.
We eventually pass through a notch in the mountains reaching a small lake (Liqeni i Pejës). Once past the lake and over Qafa e Pejës (Pejë Pass) we start the serious descent into Theth which is torrid. Although well marked and easy to follow, the track is knee jarringly steep, surrounded by steep cliffs, never-ending zigzags, resulting in short skids and slips common to walking on loose stone and skree.
We are dropping into the Theth valley and Theth National Park. Deep in the shadows we see the township and the Shala, the River of Theth, cutting its way south down the valley.
Trail to Theth
Looking into the Theth valley
Thighs, calves and knees are screaming. I can only concentrate on the placement of my feet, falling on my bum once but eventually making it down the mountain where a small coffee bar, the ‘Te Kroni’, tempts us with a cold drink and bench. A rest and we are ready to continue. Sara and I part ways at a fork in the road as we are staying in different guesthouses. Theth is spread out along the valley and I still have another five kilometres from the coffee bar to my guesthouse.
I stagger into the Guest House Polia conveniently at dinner time. They recognize me instantly as they don’t have many female solo hikers showing up hot, sweaty and bothered in the late afternoon. They hand me the key to my room with no question and tell me dinner is ready. A quick shower and I am fronted by another superb dinner of capsicum soup, beans, beef, fried potatoes, fresh cucumber, fetta cheese and spinach pie.
Day 3-4: Theth (Albania)
I take a two day break in the remote, alpine village of Theth, the prominent peak of Maja e Harapit (2,218m) looming in the north, to rest and explore the historical surroundings.
Theth was first documented in 1485 and is a Protected Historic Centre. Theth has fine examples of stone houses and a fortified medieval tower house or kulla which I happily explore.
The sun shining, my feet relaxed, I wander down the dirt road to the Kulla e Ngujimit, a three story stone tower house dating back some four centuries. Over time, the tower functioned as a residence and sanctuary while blood feuds between warring parties were reconciled.
My next stop is the Kisha e Thethis – the stone and shingle Catholic Church of Theth built in 1892. It’s closed, but I enjoy listening to the lilting sounds of the guitar played by an elderly gentleman sitting under the yellowing leaves of the tree next to the church and watching a soccer ball being kicked around.
Narrow lanes pass between fences made of branches, stokes of hay are scattered through the fields, a cow takes a liking to me, cleans the salt off my calf and enjoys being scratched. There is a path that passes along the east side of the turquoise icy cold Theth River. People sunbake on lounge chairs soaking up the sun, families picnic on the shore but none dare to swim.
Day 5: Theth (Albania) to Valbona (Albania) (19.5km)
I leave the openhearted Guesthouse Polia at 0800 (simply because I could not get breakfast earlier) and hire a taxi for about six kilometers to avoid having to backtrack to the main trail and avoid walking an uninviting 4WD track.
I start my hike with the masses. The trail to Valbona Pass is a very popular day trip and I am surrounded by hikers wearing leisurewear tops and leggings, decent hiking shoes and lightweight daypacks.
The trail is clear and well-marked, albeit narrow. It is a steep ascent to Valbona Pass made all the harder because of the number of people heading up and down the trail.
Mountain etiquette does not seem to apply the majority of time. Despite heading uphill with a full pack, I am always having to move aside because of the number of people heading rapidly downhill. But I am also walking slower than many so I give way to people coming up behind me who are heading up the mountain at a greater pace than me. I find it difficult to get the momentum going on a steep slope after stepping aside, balancing on a small plot of land.
I have a respite not far from Valbona Pass at a small, rowdy café. Lots of people, music blaring and offering a very nice pancake-type cake.
Valbona Pass is a narrow spur offering little sitting space. Given how crowded it is, there is a single line of people standing along the ridgeline, enjoying the fine view into the Valbona Valley on one side and the Theth Valley on the other.
The descent is not steep so much as long. Valbona is not a central cluster of houses, but rather houses and huts that stretch the 10km length of the valley. I have a fair ways to walk once I get to the bottom of the mountain so I take advantage of some log seats and have a snooze before the final descent. The final stage of my walk is along the rocky river bed of the Valbona River to Guesthouse Kol Gjoni.
Day 6: Valbona (Albania) to Çeremi (Albania) (15.5km)
There are two routes to Çeremi from Valbone: the higher route going over Prosllopit Pass, and a lower route following the valley. Heavy clouds and rain is coming in and having read that it is not recommended to walk over the pass in bad weather, I opt to be safe and take the lower, more mundane route. I decide that today I am happy looking up at the mountains rather than down into the valleys. The mountains, which look brutal in the sunshine, are muted and benign under grey skies.
It is a civil, verging on boring, walk mainly along a dirt road. Aged trucks transporting cows with no barriers on the back trays entertain me. It’s almost a rest day as I make my way to Guesthouse Kujtim Gocaj where I encounter and cope with a large tour group.
Day 7: Çeremi (Albania) to Balqin (Albania) (11.94 km)
During breakfast, a raging storm comes up the valley hurling lightening, thunder and torrential rain. It is not a long hiking day, so I take my time and depart once the hoards, clapped to the nines in flash rain gear, have left and the rain has eased to drizzle needing only the raincover for my pack.
When planning my walk, I decide to overnight in Balqine, a summer settlement about three hours from Çeremi, rather than walk the entire way to Dobërdol. A wonderful decision on my part as this turns out to be one of my unforgettable stops.
Passing through meadows and pine forest, the short walk to Balqine gives me a respite from the previous lung taxing ascent and descents days. I am the only person staying at Guesthouse Balcina, a hut set up dormitory style consisting of a wood stove and line of single beds, run by a welcoming elderly couple, Georgia and Petr.
It is sheer joy sitting on the veranda of an enclosed area that is used as the dining room, precariously perched on the hill, sipping my tea made from herbs gathered by Georgia, eating plums and carrots freshly picked and plucked. At the bottom of the steep incline is the heavily forested, UNESCO protected, Lumi Gashit Valley while small huts and corrals are scattered in the summer grazing fields on the other side of the valley.
While sitting, sipping and watching a calf chomp a plastic window, Marleen and Darfa stagger to the hut, Marleen suffering from a stomach heebie jeebie. She takes one look at me and immediately vomits. Helping her friend Darfa clean up and providing stomach relief leads to two new friends for the next couple of days of my hike.
Day 8: Balqine (Albania) to Dobërdol (Albania) (6.15km)
I pass through Montenegro and then back to Albania during the short, moderate walk to the seasonal shepherd settlement of Dobërdol. I walk mainly through forest, branches dripping with green and brown pine cones, walking through a number of open meadows and passing a man wearing camouflage gear riding a horse.
A 4WD track descends into the wide, sloping valley in which Dobërdol is located. I am surrounded by pasture. Horses, sheep, cows and people loiter in the green grass and valley is dotted with shepherds huts, wood fences and a couple of guesthouses.
As it is a short walk, I reach Guesthouse Leonardi by early afternoon. Given the number of bags piled on the ground, I realize I have arrived before the hordes. By 4pm, the guesthouse is crowded and overrun by luggage and hikers, and I am glad I don’t have to wait in line for a shower.
Day 9: Dobërdol (Albania) to Milishevc (Kosovo) (18.1km)
The next morning, the first couple of hours are spent walking up a steep trail behind the guesthouse, following lines of hikers. About 600m up the grass covered hill, I reach the border ridgeline and am greeted by a sublime high altitude alpine region covered in blueberry bushes and purple fireweed. I am surrounded by peaks reaching for the sky and me reaching for the blueberries on the ground.
I never figure out exactly where the border crossings are but once in the alpine meadows, I walk through the three border point of Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo all in a span of an hour. The only indication I have of borders is a line of flags on the Kosovo side and a damaged information hut.
The trail follows a moderate up and down trail through a number of passes: Qafa Bogiqes, Roshkodol Pass, Zavoj Pass. Tromedja Mountain (Three Border Peak) rises to the east.
The peace of the mountains is disturbed by a group of men on motorcycles trying to drive up a steep wall of skree. Further disturbance is provided by a group of guys on electric mountain bikes. How they balance the bikes on the narrow path with a drop off on one side is a hair raising image.
This is a tricky section of the trail as there are no markers. Veins of trails cross the alpine meadows and I am totally dependent on my GPS. Marlene and Darfa have caught up with me and we make a wrong turn after Roshkodal Pass. My GPS provides no help, but we eventually get back on track with the help of a group of hikers who had just come up a narrow valley from the opposite direction. We eventually arrive on a dirt 4WD track which we follow to the remote settlement of Milishevc which is not so much a settlement than a scattering of wood houses, many of them new.
We stay in the rustic Guesthouse Loyza where Bora, a fluffy white samoyed dog, sniffs and instantly ignores us. I bunker down in comfort in the log cabin hostel while Marleen and Darfa set up their tent in a grassy area. The location of the guesthouse is ideal as had I stayed in a guesthouse further down the road, I would have had to make a serious backtrack to reach the alternative trail I was taking to Babino Polje. Dinner offers lively conversation with other hikers and a tasty dinner of mashed potato, risotto, salad and fresh bread.
Day 10-11: Side Trip to Pejë (Kosovo)
I was keen to visit Děcani Monastery, a UNESCO Heritage site, which lies just outside Pejë. I had organized a jeep to take me to the city, and Marleen and Darfa decide to accompany me. We pack ourselves into the 4WD for the very bumpy descent to Pejë which lies about 50km to the east of Milicevic.
After checking into a hotel near the Hotel Kulla, a lovely stone building not far from the center of town, Marleen, Darfa and I tackle language and transport challenges and find the bus which takes us to the monastery.
The Děcani Monastery, a medieval Serbian Orthodox monastery, was founded in the 14th century by Serbian King Stefan Uros III Děcanski. The monastery survived the Kosovo conflict in the late 1990s and since 1999 the monastery has been protected by NATO troops. We are stopped at a checkpoint by a military guard who holds our passports and ensures our legs are properly covered.
The monastery is surrounded by forests, mountains and defensive walls. The grounds consist of several chapels, monk cells with the marble church dominating the center. We enter through the heavy, iron studded wood doors and my jaw drops in awe at the breathtaking, intricate frescoes that adorn the walls from floor to ceiling. These are frescoes dating back to the 14th century, drawn by dedicated and skilled artists working with whatever natural light seeped into the church and oil lamps. Each fresco tells a story relating to the Kingdom of God.
Monks in black robes walk serenely around the grounds and we are invited by one of the monks upstairs to a tea room where we sit on the veranda drinking a sweet fruit drink.
I spend the next day having a pleasant wander around the streets of Pejë. It’s a quiet town but rich with ancient and modern history. The old bazaar, now consisting of jewellery and souvenir shops, is busy with shoppers. The former Hotel Stalingrad, adorned with a Lasko beer sign, dominates the plaza and I relax in one of the multitude of cafés that offer cakes and coffee. Ignoring the garish I ♡ Pejë sign, I cross the Lumbarhi River which has virtually no water and walk towards the ruins of Hamam Haxhi Bey, the public bathhouse built in the second half of the 15th century when Pejë was under Ottoman rule. The direction signs are very confusing and I walk in circles. I am obviously looking quite lost and a very kind lady stops me and asks what I am looking for. Rather than direct me to the building, she invites me to her home where I meet her husband, an Imam, and her granddaughter. No one speaks English but between a lot of hand-gesturing, smiling and being plied by grapes and tea, we establish a kindly rapport.
Old picture of Hotel Stalingrad
Kosovo Souvenirs
Day 12: Milishevc (Kosovo) to Babino Polje (Montenegro) (15km)
It was suggested that I not bother with the trail between Milishevc – Reke e Allages – Te Liqeni due to a large portion of the trail being on roads, necessary car transfers and some of the trail being obliterated by logging.
Instead, I take take an alternative track crossing a narrow neck in the trail to the west of Milishevc finishing at the settlement of Babino Polje. This ‘shortcut’ is marked as a black dotted line on my paper map and defined as a track/path in the legend. It not a well traversed trail, has no markings so I am totally dependent on my GPS.
It’s cold. I depart the guesthouse in heavy mist and instantly get lost trudging up the hill. A shepherd herding his flock of sheep kindly points me in the right direction and I find a track. At this point, I meet up with Marleen and Darfa and I am pleased we are walking together as they have no idea of the path either and visibility is low.
We head west in rain and heavy cloud dodging wet, pine tree branches. Marlene and Darfa are hazy, spectral forms zigzagging through the trees ahead of me. There is no one distinct track, but rather a web of slippery, muddy cow tracks thick with cow poo. It’s just yucky.
We are scampering up a steep muddy slope when Marleen slips, comes tumbling down and knocks me over. My feet frantically find anchor in the ground as we are on a steep hill and I have no desire to end up in the valley. Luckily no real damage is done aside from a slight bruises by my right eye, on my knee and one finger. Marleen comes out unscathed but with mud skid marks on her bum.
About six kilometres along this side-track, we converge with the main Peaks of the Balkans Trail at the Swamp Pusi Plave. Our view consists of white and visibility extends about 10 feet. Trail signage and my GPS tells us we need to turn southwest to get back into Montenegro and to Babino Polje.
We follow the trail until we totally lose markers. Although my GPS shows the track we cannot actually see the track as it is overgrown with tall, thick grass slicked down by the rain with rock outcroppings. It’s a steep descent but we know to be careful on the slippery grass and slowly make our way downhill where we finally encounter a 4WD road that takes us to Babino Polje.
It’s a long trudge to the Hrid Eco Mountaineering Village which lies in the valley of the Temnjacka stream. The ‘village’ is a scattering of huts teaming with cars and drivers waiting to load up luggage and hikers who are loitering around. My room is cramped fitting only a single bed with no other space. My stay is salvaged by a very fine dinner and some sunshine so I can dry my clothes.
Marleen and Darfa take a short break and continue walking and I don’t see them again.
Day 13: Babino Polije (Montenegro) to Plav (Montenegro) (23.6km)
I wake to glorious sunshine after being lulled to sleep by the gurgling flow of the Temnjacka stream. I pack my lunch and follow a well-marked track up to Hridsko Jezero (Hrid Lake). It’s a beautiful, glacial, freezing cold lake surrounded by pine forest. I dare to dip my toes in the water.
The walk is very straightforward to Plav. I take a break on a saddle not far from the lake looking towards the mountains and eventually follow the trail which turns into a 4WD track for the remainder of the hike. I cannot resist stopping at a small wayside café run by a mother and her son, where I am plied with herbal tea and homemade cakes laden with blueberries. These give me the energy to finish the last seven kilometres of my walk to Plav, ending at the welcoming Guesthouse Hana.
Day 14: Plav
Plav is the only town of any size on the Peaks of the Balkans trail sitting on the shore of Lake Plav, a large glacial lake, surrounded by mountains.
There is not a lot to Plav, but despite the low clouds and rain, I am able to amuse myself for a day before I catch the bus to Podgorica. I find a café that serves a reasonable cappuccino, visit the kulla which is being rebuilt stone by stone by a local stonemason, the mosque and the cultural centre. My day ends with a wander to the end of the jetty on the lake giving me a view of the mountains I had just hiked through just peeking out of the clouds.
Final stretch to Plav
Some sources of information:
Abraham, R. (2017). Trekking the Peaks of the Balkans. Cicerone. Replika Press Pvt Ltd.
Peaks of the Balkans. Huber Map. 1:60,000. www.peaksofthebalkans.com
Tips:
Crucial gear: Sturdy hiking boots, GPS with the trail downloaded, trekking poles, first aid kit, chocolate supply.
Some local currency is needed for payment of entrance fees to national parks in Montenegro, coffee or tea in the occasional mountain hut, and munchies in Theth, the only shop along the way.
Although I made my own itinerary, I sought assistance from the tour agency Balkan Natural Adventure (bnadventure.com). They arranged my cross border permits, booked the accommodation I had selected, provided the GPX files needed for download to my GPS watch (I used a Suunto Vertical) and provided detailed route notes. They were a joy to work with and I highly recommend them.
This featured blog entry was written by IvaS from the blog The Peaks of the Balkans Trail.
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