Planning
Each day section below opens with a Trail Info callout covering terrain, water, shelter, and resupply. If you want the quick version scan those callouts. They're designed to stand alone as a reference. For a condensed list of lessons learned, skip to the tips section at the end.
Border permits
The trail crosses three national borders along mountain passes and each country handles permits differently. You need cross-border permits sorted at least a week in advance. The process is straightforward and online services like Zbulo handle filing for a flat fee or you can apply directly. Montenegro also charges a national park fee.
We were never checked the entire trip and most hikers we spoke to said the same. The one surprise was entering the national park from Plav and around Vusanje, where we paid around €5 at a gate. I'm not sure that fee is connected to the border crossing permits.
Getting there and getting back
Gjirafa Travel is a good resource for land transport across Albania. The 5 AM direct bus from Tirana to Theth via Shkodër is covered in the Getting to Theth section below.
The loop closes back in Theth so you can take a bus to Shkodër and from there carry on to Tirana. Book direct buses in advance if you have your dates set. If you don't know when you'll finish the hike you can show up at the bus stop in Theth and ask around. Most buses run on pre-arranged bookings but if there's a spare spot or a no-show you can hop on. We didn't book our return and had no trouble getting seats this way.
Tip
Take the early bus in both directions. The Theth road is slow and an afternoon arrival costs you a night of accommodation or a very short first day.
Direction and duration
We went counterclockwise: Theth, Valbona, Cerem, Dobërdol, into Kosovo, across Montenegro, and back to Theth. Counterclockwise front-loads the hardest climbing. Day 1 can put two 1,000 m ascents back to back before you've found your trail legs. Going the other way spreads that out with one major ascent out of Theth.
Ten stages is the standard itinerary and it's probably the right call for most people. Five days works if you're fit, comfortable with 25 to 35 km days, and happy to camp where you stop rather than where a hut happens to be. Our five full days averaged 33.5 km and just around 2,000 m of gain.
Water
Water is generally available as you often cross streams and rivers. Streams are frequent through the Albanian sections and along the high ridgelines but the mapped locations are often unreliable. In the Ragam and Lilomi stretch on Day 1 streams that appear on OpenStreetMap sat up to a kilometer from where we expected them and some had shifted or dried entirely.
There are two places where you should plan a carry. The Kosovo road section on Day 3 has almost no shade and no natural water between guest houses. The Ropojana valley on the Montenegrin side of the final border crossing has a reservoir marked on the map called Ropojansko Jezero. It was bone dry in July.
Tip
Carry extra water on the Ragam and Lilomi section and on the climb out of Vusanje.
Where to sleep
A network of huts runs throughout the route. Dobërdol, Milishevc, Babino Polje, and the villages of the Rugova valley all have shepherd guest houses that feed and house you. Staying in them is a large part of what makes this route accessible to beginners. We wild camped partly for the flexibility and partly because the meadows up here are among the best remote camping I've had in Europe.
Wild camping was straightforward everywhere except Plav. That's the one major town on the loop. We couldn't find anything workable so we paid for a spot at the lakeside campsite.
Fees
A park ranger collected a Prokletije National Park entrance fee of about €5 per person on the trail south of Plav. It's an official ticketed system rather than an informal toll so carry small cash in euros.
Fitness and gear
Technically this is straightforward. No rock scrambling, no exposed ridgelines, no sketchy moments. What makes it intermediate is the self-sufficiency: you're planning your own daily distances across 1,000 m+ elevation days, carrying food between guesthouses and towns, and navigating sections where the trail fades.
Sun protection belongs higher on the gear list than I would have guessed. A sun hoody and sunblock made a real difference on the Kosovo section. It's a long exposed road walk with almost no shade. Anywhere above treeline you're fully in the open too.
Here's my full pack list.
Getting to Theth
We flew to Tirana on 4 July and stayed overnight. The 5 AM bus runs Tirana to Shkodër and then up the valley to Theth. It arrives around 10:30 AM and we were walking by 11.
Theth is a small village of stone houses in a deep valley and it's the primary trailhead to the Peak of the Balkans. Day hikers come up from Shkodër for the Valbona Pass crossing so there are guest houses, a few shops, and food. It's the last easy resupply for two days.
Day 1: Theth to outside Cerem
Trail Info
Terrain: Two big climbs, back to back. Valbona pass (Qafa e Valbonë) gains about 1,000 m in 6 km on a rocky but clear single-track path then the climb out of Valbona toward Cerem adds another 1,100 m. The route clips into Montenegro briefly on the second climb.
Water: Streams on both climbs, plus taps in Valbona village. In the Ragam and Lilomi section the crossings vary by season and sit up to 1 km from where OSM basemap shows them.
Camp: Grassy flats above Cerem near a sheep farm, with views back down the valley. Room for several tents.
Resupply: Valbona village at about km 16 has cafés and shops.
Starting at 11 AM with a 1,000 m climb means it can get busy and the temperature hot. The pass itself is a good introduction to the range: rocky mountainsides, big views back toward Theth, and enough foot traffic that you're never alone. Once you drop into the Valbona valley the crowds thin out.
Good to know
Valbona pass is a popular day hike in the Albanian Alps. Expect tour groups, guided parties, and a steady stream of hikers coming the other way from mid-morning until early afternoon.
Valbona is the goal for the afternoon. We sat in the shade with cold drinks and a plate of flia. This layered crêpe dish of northern Albania and Kosovo is built up in thin sheets with cream between each one and baked under coals. It's the sort of dish you know someone has spent hours making.
The second climb adds another 1,100 m in the late afternoon heat and crosses into Montenegro partway up along a high alpine meadow. We camped on a grassy shelf above Cerem next to a sheep farm as dusk arrived. The jagged granite peaks around us reminded me of the Sierra on the PCT.
Day 2: Outside Cerem to outside Milishevc
Trail Info
Terrain: Gradual old-growth forest climbing to Vranica Pass (1,630 m) into Montenegro then about 1.5 km of forest before Aljuci Pass drops you back into Albania. After Dobërdol a steep 400 m climb puts you on a long, genuinely runnable ridgeline along the Kosovo–Montenegro border.
Water: Reliable. Streams at Cerem, around Dobërdol, and along the descent toward Roshkodol.
Camp: Flat grassy meadows outside Milishevc at km 39.6, or stop earlier at Roshkodol (km 32) where there's also flat ground.
Shelter: Bujtina Leonard in Dobërdol serves food and drinks and has beds. Milishevc has guest houses too.
Resupply: Dobërdol is the only stop. No shops but the huts will feed you.
A dog turned up at breakfast. We were sitting by a stream about 4 km into the day when a large friendly mountain dog wandered over. She decided she was coming with us and stayed for the next three days. We called her Cerem after the village.
The trail starts to crisscross the border with Montenegro at Vranica Pass. This part was forested singletrack following the mountainside and passing farmhouses on the way down to the valley floor and Dobërdol. It's a shepherd settlement in a wide green bowl with Three Borders peak above it. At the Bujtina Leonard alpine hut we picked up cold drinks and sat next to the river for lunch. Cerem briefly lost us among the sheep on the descent then reappeared and settled in for a nap.
Good to know
Many of the alpine huts were fully booked so it seems most people reserve in advance. They provide lodging with meals for around €35 per person.
The stretch after Dobërdol was the best running of the trip. A steep 400 m climb puts you on the ridge that forms the Kosovo–Montenegro border and it stays high and smooth for several kilometers until the pass at Qafa Roshkodol.
Rain caught us on the descent toward Roshkodol and the trail turned to slick mud. We missed a turn and nearly intersected with the route returning to Theth then had to backtrack about a kilometer. The waymarking is good but the junctions here are easy to walk past when you're trying to outrun the rain.
We reached Roshkodol at km 32 with enough daylight left to push on to Milishevc. It was about an hour before sunset when we arrived and decided to tackle the final climb, hoping to find a camp spot in the alpine meadow. This made it the longest day of the loop but well worth the views we'd see in the morning.
Day 3: Outside Milishevc to Guri i Kuq
Trail Info
Terrain: A steep 1,200 m descent over 6 km to open the day then road. About 6 km of paved road to Reka e Allagës then gravel toward Kuçishtë, with active construction and no shade.
Water: Nothing natural once you're on the road. Refill at the guest houses in Reka e Allagës, Drelaj, and Kuçishtë.
Camp: An open field near the Guri i Kuq hotel and restaurant, past Kuçishtë. Easy ground, close to food.
Resupply: The Rugova valley villages all have guest houses that serve food and drinks.
The 1,200 m drop into the Rugova valley is relentless. Laurence and I ended up on different paces through it and met again at the river at the bottom.
Then the terrain changes completely. You're on a paved road, in a valley, in full sun, with villages strung out along it. We stopped at Ariu Guesthouse in Reka e Allagës for a soda.
Tip
Start early and get the road walking done before the heat picks up. Grab water at the guest houses along the way, especially Ariu Guesthouse in Reke before the climb out of the village. There's nothing once you start gaining elevation and the next water source is a spring along the road 4 km ahead.
By Drelaj I was dizzy and light-headed and had to lie down. Luckily there was a well-established guesthouse called Bujtin Kacaku. We had a nicely prepared lunch there and I took a nap on the couch to get some energy back. We didn't leave until close to 5 PM and that turned a moderate day into a long one.
The last stretch through Kuçishtë is gravel road under construction and every passing car threw up dust. We tried to hitch and had no luck. Then we started our ascent along a service road toward Guri i Kuq that evening. We took a break at the entrance of the village and to our surprise Cerem reappeared from behind two hikers walking to their accommodation. Reunited at last she followed us out of town. We set up camp and she slept between our two tents.
Day 4: Guri i Kuq to Plav
Trail Info
Terrain: A hard 800 m climb over 5 km to Jelenak Pass and the Montenegrin border then 5 km of excellent runnable ridgeline. The descent into Plav offers a road shortcut or a higher trail route.
Water: Streams on the climb and along the ridge. Plav has everything.
Camp: No good wild camping around Plav. The lakeside campsite charges for a pitch, or book a room in town.
Shelter: Plav is a proper town with hotels and guest houses.
Resupply: Full resupply in Plav. Before that, an alpine hut on the Montenegrin side serves homemade burek, the last hot food before town.
Cerem climbed the 800 m in 5 km to Jelenak Pass with us that morning. She found ways to cool off in the lakes and snow patches along the way.
At the top we stopped for breakfast and then picked up easy kilometers running the ridgeline on smooth open trail with Roshkodol visible to the east. Eventually the trail veered west and descended. That was our last time in Kosovo. Smooth switchbacks led us down to MASLO guesthouse.
We arrived in time for lunch at an alpine hut and ate homemade burek while debating the next section. There's a road shortcut into Plav and a longer trail route that stays higher. We stayed on the trail and skipped the shortcut. Without realizing it we'd given ourselves more time with Cerem in the backcountry.
Somewhere on the descent we passed another group of hikers with their own dog. We stopped and chatted while both dogs took the opportunity to rest. When we set off again Cerem stayed behind with them. Probably for the best since a town wouldn't have suited her.
Plav sits on a lake and is the only major town on the loop. That makes it a good resupply point with multiple grocery stores and the obvious place to take a rest day if you're not in a hurry.
Watch out
A thunderstorm hit Plav overnight. We fell asleep to the soothing sounds of pouring rain. A good reminder to pitch storm-ready and keep things zipped up when you're away from camp.
Day 5: Plav to outside Theth via Vusanje
Trail Info
Terrain: A very steep climb to Maja e Borit at 2,074 m, including 230 m of gain in under a kilometer. Then about 4 km of runnable ridgeline and a long 10 km, 1,200 m descent to Vusanje.
Water: Fill up in Vusanje and again at the spring roughly 9.6 km past it. Ropojansko Jezero, the reservoir marked on the Montenegrin side, was completely dry in July.
Fees: A ranger collects the Prokletije National Park entrance fee, about €5 per person, on the trail south of Plav. Official ticket so bring small euro notes.
Camp: Hilltops in the Albanian valley after the border crossing offer flat ground with open views. We camped around 4:30 PM and had clear skies all night.
Resupply: Vusanje has cafés and shops. The Grlja waterfall canyon just next to the restaurant is worth a visit.
Shortly after leaving Plav we entered the national park. A ranger met us at the gate, collected €5 each, and issued an official ticket that got scanned digitally. We weren't sure it was legitimate at first but it's a real system.
The first 8 km follows a service road that's gradual enough to warm up on. Then the route turns to trail and starts to climb. An unexpected guesthouse near the top served cold drinks where most day hikers stopped but we pushed past it to get the hard part done first. The final 0.8 km to Maja e Borit gains 230 m and it's steep enough that you're using your hands on the grass. From the top the granite peaks around Theth come into view for the first time.
The next 10 km is a runnable descent with flowing trail and those granite peaks as a backdrop. It drops 1,200 m all the way to Vusanje.
Vusanje was busy with day visitors heading for the Grlja waterfall in the canyon. We stopped to look. Then we filled every bottle we had and enjoyed a cold drink at Restoran Grlja. The Ropojana valley ahead is dry, including the reservoir marked on the map. Between Vusanje and a piped spring in the meadow at Fusha e Runices there's limited water so fill up at both points.
Once you cross into Albania the landscape picks up a different kind of detail. Concrete pillboxes and abandoned military positions sit along the ridgelines. They're left over from the Hoxha years when Albania was under Communist rule. Once you've seen one you start finding them all along the mountainside.
We camped early on a hilltop at about 4:30 PM mostly because it was the last bit of solitude we'd get before the descent into Theth valley. The evening sky stayed clear and the stargazing was the best of the trip.
Tip
Camp above Theth valley for your last night and you'll only have a short morning to the finish in Theth.
Final morning: Qafa e Pejës into Theth
Trail Info
Terrain: 9 km and 1,119 m of descent, crossing Qafa e Pejës at 1,700 m before dropping into Theth. Rocky in places but well marked.
Water: Streams on the Theth side of the pass.
Camp: N/A. There are some designated campsites but good wild camp spots are unlikely since the valley is busy.
Resupply: Theth has guest houses, cafés, and the bus to Shkodër.
We were moving before 6 AM and over the final pass within the hour. The descent into Theth shares the same trail that day hikers walk up from the valley so you pass people with fresh legs and clean clothes while you're sunburned and grungy after days on the trail. We stopped at a stream near the valley floor to clean up before town and spare our fellow bus passengers the experience of sitting next to smelly hikers. By 9 AM we were back at the trailhead with a beer in hand.
From there it was a bus to Shkodër then on to the coast to meet a friend then back to Tirana. Finishing where you started makes for a satisfying end to a trip.
Tips for the Peaks of the Balkans
- Apply for the cross-border permits weeks ahead. Start at the border permits guide.
- Going counterclockwise stacks two 1,000 m climbs into Day 1 so plan for a hard start. Take the 5 AM direct bus and you can start walking at 11.
- Don't trust mapped water in the Ragam and Lilomi sections. Streams there move by up to a kilometer between seasons.
- The Kosovo road day is often skipped but the section is worth doing despite the road walking. Start early, carry more water than the distance suggests, and take the sun exposure seriously.
- Ropojansko Jezero was dry in July. Fill up in Vusanje and plan for the ~10 km gap to the next spring.
- Carry small euro notes for the Prokletije National Park fee south of Plav, around €5 per person.
- Plav is the only major resupply and the only place we couldn't wild camp. Budget for a paid pitch or a room.
- The huts at Dobërdol, Milishevc, and through the Rugova valley are half the appeal of this trail. Even if you're camping stop and grab yourself a hot meal.
Reflections
Five days along this route flew by. We covered ground quickly but each day brought its share of grueling moments that tested us mentally and physically. The locals across every town and village were welcoming and stopping to talk gave us a chance to learn about the culture and taste the cuisine of the region.
Fastpacking
Fastpacking is new to me and this loop was a good introduction. The peaks here reminded me of the TMB and the guesthouse network means you can travel light the way Madeira's towns let you. Both of those qualities make it well suited to fastpacking. We carried packs light enough to run when we felt good but self-sufficient enough to camp anywhere. A route like Peaks of the Balkans with its runnable ridgelines was ideal for that.
Leave no trace
One thing that surprised me was how clean the trail was. Even the heavy day-hiking sections around Theth and Plav were free of litter. That's a stark difference from the Madeira Crossing where trash along the levadas was constant.
Kosovo
The Kosovo section is the one hikers often skip. It sits toward the end of the loop so people run out of time or hear "road walk" and cut it short. There is road walking but there are also forested sections that reminded me of the Pacific Northwest. The Rugova valley has a character worth seeing too.
Dogs of the Balkans
Cerem joined us at a stream on Day 2 and stayed for three days. The dogs here roam free in the mountains and find food and company with passing hikers. Friends back home asked if I wanted to take her with me but she has a good setup already.
Traveling with her showed me how these mountain dogs operate. Cerem kept her distance from farm animals, likely because she knew a shepherd dog was watching the flock. When she met other free-roaming dogs on the trail they'd size each other up for a while before deciding things were fine. Watching that play out over three days was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
Thanks for reading! If you're planning the Peaks of the Balkans and have questions about permits, water, or squeezing it into five days, get in touch or find me on Instagram: @andrewtpham.
Happy trails!