The Accursed Mountains

I had read about hikes in the Accursed mountains, also called the Albanian Alps, prior to leaving on my trip. As opposed to coming hiking independently, I signed up for a three-day excursion, organized through the Wanderer’s Hostel in Shkoder, that took me to a guest house in Valbone, which help bring me to the trailhead of the hike to Theth, and then had another night in Theth. 

The trip out included a bus ride to Komani Lake, a two and a half hour ferry ride to the far end of this mamade lake, and then another bus ride to Valbone. The consistent presence of towering cliffs and deep valleys made this trip breathtaking. Once in Valbone I was able to explore the small mountain community and area around taking in the gorgeous scenery that the mountains and streams provided. 

Day two was around a twelve kilometre hike over the Pass from Valbone to Theth. We were driven to a trailhead at around 0600 trying to beat the heat that was still present despite being in the mountain elevations. The trail snaked up the mountain slope allowing plenty of visuals down the Valbone valley that made the breaks on this uphill climb pleasant. It took me a little over two hours to get to the pass. A steady and yet enjoyable climb. The views of both the Valbone and Theth valleys were phenomenal. An opportunity to climb a bit higher to see a different angle of the valleys was also possible and I took in this extra short hike as well. The downward climb wound through a largely forested hillside with occasional gaps that revealed the changing views of Theth and the Natuonal Parks mountains. Another couple hours and I was arriving early to my guest house in Theth. Tired but satisfied in a wonderful hike.

For the rest of the day I relaxed and explored a bit around Theth. A small mountain church was set in a picturesque location. A walk along a mountain stream led to a waterfall about half an hour south of Theth. The odd thing in this town was the number of houses that appeared to be demolished. I learned that there was a government initiative to invest in tourism infrastructure a few years ago that was suddenly repealed leaving a number of property owners with half constructed buildings but no government money to finish building. As a result many had just stopped the projects and decided to tear down what they had. It was an odd thing to have the wreckage of a tear down next to a large tourist guest house. 

The ride back from Theth was an adventure. The bus picked us up and then started up through a pass on its way to Shkoder. We went through a couple dozen hairpin turns with the bus driver blowing his horn just in case someone was coming the other way. Despite this, the driver frequently was on his phone chatting to people as if he wasn’t driving a foot away from a precipice. We got back in one piece so I can’t really complain.