Hiking the Albanian Alps

Our trip begins in Tirana, the colourful capital of Albania. For those arriving in time, our tour leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 7.30pm for a welcome meeting. If you miss the welcome meeting, your tour leader will inform you of any essential information on the morning of day two. There are no other activities planned today, so you're free to arrive in Tirana at any time. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Tirana International Airport (TIA), which is around a 40-minute drive from our hotel. Please look out for your driver, who will be waiting outside the terminal in the arrivals area holding an branded sign. You'll need to exit through the doors on the left hand side when you exit the baggage claim area. Tirana is easy to navigate on foot, so if your flight arrives earlier in the day, you might like to head out and explore. The House of Leaves, a museum dedicated to secret surveillance and the headquarters of Albania's secret service throughout the Cold War, is an intriguing stop. If you're into markets, check out Pazari i Ri, an open-air market where you can buy everything from fresh produce to local specialities such as byrek, baklava and honey.

This morning, we'll drive from Tirana to the docks at Lake Koman, before boarding our ferry. Described in the Bradt guides as 'one of the great boat trips of the world' our two-hour journey takes us on glassy blue waters through twists and turns of narrow waterways beneath stunning mountain peaks. A truly beautiful introduction to the amazing scenery that Northern Albania has to offer.

Once at the other side, we'll drive to Valbona and dive into an alpine landscape, stopping en route for a beautiful riverside walk that will stretch out our legs and prepare us for the week ahead. After our walk, we'll continue to our base in the mountains for the next three nights.

Today's 6-kilometre/3.7-mile linear walk is expected to take between one to three hours, depending on which hotel you are staying at- your tour leader will confirm this on the trip. Maximum 360 metres/1,181 feet of ascent and 180 metres/591 feet of descent.

We'll spend the next two days hiking in Valbona National Park. Valbona is based in the Tropoja district of Northern Albania which, along with two adjoining districts, encompasses a region called The Malesi, roughly translated this means The Highlands. A wild and high mountainous region inhabited by fiercely independent and strong people who have never really been conquered or subdued by the various invasions in the last 2000 years. The full name of the mountains around Valbona is the Malësi e Gjakovës and this name is most often translated in English as 'The Accursed Mountains.

A short drive after breakfast brings us to the beginning of our trail near to Drogobia village. We'll start a moderate climb, crossing meadows and patches of beechwood, climbing higher until we reach the elevated pastures known as 'Gjarpri I Dragobis' - the Drogobia Snake. After a quick break to enjoy our lunch, we'll continue our walk through the pastures, taking in the stunning views of Dragobia Gorge across the valley, framed by numerous peaks. From there, we'll descend to the valley floor and take a short drive back to our hotel.

Today's 11-kilometre/6.8 mile out and back walk is expected to take around five hours with 630 metres/2,067 feet of ascent and descent.

Today we'll be walking through the mountain slopes in front of us that create the massif of Paplluga. The trail winds (steeply at times) through woods of beech and fir, crossing occasionally an old road used during the regime years for timber, until we reach the plateau known as 'Rrethi i Jubanit' and continue towards a panoramic spot where we'll take a break to enjoy our lunch. In front of us tower the magnificent vertical peaks of Grykat e Hapta, which create an impressive amphitheatre of limestone stretching until the end of the valley in the southwest, where the Valbona Pass awaits for us to cross in the coming day.

After lunch, we'll continue to stay high on the plateau before starting the descent in the east-facing slopes of 'Rrethri' to reach the hamlet of Kukaj where we will taste a cup of herbal mountain tea on the terrace of a local family's home. Refreshed, we will then descend to the bottom of the valley under the soft late afternoon light.

Today's 8-kilometre/4.9-mile walk is expected to take around five hours with 440 metres/1,443 feet of ascent and 390 metres/1280 feet of descent.

A morning transfer will take us from the hotel to the top of the valley in Rrogam, where the road ends. From here, we'll begin walking uphill along a steep and winding forest trail to reach the Valbona Springs. Later, the walk continues into wide alpine pastures with large glacier rocks scattered around the valley floor. The path then continues to steepen into a narrow trail that leads to the Valbona Pass. On clear days the views from this location at the heart of the Accursed Massif are truly breathtaking. From here, we'll follow a rather steep trail that winds through fir and beech forest and descends into the Theth valley, also surrounded by several 2,500 metre/8,200-feet-high sheer rocky domes, such as the Radohima and the Harapit.

Today's challenging 15-kilometre/ 9.3-mile walk takes approximately seven hours, featuring 1000 metres/ 3280 feet of ascent and 1,270 metres/ 4166 feet of descent. The route is steep and traverses rocky terrain, but it should not be too difficult for hikers in reasonably good shape. At the end of the ascent, there is a coffee bar where you can take a well-deserved rest.

Theth is an iconic Northern Albanian 'malesore' (highlands) village. Enclosed in the full remoteness of the Accursed Mountains, it stayed protected from the multiple invasions that afflicted the more accessible parts of the Alps and life was organised following the detailed rules of the 'Kanun' - the Unwritten Code of the Mountains. These aspects were well pictured by the Victorian traveller Ms Edith Durham in the book, High Albania, written on her journey into the area at the beginning of the 20th Century.

After breakfast, we'll have the chance to visit some of the local attractions of the village such as the stone built catholic church, Kulla e Ngujimit - and the blood feud lock-in tower, used under the old 'kanun' to solve crimes amongst local families. Leaving the town, we'll walk along the river and reach a small waterfall. Our walk also takes us along the Grunas Canyon's ancient terraces towards the hamlet of Nderlysa; here we'll have a tasty lunch prepared by one of the local families.

In the afternoon, you'll have the option to stay back at the guesthouse where we had lunch and relax in the gardens or take a further optional walk (total 6 kilometres/3.7 miles) to a natural, crystal-clear swimming pool. The natural pools in Nderlysa are created by the clear and icy water of the Kaprea Creek and offer the opportunity for a swim. Later on in the afternoon, we'll take a short 20-minute drive back to Theth where we'll have dinner and stay overnight.

Today's 7-kilometre/4.3-mile walk is expected to take around four hours with 420 metres/1,378 feet of ascent and 660 metres/2,165 feet of descent.

This morning, we'll drive into the scenic valley of Boga, where there is the option, depending on the group's wishes, to stop for a leisurely circular walk at the Thore Pass surroundings to admire the views (approximately 90 minutes).

Leaving the silhouette of the Albanian Alps behind us we'll head towards the Shkoder where we'll check into our hotel.

On arrival in Shkoder, we'll have a guided city tour, giving us the chance to learn about Shkoder throughout history and get to know the culture of the area. Known as the 'Capital of North Albania', Shkoder is one of the oldest cities in the country. Founded in the 4th century BC, the city is rich in cultural heritage and boasts a large number of artists, musicians, poets and writers. The rest of the day will be available for free time to relax and explore the city at your own pace.

Today we'll have a free morning to explore Shkoder before transfering to Tirana airport which takes around 2 hours. We will be able to leave our luggage at our hotel after check-out, to avoid carrying them around in our free time. Our transfer will depart Shkoder at 2pm and the earliest time flights can be booked on this day are 6.55pm. The trip ends at Tirana airport.

If you've booked a post-tour stay in Tirana, we recommend taking the cable car up Mount Dajti for a panoramic view of the city or visiting some of the history-based museums in the capital such as the House of Leaves or Bunk'art.