Valbona Pass to Theth

This crossing from Valbona to Theth is truly one of the Accursed Mountains' great walks. It climbs to a gap (at 1,795m – circa 6,000ft) in the spectacular circle of cliffs at the valley-head, then winds a long way down through beautiful beech forests to the deeper Theth valley.

Valbona is at around 900m, so this is a 900m climb from the village, and Thethi at around 750, with the descend consistently fairly steep, so many will feel their legs by the time they reach the delightful valley floor.

These valleys are so far apart by road that most people get their baggage transferred between them by mule.

Beginning promptly in the morning, you either walk up a rocky vehicle track to below Rrogram at the head of the valley floor, or get a lift there, the better option for many as this is a long walk anyway, and this save some 8km of not-quite-so-interesting track.

The climb up to the high cliffs starts steadily, though pasture and woodland (all secondary here, but lovely nonetheless) to the attractive hamlet, then on upwards through mixed woodland then brush, switching gear into a long, steep slog to a high traverse. The views down the valley get ever finer, with jagged Dolomitic peaks looming, often mistily, over the grand curve of the forested upper reaches.

You then turn left (southish) along a wide ledge/fault in the cliffs, to wind delightfully round to the pass. It is all outstandingly beautiful.

The windy Valbona Pass delivers a head-scratcher: which way to look? The Theth valley is a bit narrower and more wooded, but has its own circle of high jagged peaks and is gorgeous - and new!

The long descent is consistently beautiful, through the dappled light of fine beech forests, with a final uncomfortable, steep drop down the inner wall: you will be relieved to get to the valley floor. Our group took a beautiful variation left, dropping through open fields for a while with superb views above, then a bit of a slog down a rocky track-and-stream bed, to arrive in the lower village, by its restored church and famous blood-feud tower.

This is tough walking in proper mountains with uncertain weather. Come fully prepared.

The walking season is from May to October, June to October for the high passes. The best time is mid-May to end June (wildflowers) and early September to late October. July and August can be very hot, and now very crowded (pressure on accommodation, so book well ahead if going then).

Walkopedia went here as part of an Accursed Mountains expedition organised by Walks WorldWide, and could recommend them more highly. A fantastic time. And we can’t speak highly enough of our guide, the thoughtful, knowledgeable, smiley Dritan Kolgjini - dritan.kolgjini94@gmail.com. He couldn’t have been better.

The Peaks of the Balkans Trail: Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo (International Trekking) (Cicerone Trekking) Paperback – 6 Nov. 2017: as usual, an inspiring book, packed with valuable information on the Valbona Pass route, including excellent detail on the route. Recommended. Find this and other books on Amazon.

See our Accursed Mountains  page for more general and practical information and photos.

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