Do I hike with a guide?

No. You walk without a group or a guide, with the route in our navigation app and the guidebook on your phone. Both work offline , so a weak signal on the trail is not a problem. How a self-guided tour works , step by step.

How fit do I need to be?

Each tour page shows two ratings from 1 to 5: fitness , for how long and steep the days are, and technical , for how rough the ground is. Nothing in Albania needs ropes or scrambling, but mountain paths are rocky and loose near the passes. Our Hiking Difficulty Guide explains the scale. Not sure which tour suits you? Ask us .

Is accommodation included, and what is it like?

Yes. All nights on the tour are included, with breakfast and a private room: guesthouses in the mountain villages, hotels in towns and on the coast. A few remote stops on the Peaks of the Balkans are simpler. Each tour page shows example stays, and the exact names come with your booking confirmation. Want an upgrade or an extra night? Let us know .

Breakfast is included every day. Lunch and dinner you pay on the spot, often in cash, and your guidebook lists where to eat at each stop.

Can you accommodate my food restrictions?

Vegetarian is easy in Albania: byrek, beans, salads, cheese and eggs are on most tables. Vegan and gluten-free take more planning in small village kitchens, so tell us when you book and we pass it on to every place you stay.

Will my luggage be moved for me?

Usually not. Between mountain villages there is often no road, so you carry your own pack, and 25 to 45 litres is enough . Where a tour keeps the same hotel for several nights, your bags stay in the room.

Can I choose my start date or add nights?

Yes. Tours start on the day that suits you within the season, and we can add nights before, during or after the tour. Tell us your dates and we check availability.

How far in advance should I book?

For July and August in the Albanian Alps, book in spring: the mountain villages have few rooms. The coast in spring and autumn usually has space a few weeks ahead. Travelling sooner? Ask us what is still free.

Yes. A room of your own costs a single supplement; ask us for the price on your dates.

How do I get to the starting point of the tour?

Everything starts from Tirana airport : Shkodër , for the Alps tours: two hours by road , by bus or by a transfer we book for you Theth : a paved road up from Shkodër, about two hours, open from late spring to the first snow Valbona : the Koman ferry , two and a half hours down the lake , which looks like a fjord, then a van up the valley Himarë , for the coast: about four hours by road through the Llogara tunnel Exact times and pick-up points come with your booking confirmation. Flying into a different airport, or want a night in Tirana first? Let us know and we arrange it.

Do I need a passport or a permit?

A passport, yes; no visa for stays under 90 days for EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens. Anyone else applies through Albania's e-visa portal . The Peaks of the Balkans routes cross into Montenegro and Kosovo away from any border post, and that needs a permit from the border police of all three countries. We apply for it as part of your booking; you carry a copy on the trail. Routes that stay inside Albania need no permit.

Yes, and more than you think. The currency is the lek ; euros are accepted in the valleys; no cash machine in Theth or Valbona . What runs on cash: dinner and drinks at the guesthouses, the ferry, the van, the café hut at the top of the pass. Draw it in Shkodër.

What if the weather turns or a pass is closed?

Mountain weather changes fast. If snow, storms or a closed pass make a crossing unsafe, we arrange a local mountain guide for that day (paid on the spot) or a way round by road , and you hear from us the evening before, not at the trailhead.

What happens if I need help on the trail?

Call the support number in your guidebook, at any hour. A missed ferry, a closed road or a lost booking is ours to fix, and one call rearranges the day . In an emergency, dial 112 .

Are the tours suitable for children?

It depends on the route and the child. Each tour page shows the daily distances and the fitness rating: teenagers who hike regularly manage the mountain crossings, and younger children do better on shorter coastal walks. Tell us their ages and we suggest a route.

Theth National Park, Albania, in Four Hikes

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The Blue Eye, Grunas waterfall and Valbona Pass from one village, with walk times from Theth and Ndërlysaj, road and bus times, the snow season and sights.

Quick links

Theth National Park at a Glance
The Best Hikes in Theth
Sights in Theth Village
Theth Weather and When to Go
How to Get to Theth
Where to Stay in Theth
Hike Theth With Us
- The Accursed Mountains Hiking Tour
- Peaks of the Balkans Trail
Planning Your Days in Theth

Theth is a village of stone houses at about 750 m, at the head of the Shala valley and ringed by the limestone peaks of the Albanian Alps. The valley runs on summer: guesthouses open when the snow leaves the road and close when it comes back.

It's also the base for the best day hikes in northern Albania, from the Blue Eye to the Valbona Pass. Since 2022 Theth has been part of the Alps of Albania National Park, not a park of its own.

Theth National Park at a Glance

Theth was first protected as a national park in 1966, covering 2,630 ha. On 26 January 2022, a government decision merged it with the Valbona Valley park and the Gashi River nature reserve. The Alps of Albania National Park now covers 82,844.65 ha, according to Albania's National Agency of Protected Areas.

Guesthouses and cafés on the Theth valley floor

Village height: about 750 m
From Shkodër: about 76 km by road
Season: roughly May to October, when the road is clear of snow
Best walks: the Blue Eye, Grunas waterfall and the Valbona Pass

The places most visitors come for:

Theth

Theth lies at the end of the Shala valley under the Arapi wall, said to be the highest rock face in the Balkans. The village is a protected historic centre: stone houses, a small stone church and the lock-in tower, where men caught up in a blood feud once sheltered from revenge, as the Kanun, the old customary law of the mountains, allowed. The Grunas waterfall is a short walk away.

person on the Blue Eye waterfall in Albania

Blue Eye of Theth

Not to be confused with its namesake near Sarandë, the Blue Eye of Theth is a pool below a small waterfall on the Kaprre stream, its water a vivid turquoise against the pale limestone. It lies about 40 minutes on foot from the road at Ndërlysaj, a few kilometres down the valley from Theth. The water stays ice-cold even in August, so most visitors are happy just to look, and some are brave enough to jump.

Ridge connecting Valbona and Theth valley in Albania

Valbona Pass

At 1,795 m, the Valbona Pass is the notch in the limestone wall between the Valbona and Theth valleys, and its crossing is the best-known stage of the Peaks of the Balkans trail. The path climbs through beech forest and over open limestone slopes to the top, where the whole Theth valley suddenly opens below. Simple café huts on both sides of the pass serve coffee and cold drinks in summer.

The Best Hikes in Theth

The four walks below start from the village or from Ndërlysaj, a hamlet about 5 km down the valley. All four are on marked paths.

1. The Blue Eye via Grunas Waterfall

The Blue Eye of Theth in the hamlet of Kaprre

How	Distance	Time	Climb
From Ndërlysaj, after a 4×4 ride	about 2.5 km each way	40 to 60 minutes each way	about 150 to 175 m
From Theth on foot, via Grunas	about 19 km there and back	around 6 hours	about 650 m

The Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër) is a pool about 3 to 5 m deep in the hamlet of Kaprre, fed by a waterfall on the Black River. The water is cold even in August. It's not the Blue Eye near Sarandë in the south, which is a much bigger spring and often busier.

A hiker at the edge of the Blue Eye pool

The full walk follows the valley down past Grunas waterfall to Ndërlysaj, then climbs a stony path to the pool. A shared 4×4 to Ndërlysaj takes 20 to 30 minutes, and riding one way roughly halves the day.

On the Albanian Alps Hiking Tour, this is the day after the crossing from Valbona: Theth past Grunas to Ndërlysaj, up to the Blue Eye and back, with a car back to the village. That's about 12.5 km on foot.

Hikers walking on the Valbona Valley trail alongside trees, Theth National Park, Albanian Alps, Albania

5 days

Albanian Alps Hiking Tour

2/5 Fitness

3/5 Technical

from 645 €/person

2. Valbona Pass, There and Back or Across

The Valbona Pass, at 1,795 m, is the saddle between Theth and the Valbona valley. It's about 3 hours up from Theth and 2.5 to 3.5 hours back down the same path, so you can be back for dinner. The view from the top looks straight down the Valbona valley. Walking across takes you to Valbonë in one long day, with no road to bring you back; our guide to the Valbona to Theth hike covers the crossing, the ferry and the luggage.

3. Peja Pass and the Ropojana Valley

The Ropojana valley in Montenegro's Prokletije National Park

Peja Pass: about 1,700 m, on the Albania–Montenegro border
Theth to Vusanje: about 21 km, the last stage of the Peaks of the Balkans
Permit: needed to cross into Montenegro; the walk to the pass and back stays in Albania

From Theth the trail climbs past the hamlet of Okol to the Peja Pass (Qafa e Pejës). On the far side, the Ropojana valley drops through Montenegro's Prokletije National Park to the village of Vusanje. Crossing to Vusanje needs the border permit, applied for at least 15 days ahead. Our Peaks of the Balkans guide has the steps.

The seasonal lake in the Ropojana valley

Peaks of the Balkans Trail Highlights walks this way back from Vusanje to Theth, past the Grlja waterfall and Lake Peja.

Woman hiking with child carrier on rocky path toward Valbona Valley mountains.

5 days

Peaks of the Balkans Trail Highlights

3/5 Fitness

3/5 Technical

from 390 €/person

4. Grunas Waterfall and Canyon

Grunas waterfall drops about 25 m into a pool in the forest below the village. It's the easiest walk in Theth, and a good first outing on the day you arrive:

Walk down the valley from the village centre, 30 to 50 minutes, mostly on the flat.
Take the signed path down to the falls, about 140 m below the roadside trailhead.
Go before 9:00 in summer, before the Blue Eye walkers pass through.
Follow the canyon path on towards Ndërlysaj if you want a longer day.

You can wade in under the falls, but the water is cold all summer.

Sights in Theth Village

Between hikes, save an easy afternoon for the village itself.

Theth's Catholic church was built in 1892 and is the picture most people know the valley by. Under the communist regime it was closed for worship and put to other uses. It has since been restored in the old style, with the mountains rising straight behind it.

In 1917 the Franciscan priest Shtjefën Gjeçovi opened a school in Theth to teach children to read and write in Albanian.

The lock-in tower (Kulla e Ngujimit) is a stone tower where, under the Kanun, a man in a blood feud could take shelter without being attacked. It's the clearest window on the old highland law you can walk into.

The Kanun, the customary law of the northern highlands, was written down by the priest Shtjefën Gjeçovi and published in 1933. There's a small entry fee, paid in cash.

Lanes lead from the village centre past the church to the old watermill and the guesthouses scattered across the valley. Allow an hour, and stock up in Shkodër, as Theth has few shops.

Theth Weather and When to Go

Theth is a summer valley. The road over the Thora Pass is usually snowbound from about December to April or May, and June to September is the main hiking season, with the Valbona Pass clear of snow from about mid-June.

Month	Day high	Night low	Rain and snow
January	4 °C	-3 °C	310 mm
February	7 °C	-1 °C	235 mm
March	9 °C	1 °C	230 mm
April	14 °C	4 °C	150 mm
May	18 °C	9 °C	155 mm
June	23 °C	14 °C	95 mm
July	26 °C	16 °C	65 mm
August	26 °C	16 °C	50 mm
September	21 °C	12 °C	155 mm
October	17 °C	8 °C	185 mm
November	12 °C	4 °C	380 mm
December	7 °C	-1 °C	345 mm

Averages for 2015 to 2024 at village height, from Open-Meteo's climate model. August is the driest month and November the wettest. Storms build fast over the peaks in summer, so check the Theth forecast on yr.no each morning.

July and August are the busiest months, so book beds ahead. Late May and October are quieter, but the high paths can hold snow early and catch the first snow late.

How to Get to Theth

Shkodër is the gateway, about 76 km away, and the road over the Thora Pass is the only road into Theth.

Way	From	Time	Good to know
Minibus	Shkodër	about 2 to 2.5 hours	Morning and early-afternoon departures; your guesthouse can book a seat
Bus, then minibus	Tirana	about 3.5 to 4 hours	About 2 hours to Shkodër first
Private transfer	Shkodër or Tirana	as by road	Door to door, booked ahead
Driving	Shkodër	about 2 hours	Paved, but narrow and winding over the pass
On foot	Valbonë	6 to 8 hours	Over the Valbona Pass, in summer only

Where to Stay in Theth

Theth has many guesthouses spread across the valley, from the centre to the hamlets up the slopes. Most serve dinner and breakfast and pack a lunch for the hikes, and most open from about May to October.

Guesthouses and farms below the mountains in Theth

Check where your guesthouse is before you book: some sit across the river or up a steep track. Bring cash, as there's no reliable cash machine in the valley.

Hike Theth With Us

Hikers on a valley trail in the Albanian Alps

We arrange self-guided hikes that stay in Theth, with the beds and the transport booked and the route on your phone. Besides the Albanian Alps Hiking Tour above, two more tours walk from the village.

The Accursed Mountains Hiking Tour

Route: Shkodër, the Koman ferry, the Valbona valley and Theth
In Theth: the Blue Eye from the village, about 18.5 km there and back
Season: June to September

A couple of tourists rest on a meadow in the mountains of Albania. Mountains on the north Albania

7 days

The Accursed Mountains Hiking Tour

3/5 Fitness

3/5 Technical

from 520 €/person

The Accursed Mountains Hiking Tour adds more hiking in the Valbona valley before the crossing, and a full-day Blue Eye hike from Theth.

Peaks of the Balkans Trail

Route: a loop from Theth through Kosovo and Montenegro
Permits: applied for as part of the booking
Season: June to October

Hiker woman stands on edge of rock formation with panoramic view of Valbona Valley National park surrounded by majestic steep mountain ridges of Albanian Alps (Accursed Mountains), Albania. Wanderlust

12 days

Peaks of the Balkans Trail

4/5 Fitness

3/5 Technical

from 950 €/person

The Peaks of the Balkans Trail starts and ends in Theth, after a loop through Kosovo and Montenegro.

Planning Your Days in Theth

Two full days in Theth cover the Blue Eye, Grunas and the village sights. Add a third for the Valbona Pass or the Peja Pass, and bring cash for the 4×4s and cafés.

If you'd rather have it arranged, send us your dates. We'll come back with the guesthouses and transport that work for your trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, if you like hiking. The Blue Eye, Grunas waterfall and the Valbona Pass are all within a day's walk, and the church and the lock-in tower fill an afternoon.

It depends on the walk:

Grunas waterfall: easy, 30 to 50 minutes down the valley from the village, mostly on the flat.
The Blue Eye: moderate, about 2.5 km each way from Ndërlysaj with 150 to 175 m of climbing, or around 6 hours on foot from Theth.
The Valbona Pass: hard, about 3 hours and 1,050 m up to 1,795 m, then 2.5 to 3.5 hours back down.

Not sure which suit you? Tell us how you like to walk and we'll suggest the days.

Two full days for the Blue Eye, Grunas and the village. Three if you want the Valbona Pass or the Peja Pass too.

Two ways:

Take a shared 4×4 to Ndërlysaj, 20 to 30 minutes, then walk about 2.5 km to the pool.
Walk the whole way from Theth past Grunas waterfall, about 19 km there and back.

You can wade in under the falls, but the water is cold all summer.

Theth has more day hikes, the church and the lock-in tower, and more guesthouses. Valbona is quieter. The best plan is to see both by hiking over the Valbona Pass between them.

Yes, for most visitors. The UK government's travel advice says reports of crime targeting foreigners are rare. For hikers, the weather and the terrain are the bigger risks: check the forecast, and don't cross the high passes in snow. Near the Kosovo border, the same advice asks hikers to stay on marked paths, as old landmines remain in some remote areas.

Yes, grey wolves live in the national park around Theth, as do brown bears and lynx, but they keep their distance from people. If you do meet one, stay calm, don't run, and back away slowly.