The Albanian Alps and Theth

The Albanian Alps, dramatically named the Accursed Mountains, are a wild and spectacular range in the far north of the country, a landscape of soaring jagged peaks, deep glacial valleys, waterfalls and remote stone villages where old mountain traditions endure. A rising star of European trekking, its jewels are the beautiful, isolated valleys of Theth and Valbona, linked by a classic and increasingly popular day-hike over a high pass, with a scenic ferry across a mountain-ringed lake completing one of the Balkans' great adventures.

What you actually see

• Theth and Valbona - the remote, beautiful mountain valleys.
• The Theth-Valbona hike - the classic day-trek over the high pass.
• The Koman Lake ferry - the scenic ferry through the mountain-ringed lake.
• The Blue Eye of Theth - the mountain waterfall and pools.

When to go

June to September, the summer, for the best weather, open mountain roads and safe trekking, as the region is snowbound and largely cut off in winter; even in summer the weather can turn, and the roads are rough. Book guesthouses ahead in the popular season.

Honest expectations

It is genuinely remote and wild, reached by rough mountain roads or the ferry-and-hike, with basic guesthouse accommodation, so it is for the adventurous. It is snowbound and hard to reach outside summer. It has become popular, so book ahead and expect company on the classic hike. Its dramatic peaks, remote villages and warm mountain hospitality, though, make it a genuine highlight.

Nearby

The city of Shkoder, Lake Koman and the wider northern mountains are the gateway.