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www.walksworldwide.co.uk 01962 302 085 Date of issue: 07 April 2017

TRIP DOSSIER

The Accursed Mountains

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• A remote and challenging Balkan alpine adventure

• Magnificent, isolated Thethi National Park

• Albanian Highlander hospitality

Guided Group Departures Walking Grade: C – Demanding

Trip Code: TALB

For dates and prices visit www.walksworldwide.com

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The Accursed Mountains 2

www.walksworldwide.com 01962 302 085 Date of issue: 07 April 2017

Introduction The Accursed Mountains in the north of Albania are both truly spectacular and virtually impenetrable except for a series of high passes that link the small number of farmsteads and homes in the valleys below to the outside world during the summer months. This is a truly special European trekking adventure and well off the beaten track. Ideal for the discerning traveller in search of new cultural experiences and refreshingly different from anywhere else in Europe, this committed trek leads you into the heart of an unspoiled region where very few tourists venture. From historic Shkodra you travel into the Boga Valley and leave the 21

st Century.

We take a passenger boat on the fjord-like Lake Koman, which must surely rank as one of the world’s great lake journeys to Valbona. The next few days we trek over the challenging Valbona Pass, follow the shepherds trail through the eastern Albanian Alps heading for the magnificent Theth, an area of outstanding natural beauty. You’ll trek through the heart of the Accursed Mountains to the Peja Pass. An area surrounded by high peaks and dominated by the immense vertical rock wall of mesmerising Mt. Arapit (the Matterhorn of Albania), traditional wooden-roofed farmsteads are scattered throughout the valley and there’s even a working water powered corn mill and “blood feud” tower too. The following days trek leads you across the “Diagonal Pass” leading down to the ‘Blue Eye Springs’. Your journey through the fascinating north of Albania is completed by a drive to Tirana, the trendy capital city.

Your Holiday Life on trek You’ll be walking between 5-8 hours each day in the most dramatic mountain ranges of the remote, far north of Albania and close to the border with Montenegro. During the walking day you will carry only your usual daypack. Main baggage will be transported either by vehicle or mule. Breakfasts and dinners will usually be taken at your overnight accommodation. Lunches will usually be picnic style, which will you will carry with you in your daypack and picnic halts will usually be in a suitable, scenic location. It’s desirable to make early

morning to starts to avoid ascending in the heat of the day.

Walking conditions You’ll be mostly walking on mountain trails with varying conditions underfoot. Each day you will be walking between 5-9 hours. The walks are in challenging mountainous terrain and involve both sustained ascent and descent, which at times will be steep. A couple of mountain streams along the way will require fording. Encountering late lying snow in shaded gullies and on higher slopes is always possible. You should ensure you are comfortable walking at this level of grading and are physically fit and prepared for the trip. For details of each walk please see the itinerary later in this trip dossier.

This is definitely not a trip for beginners to mountain walking. You need to have a good level of fitness and stamina. A full explanation of the trip grading can be found online at www.walksworldwide.com.

Detailed itinerary

Day 1 Rendezvous at Tirana Airport and transfer to Shkodra Rendezvous at Tirana International Airport arrivals hall in the morning (See How to join and depart this trip section later in this trip dossier).

After arriving at your overnight accommodation a short visit may be paid to the ruins of Rozafa Castle, which is perched strategically on top of a hill just outside of Shkodra. From the castle there are fine views across the large lake here, as well as across Shkodra city and to the mountains beyond. After a traditional Albanian dinner your guide may take you on a stroll around laid-back streets of Shkodra and through the pedestrianised area where the locals enjoy a bit of promenading. There will be a pre-trip briefing at 2000 hrs.

Hotel (dinner)

Day 2 Boat over Lake Koman and travel to Valbona Although it probably doesn’t look too far on a map, it will take half of the day to reach the valley of Valbona. So,

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we must leave early in the morning to catch the ferryboat service from the Koman Docks which leaves around 0900hrs. The journey along Lake Koman itself is absolutely stunning though. The boat trip takes around 2 and a half hours, and as Lake Koman is narrow and surrounded by steep sided mountains, the journey is akin to travelling through a spectacular fjord like canyon. The boat itself is a bit basic, as it’s primarily a necessary service link for the local people, who may look a bit bemused when a group of trekkers get on.

A local mini-bus will drive us to Valbona, where we will accommodate in a local guesthouse for two nights. On the way we will stop to have lunch in a rustic traditional restaurant.

Just before reaching the house, the ruins of a former communist hotel in the middle of the valley, stand in stark contrast to this beautiful location, but a reminder all the same of the regime in Albania’s recent history. In the afternoon we will stretch our legs on a hike through woods till the meadows of Grykat e Hapta – enjoying the stunning views of the Valbona’s jagged peaks, for than returning down to the valley bottom and prepare for dinner and perhaps indulge in some homemade raki (a fiery plum or grape brandy).

Walking duration: 3-4 hours

Walking distance in kms = 7,85Km

Ascent and descent in metres = 473m / -459m

Min/Max elevation = 965m / 1364m

Village Guesthouse (breakfast, lunch and dinner)

Day 3 Shepherds trail through the eastern Albanian Alps The trek into the wild and almost inaccessible mountains of northern Albania begins. We walk from Valbona and head across the broad valley floor to then ascend steadily to the remote, authentically traditional hamlet of Kukaj, which consists of around 4 homes (1150m).

We’ll then follow a shepherd’s trail high up and into the very remote landscapes of Albania’s eastern Alps. It’s a beautiful walk as the trail winds its way up through wild flower meadow and woodland, with wonderful views

across to the mountains on the opposite side of the Valbona Valley.

Ascending up to the 1600m mark, we stop at a shepherd’s stone built summer hut for a picnic lunch. Dependent upon our progress and the weather we may head a little higher to a remote pass at 2000m*(optional) which forms the border with Montenegro, allowing you to be in two countries at once, and gaze at amazing mountain landscape. The jagged peaks above us are part of the Dinaric Alps, a mountain chain that stretches through Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia becoming the famed Julian Alps at their northernmost point in Slovenia.

We’ll then descend back to our Guest House in Valbona. As we cross the river valley floor (and although we’ll have seen a few of these before), the sight of the disused machine gun bunkers strewn across the river banks, as well as those that have since collapsed makes for a rather curious scene against the stunning backdrop of the peaks that soar above. There were in fact almost 500,000 of these machine gun concrete bunkers throughout Albania at one time to let the outside world know that Albania was a “fortress”.

Walking duration: 5-7* hours

Option 1. Walking distance in kms = 10.5Km

Walking duration in hours = 5-6hrs


Min/Max elevation = 956m - 1678m

Option 2. Walking distance in kms = 13.8Km

Walking duration in hours = 7-8hrs



*if pax hike to the 2000m optional pass – this would be the highest point of the trip.


Day 4 Across the Valbona Pass to Thethi Leaving Valbona behind, we must first load our main baggage onto mules as we are heading over the

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Valbona Pass (Qafe e Valbonës). The pass lies at 1840m and will be one of the highlights of our trek and a classic of the Albanian Alps. As we start from about 900m of elevation, we have an ascent of almost 1000m to reach the pass itself. After the rather flat approach section to Rrogam – last houses of the valley, we’ll be following a rough and rocky path that later opens into a large glacier bowl continuing into a winding narrow trail that leads to the Valbona Pass. The trail is the only direct connection to the Thethi valley where we are heading. From the pass we can look forward to fantastic views of the Radohima Mountains and once again impressive views on the Jezercë massive. Now deep in the Alps of Albania and very high up, we have a long descent as the trail initially traverses its way across a steeply angled scree slope before winding its way down meadows and beautiful beech forest to reach the mountainside to the village of Thethi (800m), perhaps northern Albania’s most famous and one of the most characteristic and traditional villages of the region. With picturesque valleys of beech and pine, mountain streams and waterfalls, it is acknowledged that Thethi provided the inspiration for Edith Durham’s “High Albania”.

Walking duration: 8 hours.

Walking distance in kms = 14Km


Min/Max elevation = 800m / 1840m


Day 5 Into the heart of the Accursed Mountains to the Peja Pass We’ll remain in the Thethi National Park and follow a trail to make a challenging ascent to the Peja Pass (1730m). This brings us some of the best views of The Accursed Mountains of Albania along a trade route to Peja in Kosovo. From Thethi the trail rises steadily as we head up into the valley passing scattered homesteads and farmland along the way. Ahead of us, and on both sides are impressive, jagged peaks. Soon, the most impressive (but not the highest) Mt. Arapit comes into view. This is Albania’s “Matterhorn”, with a sheer rock wall that rises almost 1000m vertically to its summit from the valley floor. As we get closer to the

head of the valley it seems impossible that there would be a trail beyond the rock walls that lie ahead. However, the trail now begins to rise as you head up through pine forests and emerges above the tree line as it then begins to climb sharply away from the valley floor. The trail you are following is in actual fact, an old trade route to Peja in Kosovo used by the locals and their mules. From the pass there are fine views across the entire Thethi valley as well as to the peaks that lie within Montenegro. We’ll take a picnic lunch at a shepherds summer pasture looking over to the steep slopes of Albania’s second peak, Jezercë (2690m). We’ll spend as much time as possible at this scenic location for further exploration before descending back to Thethi. For those not wishing to partake in today’s walk and perhaps rest their legs, there’s the option of doing some local exploration in Thethi by yourself or in the company of one of the locals (for a small fee and arranged in advance with your main trip guide).


Walking distance in kms = 14.8Km




Day 6 A short, easy trek to Nderlysa through Thethi’s attractions

Today is a relatively straightforward and moderate trek to the hamlet of Nderlysa (550m), with no real ascent and descent of any great note, but reach in attractions nevertheless. Gradients are not sustained while baggage will be transferred by local vehicle.

On the way we’ll pass the stone build church of Thethi, covered in the traditional wooden plank roof, for than making a visit to the “Blood Feud Tower”, now restored and one of a few only remaining examples of a lock-in tower used by men for protection from blood feuds.

We will continue further on trial to reach the refreshing waterfall of Thethi, and then descend to ancient terraces build by the mysterious inhabitants of the valley in the late Bronze Age. Nearby the Grunasi Canyon can be admired from the wooden bridge of Grela with the foamy rapids of Shala River thundering below.

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The hike will continue on the side of river Shala, until reaching Nderlysa where we will stay for the last night in the Alps.

The afternoon is free to relax in the tranquil setting of Nderlysa at your own leisure, why not have a swim in the turquoise pools of Kaprea creek nearby – usually the weather is warm enough.

Today’s easy pace will be perfect to prepare for the final ascent to Thore Pass tomorrow.


Walking distance in kms = 8Km




Day 7 Trek from Nderlysa to the Diagonal Pass

We leave Nderlysa for a long and steady ascent to the stunning Diagonal Pass. The trail climbs first beside the Kaprea creek canyon till we reach the beautiful pool known as the ‘Blue Eye’. From here a winding path through forest will lead to open meadows back-grounded by the mighty views of the Biga e Gimajve massive, until reaching the pass.

Our trek into the Alps of Albania and exploration of the Accursed Mountains is now complete, time for a toast and picnic at the wooden chalet bar nearby. Afterwards we start the transfer descending through the beautiful valley of Boga until reaching the Shkodra plain where we join the highway that in a couple of hours will lead to the capital.

Tirana is fast becoming one of the most dynamic cities in the Balkans and a bit of a “party town” too. The group hotel in Tirana is centrally located and just a few minutes’ walk from Skanderbeg Square. We’ve intentionally not included dinner in the trip price for this evening in order that each individual group member can choose what they would like to eat according to their tastes and budget. Tirana itself has many reasonably priced restaurants and pizzerias to choose from. Whilst it is not mandatory to dine together this evening as a group, we wholeheartedly recommend that you do so and your guide will be delighted to recommend somewhere suitable for the group to dine. Your guide will also be equally delighted if you invite him along too, and it’s a nice touch if the group were to take care of

the guides dining costs tonight equally amongst each other. There are a multitude of late night bars in Tirana too, including some very trendy ones in the area known as “The Block”, which is where the elite of Hoxha’s regime once lived and now the haunt of the “beautiful people” of Tirana wishing to see and be seen.

Walking duration: 7 hours

Walking distance in kms = 7.3Km


Transfer to Tirana in 4hours / 159Km


Hotel (breakfast and lunch)

Day 8 Depart Tirana Depart Tirana at your leisure.

(breakfast)

Practical Information

How to join and depart this trip The joining point for this trip is Tirana International Airport arrivals hall on day 1 of the Trip Itinerary above. This transfer is included because your first night in Shkodra is 95km from Tirana. If you are unable to arrive at this time, our consultants can arrange a transfer for you on request – please contact us for prices. Please ensure you attend the pre-trip briefing at 2000 hrs (time subject to change) on day 1.

The departure point for this trip is our group hotel in Tirana, and you can plan your departure anytime on day 8 of the trip itinerary. Please note your departure airport transfer is not included as group members may be departing at very different times. If you prefer, our consultants can arrange a departure transfer for you on request - please contact us for prices. Alternatively, a licensed, metered taxi or local, public transport may be arranged from the hotel to take you to the airport.

Flight Inclusive We recommend that you book this trip as a 'Flight Inclusive' package. Booking your international flights

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through Walks Worldwide guarantees you peace of mind and provides 100% financial protection under our CAA ATOL licence. What's more, if you book your flights with us as well as your ground arrangements, we will manage these flight arrangements both before and during your trip. As an ATOL Licence holder, we are able to secure and arrange competitively-priced airfares with most major airlines from the UK (as displayed on our website), as well as the option of regional departures too.

Land Only If you would prefer to arrange your own international travel you can book this trip as a 'Land Only' package, where the price does not include international flights. Please note that if you are booking your own flights there are certain risks you should be aware of. Many airline tickets purchased directly are non-refundable and often do not provide you with any financial protection (unlike booking your flights with ourselves where you would be 100% protected under our CAA ATOL licence). For this reason we strongly advise that you check the rules of any flight booking you make, and check the limitations under any insurance policy you may have in relation to cancellation or date changes. We cannot be held liable for any losses incurred or consequences of any flight bookings or related travel arrangements you have made yourself, such as if your international flights were delayed or cancelled and you could not join or depart your holiday on time. If you do decide to book Land Only, we strongly advise that you do not book international flights or make other travel arrangements (especially if there are financial penalties for cancellation or change) until your chosen holiday is guaranteed to run. Please also ensure when making your own international travel arrangements that they enable you to join and depart this trip in accordance with the criteria specified in the How to join and depart this trip section of this Trip Dossier.

Local transport The group airport transfer to Shkodra and then to Boga the following day is by private mini-bus, which will only then meet the group again on day 7 at the arrival point of the Koman ferry boat for the transfer to Tirana. A small, local mini-bus will transport the group on day 7 from Dunisha to Fierze. At Fierze the group will take the public ferry boat service for the journey along Lake Koman.

Accommodation Accommodation will be reserved for you on a twin share basis unless you have already requested a single room for the two nights spent in hotels (Shkodra and Tirana). Hotel rooms on these two nights are en-suite.

However, surely one of the major highlights and most memorable aspects of this adventure is staying with real Albanian Highlander families in their remote and isolated village guesthouses. These are essentially large, traditional farmhouses that have been part-converted to accommodate small groups of trekkers and intrepid travellers. Rooms are simple yet comfortable and vary in configuration from place to

place, with up to 6 beds per room. Bed linen and blankets are provided, as are towels. Beds will be allocated at each overnight halt upon arrival, according to availability and configuration although usually rooms will be on a same gender basis. The farmhouses usually have two modern bathrooms (thanks to grant aid), with showers, wash-hand basins and western European style toilets. All have some form of electricity (usually from a localised H.E.P. source) most of the time with variable output. The accommodations used are simple and comfortable, they are selected for their location and friendly service and some are better than others. However, please remember the accommodation is not up to the same standards as we are accustomed to in the UK. Tourism is new in Albania and as a result the guesthouses will be a little faded, and in need of investment. There are often are power cuts and the odd plumbing problem in Albania. Travellers should remember tourism is still in a development phase and conditions are improving.

Food Meals included in the Land Only trip price are indicated in the trip itinerary. Albanian food has its influences in Greek, Turkish and Italian styles. In the north the emphasis will be on locally farmed and grown, fresh produce that will be in season. Expect lots of home-made bread, sheep cheese, other dairy specialities, freshly caught trout, lamb meat, ham, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes and other fresh vegetables, pickles, bean soups and freshly picked salads from field to plate! Coffee is invariably Turkish style, as well as copious amounts of Chai (a herbal mountain tea). Most of the Farmhouses have a limited amount of beer and soft drinks available for purchase. It’s a good idea to bring along some trail snacks (cereal bars, chocolate) with you from the UK. Albania produces some rather decent wine and of course there’s the home-brewed hooch called raki. Vegetarians will certainly not starve in northern Albania, vegetables, bread, cheese and fruit are more prevalent then meat. Other special dietary requirements whilst in the north of Albania may not be catered for. All the farmhouses have a readily available supply of fresh, mountain filtered water that is safe for drinking. Therefore we recommend clients with a particular dietary requirement should take extra snacks with them. We do recommend that you pack extra snacks for the trek, cereal bars and clif energy bars.

Climate It is of course impossible to predict the precise weather conditions you will encounter during the course of your holiday. However, we do schedule our holidays to coincide with what should be the most suitable weather periods for walking. For this particular trip we can hopefully expect daytime temperatures between 18ºC-25ºC+ at lower altitudes. Mountains are notorious for creating their own, localised weather conditions, so you should always be prepared for inclement weather conditions. Thunderstorms can occur in the mountains, although these are usually brief with heavy downpours. For climate statistics visit www.worldweather.org

Roughly speaking temperatures decrease by approx. 1ºC for every 200 metre increase in altitude. By early

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May the high passes are usually passable, although we may encounter patches of late lying snow in sheltered gullies and on the passes themselves at any time.

Altitude The altitudes on this trip are reasonably moderate and you should not anticipate any problems.

Baggage Please make sure that your baggage is clearly marked with your name, inside as well as outside, in case the labels get detached. On the trekking days your main baggage will be transported mostly by mules with probably just one day where baggage will be transferred by local transport. SUITCASES MUST NOT BE USED for your main baggage and will be refused porterage. Please ensure your main baggage is packed in either a soft holdall style kitbag, or a large, unframed rucksack. Please limit the weight of your main baggage to 12kg. Contact us if you are unsure about the suitability of your main baggage.

Vaccinations & health We always recommend visiting your doctor and dentist for a check-up before travelling. Your doctor will also have access to the most up to date information on vaccinations and medical precautions for the country you are about to visit. In general, no vaccinations are necessary for Albania. A useful travel health online resource is www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk

Please make sure that you obtain form EHIC either online www.dh.gov.uk or from your local post office – you will need to produce this if you have to see a doctor.

First Aid You should always carry your own small, personal first aid kit. This should consist of the following: A general anti-biotic, throat lozenges, painkillers, plasters (band-aids), blister treatment, insect repellent (DEET), rehydration salts, antiseptic cream, diarrhoea treatment (e.g. Imodium).

Security Whilst the vast majority of travellers never experience anything untoward it is worth taking precautions particularly in urban areas. You should take sensible precautions in crowded areas such as street markets and airports, where pick-pocketing is common, and keep clear of any street disturbances. Don’t wear jewellery, or leave your bags unattended, keep large amounts of money, cameras and mobile phones out of sight when walking in town centres, and avoid walking in city centres after dark. Keep copies of important documents, including passports, in a separate place to the documents themselves, together with details of credit cards. Leave copies at home with a friend too. Safeguard valuables, important documents and cash and deposit them in hotel safes, where practicable.

Currency

The Albanian currency is the Lek. Please refer to www.xe.com for up to date rates. You can change your

travel money upon arrival at Tirana International Airport, or at an ATM in Shkodra. We would suggest that you change) the majority of your spending money upon arrival, or in Shkodra (via an ATM) at the very latest. There are no exchange facilities beyond Shkodra until you arrive in Tirana. As all meals are included during the trekking element, you shouldn’t need to carry a great deal of money with you as there isn’t a great deal to spend it on other than drinks and for tips. Please note that if you intend to use an ATM in Albania you should ensure it is linked to the international cirrus system and inform your card issuer that you are travelling to Albania.

Language In Albania the language is Albanian. Although we’re accompanied by an English-speaking guide, we very much recommend you take along a phrase book and also try to learn some simple Albanian phrases and greetings. The local people (most of whom speak no English) will of course especially appreciate any attempt to speak their language and is all part of the fun.

Tipping It is customary to give your Guide a tip if you have received good service. The amount is entirely at your discretion, although an amount of £15 (given to your guide in Albanian currency would be approx 2500 Lek) is reasonable. Muleeters and drivers will welcome a small tip, and we recommend 200 Lek (about £2) per group member is also reasonable.

Maps Huber Verlag publish a map entitled “Thethi and Kelmend” ISBN number: 9783940686183 on a 1:50,000 scale which covers the trekking area. This can usually be obtained by special order through specialist map suppliers like the Map Shop www.themapshop.co.uk and Stanfords www.stanfords.co.uk

We highly recommend you purchase the Bradt Guide to Albania, which provides excellent all round information on the country.

We recommend Stanfords at 12-14 Long Acre, London WC2E 9LP (Tel: 0207 836 1321) www.stanfords.co.uk.

Travel Insurance It is a condition of booking any of our holidays that you have comprehensive travel insurance. It is your responsibility to ensure you are covered for medical and personal accident risks for the part of the world you intend to travel and the activities involved. This cover should include repatriation costs, air ambulance and helicopter rescue. It is also advisable to take out cancellation insurance as all deposits paid are non-refundable.

You may arrange either single-trip or annual multi-trip travel insurance through Walks Worldwide. Please call us on 01962 302 085 for a quotation

Passports & Visas British passport holders (and other EU passport holders) do not require a visa to visit Albania for stays

http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/

http://www.dh.gov.uk/

http://www.xe.com/

http://www.themapshop.co.uk/

http://www.stanfords.co.uk/

http://www.stanfords.co.uk/

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up to three months (please ensure your passport has at least 6 months validity).

You can obtain the latest visa information, as well as book your visa either by contacting your reservation consultant, or by following the link below to our designated visa service: http://www.walksworldwide.com/information/visa.html

Staff on your trip An English-speaking Albanian Mountain guide will accompany the group. On other occasions you will have muleteers and a driver as indicated in the detailed daily description.

Budgeting for your trip Please refer to the detailed itinerary for information on what is included in this trip. You will need to budget for meals and drinks not included in the holiday, any optional sightseeing, souvenirs and items of a personal nature such as laundry.

Important Note Due to the specialist nature of our holidays, day to day itineraries should be taken as a guide only, and as statements of intent and not contractual obligations. We regularly update our trip dossiers to take into account changes to trekking routes, accommodation, local transport etc. Such changes are a factor of this type of holiday and when made are out of necessity. Other factors such as adverse weather, unforeseen circumstances and other matters entirely out of our control etc can also lead to enforced changes during the course of the holiday. It is not possible to guarantee that any of our holidays will operate exactly as per the anticipated itinerary. The most current trip dossier will be made available on our website. We will also send you the most up to date trip dossier with your “Final Joining Instructions” approx. 2 weeks before departure and you should carefully check this for any changes that may affect your plans. Before booking you should read our “Types of Trip” and “Essential and Useful information” sections on www.walksworldwide.com including our ‘Important Warning’.

Clothing & Equipment

Please check our website for the most up to date information regarding packing for your trip. The information we provide is our suggested guide to help you with your packing based upon our many years of travelling. Using your own judgment for packing is of course important, especially with regard to casual clothing etc. but please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about packing for your trip.

http://www.walksworldwide.com/information/visa.html

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