It was hot when we arrived and when we left, but in between we had some wet, cooler weather and some amazing thunderstorms.

Highlights included :

• Dinner on a balcony in Shkodra watching the city come to life as the sun set.

• A 17-mile journey into the Alps by boat through the steep sided Lake Koman (organised chaos at the departure point)

• Hiking in the pristine Alpine landscapes of Valbona.  Here we popped into Montenegro for lunch, no café though, just magnificent landscapes, and simple refreshments at an ancient shepherd’s hut on the way.

• A mule taking our main kit as we hiked over the Valbona pass to Thethi National Park.  This was a very popular trail, and we were some of the oldest walkers on it.  The pass itself offered spectacular views.

• Visiting the Thethi Valley, which just like the Valbona valley is undergoing a lot of construction work for tourists so is losing some of its isolation but luckier enough to stay in an older part of Thethi.   The opening of a new road linking it to Shkodra over the Thore Pass has encouraged this.  

• Walking from Okol to the Peja Pass and Peja Lake through spectacular limestone cliffs and scenery.

• A walk in the meadows above Thethi, with many streams, a complete contrast, and the return of warm weather before walking on to Nederlysa via Grunas waterfall (very busy).

• A final walk to the Blue Eye, a very cold lake, before the crowds got there, was worth it.

• A 4-star hotel in Tirana to contrast with the more simple accommodation in the mountains, and dinner in an open courtyard with a live band and singing.

Trip Organiser

Michael Merritt