VIA DINARICA TRAIL ITINERARY

Day 1: Welcome to Albania! Drive to Theth.

Meet and greet with the guide in Tirana International Airport followed by a transfer to Shkodra; one of the oldest inhabited cities in Albania with a 2500-year-old history. After a lunch break, we continue the drive towards Theth, passing through the beautiful Valley of Boga, gate to the Albanian Alps.

We will stop at Qafe Thore – the diagonal Pass, to enjoy the spectacular mountainous landscape unfolding in front of us. Then will switch to a local van and drive downhill to a nice guesthouse in the village. We will overnight and enjoy a tasty homemade meal in Theth.

Driving: 4 hours. Dinner included.

Day 2: Hike the spectacular "Valbona Pass".

Today our trail heads towards spectacular Valbona Pass. It's not a particularly hard walk and is one that is attempted by many first-time mountain walkers. For the next couple of hours, the trail climbs slightly more steeply towards higher ground and we walk over a pass known as Valbona Pass.
After several hours hiking uphill, we stop at the Zefi’s housing for a hot mountain tea. Resuming our hike for another 45-min, we continue ascending to the Valbona col (1792m) where we have outstanding views of the Albanian Alps and the Valley of Valbona.

Well rested, we continue walking down (45 min) to the Simoni cafè for lunch. After lunch, we make our way down to the valley. Of course, we can choose whether to independently continue our walking down on the main wide dried up riverbed road or take a bus to avoid it.

The valley is known for its rare natural beauties, high mountains, biodiversity, and natural monuments. The views and landscapes are very stunning, particularly on clear summer nights.

Trek: 13 Km, 6-7 hours; elevation gain: 1043 m, elevation loss: 764 m.

Day 3: Hike up the epic and remote “Prejsllopi Pass” trail. Overnight in Cerem.

After a hearty breakfast and a cup of hot mountain tea with honey, we will start ascending the steep zig-zag trail to the epic and remote Prejsllopi Pass. Having several hours of hiking, we'll reach the highest point of our trip today (2000m). As we hike a series of switchbacks over a pass that offers outstanding views of the snow-capped peaks of the Alps Range in every direction.

After crossing the border and thrusting in Montenegro, we will stop for lunch at Bori Pass, a flat spot with grass, a meadow for many shepherds from Cerem and Vuthaj. In the same vein, we continue trekking another 45 minutes toward the shepherd's hut where we'll enjoy a final coffee and mountain tea. Henceforward we can see the village of Cerem where we'll stay tonight after another 2 hours of further hiking downhill to reach our destination. Enjoy a hot shower, a cold beer, and celebrate the end of an exceptional trek. All meals are included.

Trek: 12.5 Km, 7-8 hours; elevation gain: 1089 m, elevation loss: 870 m.

Day 4: Trek from Cerem to Doberdol, a vast alpine pasture.

Enjoy waking up with a hot coffee & tea, then settle in for a hearty breakfast, snap a few last-minute photographs, then prepare for another beautiful trek.

Today’s hike is a very easy walk mostly into the forest. We briefly cross the Montenegro border and return to Albania until we reach the ruins of the old military border post. Further on we take a picnic break at the hamlet of Balqin, which is used by the shepherds during the summer season. After a hearty lunch and coffee break, we continue to walk along a mostly flat, scenic trail through patches of beech forest. We finally reach Doberdol pasture. All meals included.

Trek: 15 Km, 6-7 hours; elevation gain: 890 m, elevation loss: 440 m.

Day 5: Hike to the Three Border Point. Overnight in Prizren.

After an early breakfast, today's hike begins through bilberry-covered meadows of Dobërdol. In the direction of the mountain ridge, which forms the border between the three countries. The Via Dinarica Albania trail ends up in the magical Triple peak 2266m, with a view of the Albanian Alps behind where we walked days before. After a photo break, we descend slowly through a beautiful alpine meadow to Zalli Rupes field which marks the end of our trek. We will take a transfer towards the historic town of Prizren.

Trek: 6 Km, 3-4 hours; elevation gain: 630 m, elevation loss: 840 m.

Day 6: A lovely day in Kosovo.

We have most of the morning at leisure to relax and enjoy the morning coffee and breakfast. Then, we go to Prishtina, the capital city of Kosovo. We will take off a scenic drive towards Prevalla Pass, in the middle of the Sharri Mountains. And so on, we will stop to enjoy a coffee in the fresh air of three different climates. Besides Via Dinarica Albania trek is Scardus Trail another mega-hiking trail.

The afternoon is provided to have a short city tour to see some of the most important sights in the city. After a short amble, we will have a very delicious dinner in a lovely traditional restaurant.

Driving: 2 hours. Accommodation in a hotel; all meals included.

Day 7: Depart for home.

After breakfast, our adventure ends with a private transfer to the airport, ending our exciting trek in the heart of the Balkans.