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Hiking The Valbona Pass to Theth
Photos of the hike from Valbona to Theth are what made James and I want to visit Albania. This weekend, after travelling around Albania for nearly a month, we finally got to cross this experience off our bucket list. Somehow, it was even more incredible than I imagined. Having arrived in Valbona the previous day…
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The Journey to Valbona, Albania
Albania is home to a bucket list hike: the Valbona Pass through the Accursed Mountains. This 17km hike between Theth and Valbona offers nonstop jaw-dropping mountain vistas. (More in the next post). Theth and Valbona are both small villages with limited services. So, hikers usually drop off their luggage in Shkodër, then complete this trip…
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Cycling Along Shkodra Lake to the Montenegrin Border
On Monday, we took the bus to Shkodër: a charming, midsized city at the foothills of the Albanian Alps. This city is basically a required stop if you want to do any hiking on the Albanian side of the mountain range. The week started off rainy, which was perfect for our goal of resting and…
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Swimming Through Albania’s Osumi Canyon
Osumi Canyon is a 26km river gorge in Southern Albania. We visited the canyon as a group tour from Berat. As you know, I prefer independent travel when possible. But, I think Osumi Canyon would be tricky to fit in that way. You would have to rent a car and drive a considerable distance, as…
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Hiking to the Berat Castle
This morning, we set out nice and early for Berat Castle, which is the main attraction in Berat. To get to the castle from downtown, you can take a steep but beautiful 30-minute walk up a cobblestone alley. Or, you can take a taxi to the top. Because the castle is on a hill, it…
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Berat, Albania: The Next Tourism Hotspot?
We have now made it to Berat: the third city we’ve visited in Albania, and the first non-coastal one. This city’s historic center, known as “the city of 1000 windows”, is a UNESCO world heritage site due to its beautifully preserved Ottoman-style homes. We are staying in Hotel Berati: a 300-year-old building that is decorated…