Things to do
A ferry journey through a fjord that has no road. A 15-kilometre hike through the Accursed Mountains. A glacial pool so blue it doesn’t look real. And a castle that has watched every empire fail.
The Drin River was dammed in the 1970s to create the Koman reservoir — a narrow, fjord-like lake winding between limestone cliffs and dense forest for 35 kilometres. There is no road along it. The only way through is the morning ferry, which leaves from Koman village at approximately 9am and arrives at Fierëz three hours later. The canyon narrows to fifty metres in places; the cliffs rise 300 metres above the boat; tiny isolated farms cling to the slopes with no road access. It is consistently described as one of the most beautiful boat journeys in Europe. Take the upper deck. Book your ticket in advance through Berisha Ferry.
Daily departures June–September. Book via berisha-ferry.com or through your guesthouse.
berisha-ferry.com →Fifteen kilometres from Theth village to Valbona over the Valbona Pass at 1,793 metres — six hours of hiking through beech and pine forest, across the limestone karst of the high pass, with both valleys visible from the top on a clear day. The path is well-marked. A guide is not necessary but can be arranged through your guesthouse. Start at 7am to beat the heat and the small number of other walkers who do the same. The path crosses into genuinely wild terrain: there is no mobile signal above the treeline, no water after the first hour, and the weather can change rapidly. Carry everything you need. It is one of the best days you will spend outdoors in Europe.
Open June–September only. Not safely passable after October snowfall.
A glacial spring pool in the Theth valley — so intensely blue that photographs of it are consistently dismissed as colour-enhanced until people see it in person. The water emerges directly from the limestone at a constant temperature of around 10°C, regardless of the season, at a rate of several cubic metres per second. The source is not fully understood even now. The pool is swimmable — briefly, by the standards of anyone without a background in polar exploration. The walk from Theth village takes about two hours along the river gorge. The gorge itself is as beautiful as the pool.
Walk 2 hours from Theth village. Trailhead also accessible by car or taxi in season.
A 30-metre waterfall in a side canyon above Theth — less than an hour’s walk from the village, usually combined with the Blue Eye on the same day. The path follows the Theth River through a limestone gorge before climbing steeply to the falls. The Nderlyse stone river baths — natural pools carved into the riverbed — are on the return route and are the finest outdoor swimming in Albania. On a warm day in June or July, the combination of the waterfall, the gorge, and the river baths is one of the best afternoons you will spend in the mountains.
30–45 min walk from Theth. Best June–August when water flow is highest.
The castle above Shkodra has been occupied since Illyrian times and rebuilt by Romans, Venetians, and Ottomans in succession. From the walls there are panoramic views of the confluence of the Drin and Buna rivers, the vast expanse of Shkodra Lake (the largest in the Balkans), and the mountains you are about to enter. The Albanian legend of Rozafa — a woman walled alive into the foundations to make them hold — is among the most harrowing origin stories in European mythology. The archaeological layers of the castle span 2,500 years. Entry is about 4 euros.
Open daily. Best in the late afternoon for the light on the lake.
A tributary of the Drin that runs through a canyon of vertical limestone cliffs, accessible from the Koman end by speedboat — usually combined with the Lake Koman ferry. The Shala is the most dramatic river gorge in northern Albania: the water runs the same turquoise-blue as Valbona, the cliffs rise sheer on both sides, and the stone beaches at the river bends are among the finest swimming spots in the country. The Koman ferry operators run boat trips up the Shala from the ferry route. A half-day on the river is enough; a full day with a picnic is better.
Accessible via boat from Koman ferry route. Arrange through ferry operator or Shkodra tour agency.