Family Hiking Adventure in Albania and Montenegro's Wild Peaks
Mountain hikes, river swims, and centuries-old traditions offer a captivating experience for the whole family on a journey through the Balkans. "Uno, Uno, Uno No Mercy!" shouts the six-year-old son of our hosts, leading my boys, aged 10 and 12, into his dimly lit corrugated iron home. This popular card game serves as a much-needed icebreaker as ominous clouds gather over the remote stan, the Albanian term for a shepherd dwelling. Despite language barriers, laughter and consternation soon fill the air, with hail hammering on the tin roof. Dogs bark, chickens cluck, and sheep bleat as thunder rumbles, and we all—eight hosts, seven guests, and one guide—shelter in the tiny kitchen, living room-cum-bedroom, or on the veranda.
Exploring the Peaks of the Balkans Trail
This is day two of a seven-day trip with Undiscovered Balkans, crisscrossing between Albania and Montenegro on foot and by car. Having long desired to hike the Peaks of the Balkans trail, a 119-mile route linking Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania, I eagerly joined this new guided itinerary. It combines some of the region's most famous hikes with gentler excursions for children, such as experiencing shepherd life or visiting remote swimming spots, offering a novel alternative to our usual "get a map and hope for the best" approach to hiking holidays.
The adventure begins in Podgorica, Montenegro's unassuming capital, where we meet our guide, Aurora—one of the few female Albanian mountain guides—and Emma, a cofounder of Undiscovered Balkans, along with her daughter and friend. Before anyone can complain about the heat, nearing the high 30s Celsius, we jump into a minibus to cool off at a popular swimming spot on the Cemi River. We then cross into Albania and weave up cooler mountain roads to the remote village of Lëpushë.
Immersing in Rural Traditions and Hospitality
Surrounded by orchards, beehives, and terraced fields, with dense forests and serrated limestone peaks beyond, we settle into Bujtina Lëpushë guesthouse for two nights. Emma notes, "You'll realise how quiet this is when you get on the main Peaks of the Balkans trail," which attracts over 40,000 visitors annually. Spreading tourism outside the well-trodden route helps reduce overcrowding and supports villages like Lëpushë economically.
Our day playing Uno under a tin roof offers a first taste of Albania's easy-going hospitality and millennia-old rural routines. Organised by Nina of the Shepherd's Way, a community tourism project supporting highlander shepherds, this experience includes learning about transhumance, recently awarded UNESCO world heritage status. As we walk to the stan, swifts dart overhead, and Nina explains her work to preserve this precious culture. Weather disrupts plans for herding and milking sheep, but hours drift by baking bread, playing Uno, arm-wrestling, and sipping mountain tea. Aurora remarks, "Boredom is a big part of shepherd life," and by day's end, as the sun breaks and children play football in butterfly-filled fields, we appreciate this communal boredom as profound cultural immersion.
Hiking Through Breathtaking Landscapes
The next day brings our first hike, following a deserted footpath from Lëpushë through beech forest and open plains to the 1,859-metre summit of Maja e Vajushës. Aurora points out Montenegro in the distance, shrouded in mist with eerie flocks of choughs. At the second of five border crossings, children grapple with the geography, but Aurora explains that the border follows the Accursed Mountains, mirroring our route. We race up and meander down, picking wild blueberries, enjoying fresh yoghurt at a stan, and buying honey from a village cooperative.
After the hike, a 40-minute drive via a refreshing swim at Kanioni i Bashkimit canyon whisks us back into Montenegro to spend the night at Eko Katun Rosi, a cabin camp in Vusanje. The presence of hiking groups from across Europe indicates we're on the main Peaks of the Balkans trail, with soaring peaks and hearty meals of meat and cheese. Along the way, the call to prayer replaces church bells, reflecting the region's religious diversity shaped by geography—Christianity survived in valleys unreachable by Ottomans.
Crossing Borders and Historical Insights
The following morning, we drive to Prokletije national park for a 10-mile hike over the Qafa e Pejës pass into Theth valley, the heart of the trail. This longest and steepest hike of the trip benefits from Aurora's careful pacing as butterfly- and cricket-filled meadows give way to a steep hairpin path. At the top, we picnic behind an abandoned gun post straddling the border. With numerous gun posts in Albania, we hear tales of life under communism, such as hiding goats underground to ensure enough milk for families, distracting from sore legs.
The descent into Theth feels worlds apart, with hot pine forests, darting lizards, and shady caves. Exhausted, we hitch a lift to Marash Rrgalla guesthouse, a 200-year-old working kulla with a bucolic garden and a cat named Sweetie. The boys meet pigs and a cow, and we enjoy a homegrown feast as the Albanian Alps turn pink at sunset.
Final Adventures and Reflections
After a rest day swimming at Nderlyse pools and the Blue Eye of Kaprre, we embark on the iconic hike from Theth to Valbona. The path is crowded with international hikers, and at the 1,800m Qafa e Valbonës pass, an American hiker praises the boys, who celebrate with chips—their first of the holiday—after the dusty descent.
From Valbona, we travel by car and ferry towards Shkodër, enjoying nature on Komani Lake and paddleboarding with egrets and kingfishers on Lake Shkodër with Drini Times. Yet, we soon miss the mountains. In Shkodër, ice-creams and chips contrast with building sites and litter, highlighting Albania's rapid change. Our time in the mountains, surrounded by wild landscapes and ancient traditions, feels like a privilege, especially with children in tow.
Undiscovered Balkans' seven-day Albania and Montenegro family hiking trip costs from £1,195 per person, with departures on Sundays in June, July, or August.
