I had spent close to two weeks in Albania and while the whole world was turning up at the beaches, a hiking excursion from Theth to Valbona pass becomes an afterthought (when it shouldn’t be!)

The splendid mountains of the Accursed mountains, the tainted history and Albanian hospitality are enough reasons to do the Theth to Valbona pass hike.

I embarked on the entire Peaks of Balkans trail which took me 9 days but if you don’t have that kind of time — the best way is to hike the Theth to Valbona pass.

I would suggest starting from Theth instead of Valbona as there’s so much more to explore in Theth.

There’s the blue eye, hiking to Grunas waterfall, exploring the emerald pools and even a day hike to Qafa e Pejës, a mountain pass in Theth which reaches an elevation of 1,742 m.

Also Read: Theth National Park, Albania: The Ultimate Travel Guide to The Albanian Alps

An Overview of the Theth to Valbona Pass Hike

Theth to valbona hike: a snapshot of the albanian mountains

Starting Point: Shkoder

Distance: 17km

Altitude: 1,759m

Duration: 6-8 hours

Difficulty: Moderate (Not that difficult)

Best Time To Do The Hike: End June to October

Self-guided or with a guide: You can do this trek independently without a guide.

The Itinerary for Theth-Vabone Pass Hike

here’s the itinerary for the theth to valbona pass. behind me are the accursed mountains!

Day 1: Shkoder to Theth (Take the 10 euros private van organised by your hotel/hostel)

Day 2: Visit 19th Century Church, Grunas Waterfall & Blue Eye

Day 3: Trek Theth to Valbona Pass

Day 4: Valbona to Shkoder via Komani Lake

This is a rough itinerary if you want to maximise your time in Theth but if you have ample time and would like to expore more of Theth — you could easily stay on for two more days and enjoy the views from this guesthouse: Rrashkadoli guesthouse.

The host was super friendly and it was lovely to spend afternoons in the surrounding area of Theth chilling by the river and reading a book.

There are other offbeat day hikes like the Qafa e Pejës trail where you get to pass through the bunkers that was famous during Enver Hoxha regime.

Also Read: 8 Wildly-Epic Hiking Trails in Durmitor National Park, Montenegro

Theth to Valbona or Valbona to Theth: Which route is best?

Theth to Valbona or Valbona to Theth - how do you decide?

In my opinion, the best way to do the hike is from Theth to Valbone. Theth is way more forested and you’ll get to see beautiful trees and landscapes as you hike towards the pass.

The profile from Valbona is more rocky and I would imagine it to be quite difficult and relentless if you’re going to go up this path. There’s going to be atleast 4km of walking uphill on stony uneven ground.

On the other hand, the only great thing if you go the opposite route Valbona to Theth, you get the logistics out of the way. But I found that there was not such an issue as it would be nice to end the hike with a boat ride around Komani Lake towards Shkoder.

💡 Tip: I would recommend leaving your extra luggage in Shkoder and only taking what you need for 3-4 days of this trip.

Alternatively, if you want to be baggage-free, I know some people who did this daytrip route Theth-Valbone Pass-Theth on the same day to avoid going to Valbone with their luggage — that’s also an option to make it a day trip.

Also Read: My Amazing Albania Itinerary in 7-10 Days: It’s All Mountains & Beaches

Lake Komani Ferry Guide: To The Fjords of Albania

Theth to Valbone Pass: The Hiking Trail

A feast was prepared for us at the Polia Guesthouse. This guesthouse was the starting point for those who are on the long-distance Peaks of the Balkans trails.

The weather was a mix of cloudy skies and rain was forecasted the entire day but that didn’t dampen our spirits as it was a light drizzle — but the trees seem to evolve from bright green to dark green.

at the beginning of the trail, clear markers indicating you’re on the right track

The foliage was lush at this time of the year but the weather patterns fairly erratic for June. We passed through white stickers indicating we were on the ‘Peaks of the Balkans’ trail.

We came across our first makeshift wooden shack stop and all of us huddled to get some warmth and have a water break. From here onwards it is a relentless uphill climb but the trees are so stunningly beautiful that it takes away any misery that we have.

the best milk honey crepes and mountain tea

Not too long from our site, we came across a cafe stop. The cafe had the best honey and milk crepe cakes and mountain tea with honey. It just seems like a luxury to have this stop on the trail.

Everybody stopped here and trying to escape the rain. From this point onwards, it gets steeper for another 40 minutes.

You’ll be able to see stunning views of the valley and gorgeous wildflowers all while wondering if the sun would ever come out.

The peak was anti-climatic and quickly turn to sinister when we saw a yellow sign stating ‘caution’ and ‘trail is closed’ on the right indicating the path where the two hikers may have fallen.

at the valbona pass, this was towards end of june

shrouded in mist on the theth to valbona pass hike

To escape the rain and being too cold on the pass, we continued down into Valbona pass until we found another cafe to seek shelter from this crazy rain.

It was so cold that we had to perform 10 jumping jacks every few minutes to keep our bodies warm. The owner was the most wonderful person — he couldn’t speak English but gave us an umbrella, warmth and did everything to keep us warm.

The road down to Valbona was stony and gravelly over a 4wd track. It was atleast 4km of downhill. If we did this route from Valbona to Theth, this part would be annoying!

Sheeps, shepherds and busload of tourists — we knew we were in Valbona pass. The mountains around here were jaw-droppingly beautiful but it also felt very quiet.

scrumptions food at kol gjoni guesthouse in valbone

At our Kol Gjoni Guesthouse in Valbone, a feast was being prepared for all the famished hikers. For a long-distance hike like this, the daily rhythm of hiking, walking, eating, and resting becomes a comforting cycle, one we find suprisingly more refreshing than the monotony of a desk job.

The energy of being on the trail for miles and overcoming exhaustion and bad weather is often called “trail blues” or “type two fun”.

And you come to embrace and appreciate these very challenges somehow after cosying up next to a bonfire with a feast prepared for you.

Valbone Village

Valbone Village is a small town and there’s not a ton to do like Theth. You could explore the Valbonë River or experience traditional Albanian cuisine and hospitality with a family.

The alternative is to continue hiking towards Cerem which is what I did on the Peaks of the Balkans trail. There are two routes - the ‘low/official’ (valley) route and the spectacular, the ‘high/optional’ route via Presllopi Pass 2039m.

You could opt to do the low valley route if you want an easy-ish hike as the other option was the most difficult hike for me that I experienced.

Where to stay on the Theth to Valbone Trail?

Here are some of the places that I recommend you should stay in Theth and Valbone on the trail:

Theth

Rrashkadoli guesthouse (for solo hikers and groups)
Polia Guesthouse (for groups)
Villa Molla (for groups)
Gurra Family Guesthouse (for groups)
Shpella Guesthouse (for solo hikers)

Valbone

Kol Gjoni Guesthouse (for groups)
Guest house Hyrmet Demushi (for groups and solo travellers)

Other Tips & Resources

There are no ATMs in these towns and it is best to carry all your CASH with you.
There’s only one convenience store in Theth if you wish to buy some snacks and fluids.
If you’re a solo traveller, The Wanderers Hostel in Shkoder organises everything for you including the hike and transportation. But it is often booked out and can feel kind of rushed with no opportunity to explore and do other things after.

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