The gorgeous Albanian Alps — it is not the most obvious Alps in Europe and I often wondered why.

Theth National Park in Albania is perhaps one of the most beautiful and underrated traditional village tucked deep in the Albanian rugged mountains.

There’s just a population of 370 people with small little hamlets run by Albanians who had once struggled to even sustain themselves due to the damages caused by the civil war in the 90s.

Now, all of a sudden, this little hamlet is teeming with tourism. Bed-and-breakfasts are being built pretty rapidly — in fact, if you take a look at the town there are sounds of construction, a small little iconic church and barely any restaurants with one little convenience store.

But the beauty lies in its nooks and crannies, the Albanian hospitality and last but not least, the very start of the Accursed mountains.

A little bit of history about Theth

theth national park - the most gorgeous alps in albania

Word has it that around 300 to 350 years ago, people migrated from the lower Shala valley to Theth to evade conversion to Islam.

Also, interestingly, Theth is also home to one of the rare remaining "lock-in towers," an ancient defensive structure used by families caught in blood feuds. This whole blood feud thing has been codified in a book of laws called “kanun” but it no longer happens and was a thing in the 15th century.

What you’ll find in Albania are in these part of the Alps are the abandoned bunkers which were built by this paranoid dictator, Enver Hoxha.

How to get to Theth National Park?

sheep grazing at the meadows in theth national park

There are many routes to get to Theth National Park, Albania.

Taking the minibus: The most common way is to go from Shkodër through a mini-van which can be arranged at your guesthouse.

It costs around €10 euros per person and it departs at 7 am everyday taking approximately 2 hours to reach Theth.

Also Read: Of Strolls & Cycling: What To Do In Shkoder, Albania

Self-driving: You can rent a car over here at DiscoverCars and drive yourself to Theth

Doing the Valbona hike: A lot of people hike from Valbone to Theth and arrive on foot — that is one option.

Also read: Hiking The Peaks of The Balkans Trail: Along the Accursed Mountains (Self-Guided)

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

Where To Stay In Theth?

staying in rrashkadoli guesthouse in theth national parkk, albania

with my kind host who was the most wonderful person!

The best places to stay in my opinion are with the families of Theth — they’re full of warmth, have the best hospitality and you’re able to dive right in to Albanian culture.

The best place was when I stayed in Rrashkadoli guesthouse which is quite near the Theth-Valbone trail. It also has the best views and some of the kindest owners eventhough it is a 20 minute walk from the main town.

If you’re a solo traveller, it is so easy to meet people here and go on exploring on your own as it is near the river.

If you’re hiking and looking for a central place to meet other hiking groups, Polia Guesthouse is the most popular one in the town.

Other options include:

The Best Places To Visit in Theth

1. A late 19th century Theth Church

A catholic church that looks incredible against the mountains of Albania with a wooden cross.

Believe it or not but the church was once used as a village hospital during the communist period — anyone over the age of 25 years old was actually born here if you think about it.

When I visited the church it was closed, and it is usually open every Sundays when the priest is around.

2. Visiting the Reconciliation Tower (Lock-In Tower of Theth)

Formerly a refuge for locals embroiled in blood feuds, this 400-year-old fortified tower has transformed into a museum, offering insights into the experiences of those who found refuge in this tower.

The elders would try to resolve here disputes between different clans, sometimes even bloody, by reconciliation hence the name.

3. Hiking to Grunas waterfall

A fairly easy hike that passes through the village and the Theth river where it opens up to views of the mountains.

Grunas waterfall is located in the heart of the Albanian Alps and starts at the western foot of the Boshi Mountain peak — towards the end there’s a narrow rocky terrain through some limestone rocks which take you right to the falls.

The waterfall is 25metres long and it is freezing cold but it is such an awesome place to have your breakfast at this spot and take in the stunning views of Albanian mountains.

I recommend setting off early so you can have the whole place to yourself and continue on from there towards the blue eye of Theth.

On your way before the waterfall, don’t forget to stop at this place called Kunora e Grunasit. This is such a quaint spot to get some beers or coffee with a few chickens roaming around and a beautiful horse — not to forget their extremely cute mushroom painted house.

4. The Blue Eye of Theth

From Grunas waterfall, cross over the rocks and head further in to the blue eye of Theth.

This is a long hike and takes an additional 2.5 hours to reach there and it takes about 17km in total — consider it to be a whole day affair!

The blue eye is a sight to behold as you get to see this huge whirlpool of sorts that’s turquoise in colour set amidst these limestone rocks.

You also get to visit the Nderlyse village, and in my opinion this is a highlight on its own which I’ll get to the next point.

5. Having Lunch at Nderlyse & Exploring Their Emerald Pools

These incredible nature pools that are emerald-like facing the mountains are very swimmable if you don’t mind the cold — but what’s more amazing is being able to have lunch at this spot right on the deck!

There are a few restaurants there and we had lunch at the Restorant Lulash Zelna while chilling and hearing to the sounds of the river!

6. View of Grunas Canyon

One of the largest canyon in Theth is the Grunas Canyon known for its large carbon formations. The canyon is around 2 km long and 60 meters deep and varies from 2-3 meters to 30-40 meters wide.

You could take the road or the trail route on your way back towards Theth. I took the road for a change and it ended up being steeper than usual with long switchbacks!

But we hitchhiked with a car towards the end and got to know about people’s plans and trips in the Balkans.

7. Day Hike to Qafa e Pejës

day hike to Qafa e Pejës mountain, albania

one of the many bunkers in theth national park, albania

Qafa e Pejës is a mountain pass in Theth with the elevation of 1,742 m. You get to even see the stunning views of the Harapit mountain, also known as the “canine tooth” and the Matterhorn of Albania.

I did this hike on my Peaks of Balkans trek on the last day from Vusanje to Theth but instead if you have extra time before doing the Valbona hike, I would absolutely recommend doing this off-the-beaten path trek,

It is a very strenuous hike if you’re coming from Theth but it can be done in 2-3 hours if you’re a fast hiker. The first 30-45 minutes are rocky, flat and kinda monotonous. You even pass through an awesome space to pit stop and get drinks called “Bar Cafe Taxi Kroni”.

From here on, you will pass through multiple bunkers that was famous during Enver Hoxha regime.

It gets really steep after a while but the views are stunning. It is also extremely hot as you’re kinda exposed and would suggest bringing it lots of water.

8. Hike Theth to Valbona

The most iconic route and trek is the Theth to Valbona hiking route. In total, it is a 16.4km distance and the altitude reaches up to 1,795metres.

We found the terrain to be splendidly beautiful with a jaw-dropping view of the Albanian Alps. This is also perhaps one of the most crowded trails if you go in peak summer period.

The beech and birch trees lines the entire route and it is a steady uphill towards the coffee bar.

It is simply unheard of to have cafes lined up in some of these trails — but on this pass, we came across a well-known cafe bar serving up some amazing honey and milk crepe cakes and the best mountain tea with honey.

It was in the month of June and we were hit with some rough weather, so there was not much of a view up there but it was still stunningly beautiful!

The Best Time to Visit Theth

The best time to visit Theth Albania is between June to October when the weather and temperature is perfectly crisp allowing you lots of days to be outside in the mountains.

In June, it was somewhere between 22 to 25 degrees and we found it perfect!

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