Peaks of the Balkans with Zbulo! Adventures
- Allison Slater
- Jul 8, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 7
In many ways, days on the Peaks of the Balkans felt reminiscent of the Tour du Mont Blanc, complete with blue campanula flowers dotting the trail and the constant symphony of livestock bells, the Alps across Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo feel pristine and old-world in a way that even the famed mountains of France and Switzerland can't compete with. The trail passes through remote mountains and pastoral countryside where there's no shortage of homemade cheese or farms converted to guesthouses (beware some ferocious sheep dogs.) We slept under tin roofs, were invited into huts to drink "mountain tea" made of oregano, and passed through a smattering of Catholic and Muslim enclaves where we'd find ancient churches and hear the occasional far-away call to prayer.
Coming off the heels of a self-guided trek around TMB, I debated a similar independently planned and guided trip for the Peaks of the Balkans. But in contrast to the long-established TMB trail, the Peaks of the Balkans network was established in 2013 and lacks the same level of infrastructure, including trail upkeep, clear signage, and readily available support. The prospect of potentially getting lost in the Albanian mountains was not my kind of adventure, so I grabbed a friend and we opted to join a group with local mountain guides.
“If you want luxury, sorry, go to Paris or New York,” Kela Qendro, a 33-year-old Albanian working for a small tourism company, told me later. “You come here to see the real stuff. The shepherd. The old woman picking pomegranates. You go up to villagers and they will invite you inside their home for the joy of meeting you.” - New York Times, 2013
Fitness
The Peaks of the Balkans are broken down into stages, each ranging from about 8 - 15 miles. Each day had a fairly significant amount of elevation gain and loss, though no point ever reached higher than 7,500 ft. Hiking experience and solid base fitness is certainly a must for the Peaks of Balkans - particularly since fewer huts along the trail mean less flexibility to shorten stages - but I'd consider it an approachable adventure for an experienced hiker.
On the trail across the Peaks of the Balkans
Highlights
Stage 3 of Peaks of the Balkans from Çerem to Dobërdol takes hikers up a fairly long and steep trail that winds through a series of farmsteads to a remote mountain village. That night we stayed at Bashkimi, a particularly bucolic mountain hut. When torrential rain came that evening, our hosts fed us a warm bean soup which we eagerly ate by a warm stove, and fell asleep to the sound of rain on the tin roof of our huts.
In and around Bashkimi Hut
As we departed Dobërdol, we ascended to one of our highest points in our trip where all three countries coalesce. Before descending down a border ridge trail, the trail peaks on a small hill where we enjoyed a stunning view across the Balkans into Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro.
The Accursed Mountains in Albania are some of Europe’s most glaciated peaks after the Swiss Alps. There we found more goats who had made the journey to the summit and seemed eager for pets as more storm clouds accumulated quickly. Between the narrow ridgelines, the sweeping views of the highest summit of the Dinaric Alp, and constant threat of thunder, this stage was nature at its most beautiful and dramatic.
We started and ended our trip in Shkodër, the beautiful and quaint former Albanian capital. We arrived a few days before the trip and hiked up to the ruins of the Kalaja/Rozafa Fortress where we enjoyed stunning views and the sound of the call to prayer from mosques across the city. We stayed at the historic Hotel Tradita, where wooden ceilinged rooms surround a peaceful, lovely courtyard.
Left two photos: The village of Theth; Right photo: Hotel Tradita in Shkodër
Food and Accommodations
Unlike Mont Blanc, which has been a well-oiled mountain trail and hut system for over a century, the Peaks of Balkans is a much newer route through farming communities learning how to cater to tourists' expectations. Everywhere we stayed we were greeted with delicious food and warm smiles, but accommodations are far more rustic than others like one would find on the TMB or the Dolomites Alta Via routes. At times that meant less accessible electricity, not-so-well-functioning toilets, or more limited food options. But if you set your expectations accordingly, you'll have a blast.
The food was always simple, homemade, and deeply filling. Everywhere we went we were fed a delightful farmer's cheese (similar to feta), tomato salads, homemade breads, and warm bowls of beans. Each hut offered family-style dinners and breakfasts and a pack-your-own lunch.
Accommodations are bucolic and rustic, the food homemade and served family style.
Zbulo! Adventure Leaders and Group Dynamics
There are several touring companies that hike the Balkans Peaks, and I landed on Zbulo! Adventures. While we ran into a number of issues around wire transfers and communication, Zbulo overall was well-organized and welcoming. Unfortunately, this particular trip fell short in terms of the quality of guiding and group dynamics. There were two guides: one was experienced but openly disinterested in his job and the group, the other was new and seemed untrained with missing essential guiding gear (like a functioning walkie-talkie) that basically rendered him another participant. This meant the group had to stick together every day, limiting individual hiking speeds and general flexibility. The negative attitude of the more experienced guide was a first for me, and certainly brought the general mood of the group down. But - we never got lost!
My understanding is that Zbulo guides are contractors who work with a variety of touring companies, so my experience may not be unique to Zbulo. Hopefully Zbulo has improved their selection process over the years since, as everyone we worked with in the main office was kind, understanding, and seemed invested in hikers' experiences.
