Looking for easy hikes starting from Valbonë (Albania)

Hi there,

I'm looking for hiking ideas starting from Valbonë.

No more than 500/600m of elevation gain, no more than 15 kilometers.

I don’t plan on doing the hike to Theth.

Thanks! 🙂

Hi, Not many hiking fans in Albania from what I can see. 🙁 Too bad you're not going to Theth—I had one or two hikes lined up in your difficulty range. Since we couldn’t do Theth-Valbonë because of storms, we ended up back in Shkodër via the same route, and honestly, you’re better off heading to Valbonë.

Hi Agnès, you’ll find some on the spot. I did several walks in the area 20 years ago. There weren’t many proper trails back then—just old paths leading to small mines. But things must have changed a lot; now you see signs like in the Alps or the Pyrenees. And Valbona is considered the most beautiful valley by many, and an Albanian poet wrote of its water: *lumë me uje pastër si loti.*

Translation: river with water as clear as tears.

@Lucbertrand Using the Komoot or Wikiloc apps, you can find a few hikes to download—though it's almost always the same ones! For example: Loop: Ideal Viewpoint – Viewpoint starting from Valbonë 10.9 km / 610 m / 04h22 https://www.komoot.com/fr-fr/discover/Valbona/@42.4517820,19.8893420/tours?sport=hike&map=true&toursThroughHighlight=3409226&focusedTour=1098841647

Hey Luc,

Yeah, I think it’s really changed! And in 10 years, the village will be a super touristy resort given all the construction going on.

For hikes, it’s pretty tough since it climbs steeply right away. There are now signs and markers, but not frequently enough to skip using an app like Maps.me to avoid getting lost.

Not many people in autumn, so few trails and dead leaves covering everything.

It’s gorgeous!