Do you want to hike the Balkan Trail without a guide starting from Albania? That is absolutely possible! The Balkan Trail is a hiking route that begins in Albania and stretches through the relatively undiscovered countries of Montenegro and Kosovo. The trail leads you along the beautiful mountain peaks of the Dinaric Alps, and there are fantastic guesthouses to be found along the way. These guesthouses always serve delicious local food, and you get to know the culture and traditions of these countries. We’ll tell you exactly how you can hike the Balkan Trail on your own, starting from Albania!
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What is the Balkan Trail and what are the Albanian Alps?
The Balkan Trail is a hiking route through the relatively undiscovered countries of Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. The trail takes you along the stunning mountain peaks of the Dinaric Alps, and there are fantastic guesthouses along this route. These guesthouses always offer amazing local meals, allowing you to experience the culture and traditions of these countries.
The Albanian Alps are the highest section of the Dinaric Alps. They are also known as the Prokletije. It is an impressive mountain range in the north of Albania. With rugged peaks, vast forests, crystal-clear rivers and picturesque villages, these mountains remain undiscovered by many Europeans — and that’s exactly what makes them so special!
Route & travel itinerary Albanian Alps (starting from Montenegro)
Of course, you can also start from Albania, but we began our journey from Montenegro. I found this more practical because of the travel time. The Albanian Alps can be visited from several directions.
Don’t be discouraged by expensive travel agencies. We already wrote about this in our blog ‘Hiking the Balkan Trail without a guide’.
| Day | Accommodation | Country/Countries | Hike | Border Crossing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travel day: From Amsterdam to Podgorica; from Podgorica to Plav | Netherlands > Montenegro | ||
| 2 | Vusanje | Montenegro | 21 km, 1200 elevation m, 8:10 hours | |
| 3 | Theth | Montenegro > Albania | 21 km, 1000 elevation m, 8:00 hours | Border crossing Mont > Alb |
| 4 | Valbona | Albania | 17 km, 1100 elevation m, 7:00 hours | |
| 5 | Ceremi | Albania | 14 km, 1200 elevation m, 6:20 hours | Border crossing Alb > Mont and Mont > Alb |
| 6 | Doberdol | Albania | 15 km, 1000 elevation m, 6:20 hours | Border crossing Alb > Mont and Mont > Alb |
| 7 | Milishvec | Albania > Kosovo | 18 km, 900 elevation m, 6:50 hours | Border crossing Alb > Mont > Kos |
| 8 | Babino Polje | Kosovo > Montenegro | 14 km, 600 elevation m, 5:00 hours | Border crossing Kos > Mont |
| 9 | Plav | Montenegro | 21 km, 572 elevation m, 7:00 hours | |
| 10 | Travel day: from Plav to Podgorica; from Podgorica to Amsterdam | Montenegro > Netherlands |
Would you like to receive the full 8-day Peaks of the Balkan Trail program, a list of unique accommodations and the corresponding GPX files so you’ll never get lost? You can download our guide below! With our Balkan routes, you can hike the Albanian Alps without an expensive guide!
Balkan Trail: complete guide with GPX files (English)
Save hundreds of euros with our travel guide for the Balkan Trail. In our guide, you’ll find a full itinerary including 8 GPX files to plan your Balkan Trail trip independently!
€ 8.95
Or buy just the GPX files for € 7.50.
✓ Easily pay with Credit Card or Apple Pay
