The hike from Valbona to Theth is part of the Peaks of the Balkans Trail and is the most popular sections of the trail. Instead of hiking for multiple days, many hikers, including myself, choose to just do this section as a day hike.
It’s a beautiful hike that takes you up through the mountains to Valbona Pass and then descends back into the valley below. There’s mountain views around you, paths through the forest, and so many great views.
Here’s everything you need to know about hiking from Valbona to Theth.
What’s it Like Hiking Valbona to Theth?
The exact hike is going to vary from person to person, depending on the location of their accommodation in Valbona and Theth. For the purpose of this article, I’ll be using my own route which was from Hotel Margjeka in Valbona to Guesthouse Rrashkadoli in Theth.
The biggest thing to note is that the actual start of the trail is quite a distance from the center of Valbona. Many hotels in Valbona will offer a shuttle service to the start of the trailhead, but if they don’t, you must be prepared to walk.
My hotel was close enough to the start of the trail that I could just walk to the starting point. It was a ten minute walk to the start of the trailhead and another two miles/four kilometers to the point where the other hikers get dropped off. This section is pretty flat and aside from the rocky, gravel terrain, it’s pretty easy.
Now it turns to a real trail and you’ll begin a pretty steady climb to Valbona Pass. A few sections are steeper than others but in general, it’s just a long climb for two miles/four kilometers as you work your way up the mountain. You’ll gain plenty of elevation too. It’s nearly 3,000 feet/1,000 meters from of elevation gain from Valbona to Valbona Pass. It took me about three hours to reach Valbona Pass.
At Valbona Pass, you’ll be surrounded by incredible views. Don’t get me wrong. There’s great views throughout the trail, but up here is where you’ll find the best views of the entire trail. You’ll have views of the Valbona Valley on one side and the Theth Valley on the other. Climb the nearby peaks for an even more incredible view.
Valbona Pass is also a great place to take a break and you’ll find many hikers sitting down and enjoying whatever snacks they brought. Drink some water too while you’re up here.
The hike from Valbona to Valbona Pass is pretty open with minimal shade. As you descend from Valbona Pass to Theth, you’ll pass through plenty of forests which offers some shade from the heat of the day. Since I was here on a hot summer day, this was greatly appreciated. And you will eventually pop out of the forests for more mountain views, so don’t think all of your good views are behind you.
As you arrive into Theth, keep an eye on the map so you can navigate to your hotel. The main trail goes into the town of Theth, but my hotel was on side road and I had to turn and walk ten minutes in the opposite direction of town.
When you arrive, check into your accommodation and relax after a good hike.
Trail Stats
I tracked my Valbona to Theth Hike on my Garmin watch. As mentioned, I hiked from Hotel Margjeka in Valbona to Guesthouse Rrashkadoli in Theth. Here’s what I logged.
Distance: 9.66 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,943 feet
Elevation Loss: 3,540 feet
Time: 6 hours 10 minutes (includes nearly an hour of breaks)
Should You Hike Valbona to Theth or Theth to Valbona?
Either route will give you incredible views, so it doesn’t make a huge difference if you hike from Valbona to Theth or Theth to Valbona.
I chose to hike Valbona to Theth and here’s why.
- Valbona sits higher than Theth. No matter which direction you hike, you’ll have at least 3,000 feet/1,000 meters of elevation gain. However, if you hike from Theth to Valbona that number increases by 500-600 feet/100-200 meters.
- It takes longer to reach Valbona than it does to reach Theth. Therefore, I wanted to get the long transportation day out of the way first so that when I returned to Shkoder, it was only a two and a half hour van ride.
- The section from Theth to Valbona Pass is more shaded. Since I was hiking in the summer, it made more sense for me to hike the shaded section during the hottest part of the day.
- The route from Theth to Valbona seemed more popular and because of that, I wanted to try the less popular route. I’m not sure which route is technically more popular but I can say that I passed way more people hiking from Theth than I did hiking from Valbona.
How Hard is the Valbona to Theth Hike?
I’d say that the Valbona to Theth hike is a moderate to difficult hike. It’s very easy to find your way (once you navigate to the trailhead), but it does have a lot of elevation gain. It’s a reasonable day hike and I think any person in decent shape would be able to complete this trail, but how difficult they find it will vary from person to person.
I’ll admit that I thought the trail was easier than I expected. I would not call it an easy trail, but it went faster than I was anticipating, which was a huge surprise. I do think part of that though is because of all of the high altitude hiking I had done during my five months in South America several weeks prior and apparently I still had some of that stamina.
Do You Need Hiking Poles for the Valbona to Theth Hike?
This is a personal decision. When I traveled in South America, I brought my hiking poles on every trip and used them on nearly every hike. I didn’t bring my hiking poles with me to Europe so I hiked Valbona to Theth without them and managed just fine.
Would it have been nice to have my hiking poles for the Valbona to Theth hike? Absolutely, but I didn’t feel like I needed them as much as I did for other hikes around the world.
How Long Does the Valbona to Theth Hike Take?
Most reports online will tell you that the Valbona to Theth hike takes between 7 and 8 hours to complete. That said, there is some variance based on your starting and ending locations.
Knowing that I’m an average hiker, I expected the trail to take me about 7 hours. Instead, I finished in about six hours. I did take a few breaks here and there (more than I normally would have taken), but I was surprised at how fast I was able to finish it.
What to Bring on the Valbona to Theth Hike
If you’re hiking from Valbona to Theth, you’ll need to carry anything you’ll need for the days you’re away. Leave your main luggage in Shkoder and only take the essentials to keep your backpack as light as possible.
I brought pajamas and one change of clothes. I wore the same clothes on both of my travel days and had one outfit that was dedicated to hiking. I’d also recommend bringing some kind of warmer layer as it is cooler in the mountains. A rain jacket can double as warmth and rain protection.
For toiletries, keep it basic. I brought sunscreen, bug spray, a toothbrush/toothpaste, soap, and hand sanitizer. Knowing I’d be gone for just two nights, I left the shampoo and conditioner back in Shkoder to save on weight.
It’s up to you if you bring deodorant. Knowing that I’d be showering at the end of the big hike (and before I got into a passenger van with other travelers), I left it behind to save on weight. I figured if I could go without deodorant for a several days in the Colombian jungle and the Inca Trail in Peru, I could survive two days in the mountains of Albania.
I recommend bringing some snacks. There are cafes along the trail, but you can also pack your own snacks to enjoy when there aren’t cafes. My bag of Nerds Gummy Clusters was delicious as I sat for a break on Valbona Pass.
Lastly, don’t forget to bring any medications and some basic first aid. I also brought my phone charger and a pair of headphones.
Where to Stay on the Valbona to Theth Hike
There’s several options for hotels and hostels within Valbona and Theth. While I don’t think it makes a huge difference where you stay, I also think that it’s good to be strategic about where you stay. Some accommodations could add extra miles of hiking to the end of an already long day.
Valbona
The main town of Valbona is quite far from the trailhead, so I think it makes sense to really be strategic here. Many hotels may offer a service to drop you off at the trailhead, but that’s only if you stay in Valbona the night before your hike. If you end in Valbona, you may be stuck walking the long slog into town to find your hotel.
I stayed at Hotel Margjeka which was one of the closest hotels to the trailhead. It was comfortable and the food was delicious. In the morning, I had just a ten minute walk to the trailhead. Note that sturdy vehicles can go a bit further up the gravel road so I did have to occasionally move out of the way for vans of people from further away hotels who were being dropped off even further down the road.
In total it was about 2.25 miles from my hotel to the place where these people got dropped off. Apart from the rocky gravel surface, this is a very easy 2.25 miles.
Theth
There’s numerous options for hotels in Theth and I don’t think it makes as big of a difference here. I still picked a hotel that was close to the trailhead but I think it was close to the same distance as if I had walked all the way into town. I probably saved a little bit of distance, but not enough to make a huge difference.
I stayed at Guesthouse Rrashkadoli which also had delicious food. This location has both hostel dorm rooms and private rooms. With the family style tables, you’ll get to know your fellow hikers at dinner (though everyone orders their own food from the restaurant).
Transportation for the Valbona to Theth Hike
If you’re planning to visit Theth, Valbona, or both, you’ll first want to get to Shkoder. Buses leave frequently from Tirana, but also arrive from other countries like Montenegro.
You can arrange the transportation yourself online, but if I’m honest, I think it’s just easier to talk to your accommodation. I stayed at Mi Casa es Tu Casa Hostel and they had transportation tickets available for purchase for the same price as online. Since some of these places include hotel pick up in the morning, I find it’s just easier to let your accommodation deal with it.
Shkoder to Valbona
The journey from Shkoder to Valbona takes about 6 to 7 hours and involves a van, a ferry, and another van. The good news is that the views are good. The bad news is that it’s a lot of travel.
We were picked up in Shkoder just before 7:00 am where we boarded a van to head to Komani. This took about two hours and there was a stop at a shop for us to buy snacks and coffee. Once we arrived in Komani, we transferred onto a ferry to sail across Komani Lake, which takes about two and a half hours. This is beautiful and it’s one of the best things to do in Albania. Unfortunately for me, we didn’t have the greatest weather and it actually rained for part of the journey. But the sun came out near the end of the sail and that helped make things better.
In Firenze, you’ll get off the ferry and wait for more instructions. Our instructions were to wait for ten minutes (and buy more snacks if we needed them) before we’d go to Valbona. After those ten minutes, the men running it looked at our tickets and sorted us into different vans based on our hotel. Make sure you know which hotel you are staying at (and if you can show it on a map, that’s a bonus).
In the van, it’s another hour and a half to reach Valbona and then the drop offs begin. I recommend keeping an eye on GoogleMaps because it’s not always obvious which hotel you’ve arrived at.
Theth to Shkoder
It’s about two and a half hours by van between Shkoder and Theth. While the views are great, it’s pretty uneventful and there’s not as much to say as there was about the journey from Shkoder to Valbona.
When I did this, guests who were starting in Theth got picked up in Shkoder just before 7:00 am. That meant an arrival time in Theth by about 9:30 am. If this is you, make sure you plan your time accordingly.
I took the transportation from Theth to Shkoder and it was pretty easy. On my ticket there was a number to contact, so I sent a message on WhatsApp when I arrived in Theth. They told me to be outside of Hotel Jezerca at 10:00 am. I would highly recommend getting there early since the van pulled out at 9:56 and the last few passengers had to run to catch up with us.
Final Thoughts
The Valbona to Theth hike was incredible. It’s not an easy hike but the views are so incredible that you can forget about the difficulty of some of the climbs. In fact, I enjoyed the hike so much that I’m considering returning to this region at some point to hike more of the Peaks of the Balkans Trail.
Continue Your Adventure
Quilotoa Loop: In Ecuador, I spent three days hiking the Quilotoa Loop. Like the Valbona to Theth hike, you’ll hike independently from hostel to hostel through the mountains.
