The hike between Theth and Valbonë is a famous hike in the Albanian Alps. When visiting Shkodër, I decided that I should do the hike, too.

I had the option to start in either Theth or Valbonë. I opted to start in Theth due to time constraints. (If you start in Theth, you can do the journey in 2 days/1 night because you get to Theth in the morning. If you start in Valbonë, you can do the journey in 2.5 days/2 nights because you don’t arrive to Valbonë until later in the day.)

From other traveler’s opinions, Theth is nicer to stay in because the town is more consolidated whereas Valbonë is more spread out. There are also nice day hikes from Theth like to the Blue Eye. I hiked with Liam, a guy from Australia, who went from Theth to Valbona with me, but the next day decided to do the return hike to Theth. He regretted not staying in Theth or visiting the Blue Eye, and he had the travel flexibility to return to Theth.

Theth and Valbonë are not connected by roads, one must hike to go directly between the two.

Here is the route I took:
🚌 Bus from Shkodër to Theth
🏞️ Hike from Theth to Valbonë
🚌 Bus from Valbonë to Fierzë
⛴️ Ferry Fierzë to Koman
🚌 Bus Koman to Shkodër

The beginning of the trail in Theth. Liam on the right.

I last minute booked the same hostel as Liam because it was inexpensive and also then I could follow him on the route and not get lost! My sense of direction is not very good. I told him that I was happy to talk but also comfortable with silence because I didn’t want to disturb any solitude that he had planned. We had nice conversations.

Liam set the pace pretty quick because he is fit. He told me that his return hike from Valbonë to Theth was under 3 hours since he wasn’t taking in the views the second time. I kept up with him pretty well, although I made us stop a few extra times to enjoy the view extra (a.k.a. catch my breath)!

Enjoy the views with me.

We met some animals along the way: cows, dogs, bugs, horses. This horse (mule?) charged us, stopped right in front of Liam, and tried to eat my bag and my clothes. We eventually escaped after a few minutes.

At the guesthouse in Valbonë, they had forest tea made from steeped forest herbs. It tasted like mint but more complex.

The ferry from Fierzë to Koman was pleasant. Waiting for the ferry, I met a kind couple from Kosova, now living in Switzerland. We exchanged information and I will see if I can fit in my trip to visit them!

The busses offered great views and the roads were curvy. The roads from Koman to Schodër had a lot of potholes. I didn’t enjoy that part.

Currency

The currency in Albania is the Lek. People in these areas have been accepting payment in Euro or Lek, either way, it is no problem. I even received change with a combination of Euros and Lek. Roughly, but not exactly, you can think that 100 lek ≈ 1 euro. So a meal that is 450 lek ≈ 4.5 euro. Kosovo and Montenegro to the north both use the Euro, so we will see if lek and euro are as interchangeable as I head south.