Albanian Alps National Park

Alps of Albania National Park, in northern Albania, is the largest national park in the country. It was established in 2022 by merging Theth National Park, Valbona Valley National Park and the Gashi Nature Reserve, and borders Montenegro in the north. It takes its name from the Albanian Alps, also called the Accursed Mountains, and most of the peaks above 2,000 m in Albania lie here, among them Maja e Jezercës, the highest peak of the Dinarides. The terrain is high, with glaciers, valleys, rivers, waterfalls, dense forests and rock formations, and very remote areas keep a large, largely untouched ecosystem. The park protects the ecosystems and biodiversity as well as the cultural and historical heritage of the region, which is also an important bird and plant area.

Visiting the Albanian Alps

The Valbona–Theth crossing is the classic walk of the Albanian Alps: 15–17 km and 6 to 9 hours depending on your pace, over the pass at about 1,795 m, open from early June to October. Buni i Jezercës, the largest lake in the Alps at about 1,792 m, is reached from Valbona on a climb of about 1,190 m with no water from Kukaj to the lakes; a single day return is not realistic, so camp and continue next day over the Peja pass to Theth. Book guesthouses early. In Theth, ask locally about trail conditions and shuttles.