Valbona To Theth Hike – An Essential Guide

This Valbona to Theth hike was ultimately what convinced me to book a trip to Albania. Nestled between the rugged peaks of the Albanian Alps, the Theth to Vabona hike covers lush valleys, and stunnng mountains scenery like no other, leading up to Valbona Pass.

Given the remoteness of the location and the logistics of getting to and from Valbona and Theth, there is some degree of planning and preparation required. Below is an essential guide on what you need to know based on my own recent experience completing the Valbona to Theth hike –

Valbona to Theth Hike Distance and Duration

• Distance: The hike covers approximately 12 to 17 kilometers (7.5 to 10.5 miles)
• Duration: The trail can be completed in 7 to 8 hours on average. However the logistics to getting to Valbona and back from Theth mean that the full experinece will take about 3 days. More on this below.
• Elevation: The trail ascends about 800 meters (2,624 feet) to the highest point at Valbona Pass, which stands at 1,795 meters (5,889 feet).
• Hike Direction: The hike can be done in either direction Valbona to Theth or Theth to Valbona (see pros and cons of each direction further below)
• Start point: The trail begins in Valbona is near Rrogam, which is approximately 4 kilometers from the village center.

How Many Days Do You Need?

Although the hike itself can be completed 1 day (7 – 8 hours), you will need about a day to get to Valbona to start the hike and a day to get back from Theth, the end point to Shkoder. So a total of 3 days to complete. Below is an approxmiate day by day breakdown.

Valbona to Theth – 3 Days

Day 1: Arrival Day

• Bus from Shkoder to Komani Lake (1.5 – 2 hours)
• Ferry Ride across Koman Lake to Fierza (2 – 3 hours)
• Shuttle from Fierza to Valbona (1 – 1.5 hours)
• *Alternatively, you can book a private taxi or shuttle which can take you directly from Shkoder to Valbona. This option takes 5 hours, hence you save about half a day, although miss seeing Koman lake.

Day 2: Hike Day

• Complete the Hike from Valbona to Theth (7 – 8 hours)
• Relax in Theth or stay an additional day to do the hike to the Blue Eye.

Day 3: Departure Day

• Bus from Theth back to Shkoder, typically departing at 11am (2.5 hoours)

Hike Theth to Valbona Instead?

The hike can technically be done in either direction. I looked into this thoroughly before deciding to actually do the hike in the reverse direction. Below are the pros and cons of each direction, to help you decide.

1. Valbona to Theth

This is the main direction of the hike that most hikers complete the hike in.

2. Theth to Valbona Direction (Reverse Direction)

This is the less common direction to complete the hike, but the one I chose to do as it allowed time to visit the famous Blue Eye Lake the day before the Theth to Valbona hike.

In the end, both options are perfectly viable. The main reason I chose to do the hike in reverse from Theth to Valbona was so I could fit in the hike to Blue Eye on the first day. However this was not necessarily the best idea, as I was super tired after completing the Blue Eye hike and knew the next day would be even more challenging.

Starting Point for the Valbona to Theth Hike

Below are the two start/ end points, depending on the direction in which you complete the hike.

Start Point from Valbona

The starting point of the Valbona to Theth hike in Valbona is near the village of Rrogam, about 4 kilometers from the center of Valbona. The trail begins at the end of the drivable road, and many guesthouses offer transfers to this point.

Start Point from Theth

If hiking in the reverse direction from Theth to Valbona, the trail starts near the Church of Theth or the Theth Visitor Center, central landmarks in the village. From there, the path ascends steeply toward Valbona Pass before descending into Valbona Valley.

Accommodation for the Valbona to Theth hike

Guest houses are the most common accomodation you will find in Valbona and Theth. Guesthouses here are typically family-run establishments that offer comfortable accommodation, and are often in traditional stone or wooden houses. These range from basic lodges with standard amenities to higher end options. Most guest houses offer a home-cooked dinner for guests for an extra charge of around EUR 10 per person.

We opted for dinner at our local guesthouses in both Theth and Valbona and did not regret our decision! The food was homemade, authentic and exactly what we needed after a long day hiking. We also got to sample some homemade local Raki (local fruit brandy popular in the Balkans).

When choosing which guesthouse, I recommend looking up the location on a map to make sure you pick one which is close to the start and end points of the hiking trail. Alternatively, if this is not possible, we reccomend checking with the hotel in advance if they would be happy to drop you off at the start point of the hike. We did this and found it saved us a lot of time and effort at the beggining of the hike.

Request a Packed Lunch from your Guesthouse

You can also request the host to provide a packed lunch for the hike the following day and they are normally happy to do so, with sufficient notice. We did this and were very happy with our decision, given there are no restaurants and extremely limited options for food and drink along the way.

Where to stay in Theth

Bujtina Kometa

We stayed at Hotel Epoka and we could not have been happier with our choice. We were warmly welcomed by the host family and shown our rooms. The hosts were also nice enough to pick up our luggage earlier in the day when we reached Theth and store it for the day while we explored the Blue eye before checking into our hotel later in the evening. The accommodation was basic but had everything we needed for a good night’s sleep ahead of our hike the following day. We were provided a hearty dinner with lots of fresh dishes, even catering for our choice to be vegetarian in the indoor-outdoor veranda surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery. The next day the hosts were kind enough to provide us a basic packed breakfast and drop us off a little ahead of the start point of the hike, saving us walking up the first large incline of the hike saving us about 3km along the pebbled road.

Where to stay in Valbona

Guesthouse Drinos Valbone

We stayed at Guesthouse Drinos Valbone, this was located on the southern end of Valbona. Although not the closest to the end of trail, we found most guesthouses offered pick up and drop off options at no extra cost, espesically if arranged in advance. The staff were hospitable and friendly. The building was modern and new and we had a nice balcony overlooking the picturesque mountain landscape.

Dinner was outside under sheltered pods amongst a beautiful and open landscape surrounded b ymoutains in the distance, a perfect ambiance with which to spend our final evening in the mountain region. One thing we would recomend bringing for your trip would be ear plugs. Despite our comfortable rooms, we had thunder and lightening overnight, with the windows open for cool air in summer, it is really hard to sleep through the noise without these!

Store your luggage at Shkoder. Given Shkoder is the best placed town to start and end the full route from Valbona to Theth. I recommend staying here for a night before you head to Valbona.

Most hotels here are used hikers staying before and after their hikes and will offer to hold your luggage for you while you complete the two nights away for the Valbona to Theth hike. I highly recommend doing this and lightening your load as much as possible.

Valbona to Theth Hike Difficulty

The good thing about this hike is that although it is challenging in places, it is completely doable. We encountered people of all abilitiies on this hike, from frequent hikers to people travelling with family and parents.

There are frequent rest stops between Valbona and Valbona pass with some small basic cafes/ cold drink stalls with benches. However this is not case between Valbona pass and Theth, where the route is mostly in the forest. Here are some basic things to know before doing the hike –

Valbona to Theth Hike

The hike trail is relatively easy to follow with clear white and red stripe markings posted along the way. If traveling in July and August you will almost always have other hikers enroute, so its pretty hard to get lost on this hike.

Rest stops

Though there are several cafes along the trail, if you are starting your hike early in the morning, some of these may not be open until 9am or so, so ensure you have plenty of water and basic snacks.

Valbona to Theth Hike Elevation

The hike ascends to a maximum elevation of 1800 metres. The ascend is shorter and more strenous on the Theth to Valbona direction. The ascend is more gradual on the Valbona to Thether direction. However, we found the Theth to Valbona direction more rewarding. Although this is a slightly shorter, more strenous climb, you are treated with spectacular views facing the valley as you descend down to Valbona.

Starting in Theth

The hike from Theth to Valbona in Albania begins on a wide pebbled road ascending up. The start is point is easy to find from the main road, with yellow sign posts indicating the start. The climb is graudual at first but soon challenging in sections, as the pebbled road finishes and path into the forest begins.

You will soon find yourself surrounded by the rugged beauty of the Albanian Alps. The trail meanders through a lush forests, dense in sections and ascends quickly at first then more gradually, offering glimpses of the pristine Theth Valley below. As you make your way up, the scent of pine fills the air, and the distant sound of rushing water can be heard as you climb up journey. The path is well-marked, guiding you through rocky terrain and past several water streams.

Valbona Pass – Reaching the top

At the top, you will be rewarded with remarkable panoramic views. From Valbona Pass looking down across the valley on either side of are the stunning views of Theth valley and Valbona valley on either side. Rolling hills give way to jagged cliffs, and the turquoise River windings its way through the valley.

Here you will likely encounter a lot of people, so make sure you go early to avoid larger number of hikers in the middle/ of the day. Our goal was to start early and finish the ascend prior to 11am, to avoid crowds at the top and avoid the summer heat while completing the ascend. I would highly recommend having an early start for these reasons!

Descent to Valbona

The descent from the summit to Valbona passes through alpine meadows and verdant valleys. The trail descends relatively gently, allowing you to relish the views and changing scenery. You’ll pass by traditional stone houses own by the local farmers and a few small basic cafes serving drinks and snacks, however these aren’t propert restaurants, so make sure to carry your own meal or sandwiches.

Transport to Valbona

Below is a map detailing the full journey from Shkoder (A) to Theth (B), Theth to Valbona (C), Valbona to Fierze (D), Fierze to Koman (E) (via) Ferry. You can also do directly from Valbona (C) to Shkoder (A) via a private taxi/ shuttle and avoid the ferry between Koman and Fierze.

Although I did the itinerary in reverse, the same logistics apply in getting to and from Valbona and Shkoder.

Shkoder to Theth (Outbound)

• The bus departs daily at 7:00 AM from the Shkodër Bus Station and arrives in Theth around 9:30 AM, with a journey time of approximately 2.5 hours.
• The cost of a bus ticket from Shkodër to Theth is €15 (approximately 1,800 ALL or $16) for a one-way trip.
• You can book online or arrange directly with your hotel in Shkoder as they will arrange the booking for you as well as offer a hotel pickup.

Valbona to Shkoder (Return)

Option #1 Bus + Ferry + Bus (7 hours)

• This journey starts at 10am in Valbona with bus pick up typically directly from your guesthouse. The bus goes directly to the ferry terminal, where the daily ferry currently departs once a day at 1:30 PM (at the time of this post being written). The ferry takes about 2 hours to Koman. In Koman you will take the 3pm bus to Shkoder, arriving in Shkoder by 5pm.
• Cost:
  • Minibus from Valbona to Fierza: 1,000 ALL (~$10 USD)
  • Ferry from Fierza to Koman: 1,200 ALL (~$12 USD)
  • Minibus from Koman to Shkodër: 1,000 ALL (~$10 USD).

Option #2: Direct car transfer (5 hours)

If you are looking for a faster option that does not take up the full day, consider a direct car transfer. We decided to opt for this option so we could reach Shkoder by 1pm and make our way down to the Albanian Riviera later that day. We got picked up directly from our hotel by the driver and driven to Shkoder, our journey took a total of 5 hours.
Cost: EUR 200, although this is expensive, with 4 people our cost was EUR 50pp. Cosidering we needed to get to Seranda later that day, this was an option i do not regret taking as it saved us a lot of time in the end allowing us to maximise the day.

Shkoder

I would recommend arriving early in Shkoder the day before you head to Valbona, to allow enough time to check out the main attractions in the city. For convenience its best to choose a place in Shkoder within a 10 minute walk to the main Shkoder bus station, as this is where you will arrive from Tirana (if you’re traveling by bus).

We stayed at the Hotel Epoka the night before heading to Theth , where the host were kind and welcomong and made sure we had everythign we neede during our stay.

Bus transfer to Theth: Arrange bus transfer to Theth directly with the hotel. They typically offer hotel pcik up so you may not need to walk to the bus station in the morning.
Luggage storage: Arrange luggage storage with your hotel. Most hotel are more than happy to store your luggage for free while you compete the hike and loop to and from Shkoder to Theth/ Valbona
Local tips and recommendations: Get local recomendations for traditional Albanian food. Check out our more comprehensive guide on where to eat in Albania here.
Packed meal: Most places offer a packed breakfast/ lunch for the following day depending on what time you are heading out.

ATMs in Shkoder – Get out Cash

Due to the lack of infrastructure in Theth and Valbona, there are no ATMS in these areas. As such, before leaving Shkoder I highly recommend getting cash from an ATM to cover any costs you will have for Theth and Valbona. Almost everywhere in these towns will only accept cash as payment. In addition to covering your accomodation costs make sure you have enough cash for dinners, lunches, water and snacks along the way as well as enough to cover buses or taxis.

When to do the Valbona to Theth Hike?

The best time to complete the Valbona is during the warmer months from June to September. The dry season brings stable weather, with daytime temperatures reaching around 20–25°C (68–77°F).

In the shoulder months of May and October, temperatures are cooler, averaging 10–18°C (50–64°F) during the day. Hiking during this time also means a higher chance of rain or lingering snow at Valbona Pass. The trail can get muddy, so having proper shoes and gear are a must.

Avoid hiking this trail from November to April because heavy snow and freezing temperatures make conditions unsafe.

What to Pack for the Hike?

Its best to pack light for the hike, but make sure you have the essentials.

1. Comfortable, breathable layers (moisture-wicking shirt, lightweight jacket)
2. Sturdy hiking boots
3. Extra socks
4. Hat for sun protection
5. Rain jacket or poncho
6. Water bottle or hydration system (2–3 liters)
7. Packed lunch and snacks
8. Fully charged phone and power bank
9. Sunscreen
10. Basic first aid kit (band-aids, pain relievers, blister treatment)
11. Lightweight trekking poles for added stability

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Are you heading to Albania? Check out my essential guides below.

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