Hiking in the Albanian Alps

The hikes were too short and the guide did not voluntarily give much information. He left two people at one point and said they could find their own way back! The tip kitty was too much and the food not great. A shame as much to learn and experience.

This is a superb holiday, with fantastic scenery throughout - especially the sailing up the lake and the walk over the pass to Theti. Our guide Albi was very attentive whilst maintaining a great sense of humour and enjoyment. The accommodation is a little basic - but then we were in a remote part of Albania, and that was part of the appeal. Visiting Albania was an eye-opener in itself.

We were unlucky with our weather for this trip, the week before had been wall to wall sunshine but we had all 4 seasons and -2.c some nights. The hikes were lovely and well paced with some lovely stops for coffee. The accommodations were mostly poor though. On our first night, when everyone was exhausted and wanted to sleep, the hotel had a singer outside the rooms until 11pm. The stay in valbone was the best, clean, welcoming and nice. The homestay in Theth was really poor though, people had been smoking in the rooms so they really smelt and the bathroom smelt of sewerage. With the cold weather they didn't have any heating and the hosts appeared annoyed when we asked for extra blankets. So we ended up paying for somewhere else to stay. Some of the transport vans didn't have working seat belts too, which was a bit daunting given how some people drive in Albania! Our guide Albi was lovely and told some interesting stories. However, he also drifts off into conspiracy theories so you never really knew if what he was saying was accurate 🤣

The Albanian mountains provide beautiful walks and we found the local people to be friendly and helpful. Our guide was young and enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. We were unlucky to have unexpectedly cold conditions with winter seemingly arriving early. The evening after crossing the high pass to Theth it snowed with the snow settling on the pass. We would have been poorly equipped to cope with this had it come a day sooner. The guest house was cold, initially with no heating. After the first night they installed a wood burner stove in the dining area, so that was ok, but the bedrooms remained unheated. We were underprepared for this. There were some annoying mix ups with accommodation too. In Valbone we checked into our guest house for a 3 night stay, freshened up and went to a restaurant by minibus for dinner. During dinner our guide received a message informing us that we had to repack and move to a different guest house due to an office error. On return to Tirana we found that the hotel for the final night of the tour had been changed. This was annoying for us because we had booked a second night in the expected hotel where Explore had confirmed we would be staying, so we had another room move to do. The new hotel was of a significantly lower standard. So, although we enjoyed the tour, there were difficulties which could have been avoided. For future visitors, we felt that staying an extra day in Tirana was worthwhile to see some of the museums about the communist era. The cable car was a bit of an expensive tourist trap though and had to be paid for in cash. Outside Tirana we needed cash nearly everywhere on this trip. Take Euros as these are widely excepted instead of the local currency.

Lovely trip to the Albanian Alps and lucky to have a great bunch of people in the group too. The treks were correctly graded at moderate. A good level of fitness and confidence walking on uneven terrain is needed. Accommodation was basic but better than I had anticipated. Albi was a great guide, who had to juggle the capabilities of quite a diverse group. He needs new jokes though ;-) Transport to and from guesthouses wasn’t always great. We didn’t always have working seat belts and one occasion there wasn’t evening seats for everyone. If eating in the evening as a group with vegetarians/intolerances, I’d recommend steering away from fixed menus as they really aren’t catered for. The individuals are left with basically a veggie soup and salad ending up being relatively expensive for what they had.

Hiking in the mountains was amazing as it’s so unspoilt in Albania. Albi our guide was lovely and on hand to help if the paths were tricky. Take your walking poles for extra grip on the paths as they can be steep and rocky but the hiking was moderate and never really difficult. An enjoyable trip.

Great trip into the Albanian mountains with some great hikes and stunning views! The trip comprises of four days hiking, plus a little ‘warm-up’ hike on the first proper afternoon after the ferry ride - covering 36 miles in total. Unless you are unfit, the hiking is on the easier side of moderate and is not technical. Packing tip, you do need to carry your luggage on a 5 minute uphill walk through a tunnel to the ferry, then again up stairs at accommodation, so pack light or bring a soft sided bag with wheels. Also, if you have dietary requirements make sure Explore have passed this on, I’m gluten free and on days with packed lunches there was nothing provided for me, luckily I had taken a loaf of bread, protein bars and other snacks, so it wasn’t a problem but I’d have been hungry if I hadn’t. Vegetarian meals were no problem though so this can be catered for easily enough.

A fantastic week immersed in the remote mountains and valleys of northern Albania. Our leader, Albi, was passionate about all aspects of local geography and history, and the walks were enhanced by his entertaining stories and insights along the way.

Another fabulous trip. Albania was really beautiful. The food was really good, and very healthy. The group were lovely, and tour leader excellent. I would highly recommend the trip. (The hiking is challenging at times if you have any fear of heights though.) Overall an excellent trip.😊

Albi was a great guide. One of the best we have had with Explore. He was very knowledgeable and passionate about his country. The scenery of the Alps was amazing and all the Albanian people very friendly.

We had a great trip! The scenery was beautiful, the guide was knowledgeable and engaging, the hikes were just right, and the lodging and abundant food were provided by locals. Highly recommended.

Accommodations and meals were very simple but the beautiful Alps made this tour unforgettable.

This trip was wonderful! The scenery is beautiful- mountains, forests, rivers, waterfalls and more. The walking is not too intense and the days were pretty relaxed with a steady pace suitable to all group members. Our guide Albi was amazing, incredibly knowledgable, fun and friendly! I would highly recommend!!

I have done other group holidays before but this was my first hiking tour, and first Explore tour, and is very unlikely to be my last! I was a last minute on request booking and the company were really helpful and communication was easy. Besi was a great tour leader! The accomodation and food were good and better than expected. The walking and scenery were stunning and really enjoyable in the warm sun. We had a fantastic group of 16 and chatted and laughed the whole week. This was my first time in Albania and I would highly recommend and would happily visit again! To note, 1 filtered water bottle was useful, with 1 normal one too. Water socks/shoes were handy for rivers. There were plenty of places to buy soft drinks or beers, and ice cream throughout the week. The Theft zip lining was good fun and worthwhile and it is definitely worth booking flights to give time for a day exploring Tirana.

The holiday starts with a long travel day which includes an interesting ferry ride, then a shortish walk. Two days of longer walks in spectacular scenery, then the biggest day over a high pass into another valley - by this time we are prepared, even in temperatures in the high 30s. Then two easier days full of interest. First hotel is great, the second is a simpler guesthouse involving sharing rooms with one or two people - but by then we all knew each other. The only down side was a huge traffic jam between Shkoder and Tirana on the way back, but we still had time to enjoy the capital.

This was possibly the best holiday I have had in a long time. The scenery was amazing, I loved the walking and enjoyed being outside for so much of the week. The people I met in the group and the leader, Besi, were also a big part of the reason why I really enjoyed this holiday. I would definitely recommend this trip.

Our leader was excellent. The holiday was very good. But we had serious issues with travel arrangements and will be writing formally to register our concerns.