North Montenegro activity vacation

Planet

This walking vacation along the Peaks of the Balkans long-distance trail, through the western Balkans’ Accursed Mountains is, by its very nature, slow and sustainable, with guests walking 7-12km per day, in wilderness and forest areas that provide a vital carbon sink for this Balkan region. The Accursed Mountains are considered of great importance for biodiversity, which is why they are protected by two national parks in Albania, Valbona and Theth, and Prokletije National Park in Montenegro, which guests explore on this vacation.

Part of the reason that these mountain landscapes are protected is because of their superb array of wildlife, including brown bear, chamois, roe deer, lynx, wild goats and wolves. We remind our keen birdwatching guests to travel with binoculars so they can keep an eye out for the lesser kestrel and golden eagle, just two of many species being protected along these walking trails.

We offer advice for our guests who might like to travel to Montenegro and Albania using bus and train, as an alternative to flying. When possible, we recommend public transport transfers on this vacation, by bus and ferry. We also use a horse at various points to transfer luggage.

Our tour manager, Katya, reminds guests to always practise Leave No Trace throughout their vacation, especially as we are aware that litter and recycling are an issue in the Balkans. We remind guests not to add to the problem by bringing lots of packaging with them or buying single use plastic while they are there. As Albania and Montenegro are hoping to join the EU in the near future, issues like litter and waste will have to be resolved by local authorities as soon as possible, along with other pressing issues of corruption and human rights.

People

Accommodation and some of the meals on this Peaks of the Balkans walking vacation are in simple, cosy guesthouses, hosted by local families who will take the utmost care of their guests and prepare excellent local dishes for dinner. As this vacation takes guests into some rural areas, this directs tourist spend directly into local Albanian and Montenegrin family coffers, a world away from the mass tourism of Albania or Montengro’s cruise ship industry in Saranda or Kotor Bay respectively, or the all-inclusive coastline resorts and casinos of Budva & Petrovac in Montenegro.

All of our host accommodations provide picnic lunches too, and we work closely with them to avoid single use plastics when packaging them. We always advise our guests to bring their own reusable sealable lunch box, and refillable water bottles of course.

Directing guests to local food along the Peaks of the Balkans, and also in the town of Shkodra is important to us, not only so that they have an enjoyable cultural experience, but because they are also supporting the local gastro-economy. Katya knows all the best places to find Albanian specialities such mountain lamb-filled tava e kosit after a day on the hills, a hearty mountain gjellë or stew, or where to enjoy some qofte meatballs with your Albanian aperitif. In Montenegro, you won’t be short of pršut, cevapi sausages and some superb local wines.

We point our guests in the direction of local bazaars and breweries, as well as a celebrated slow food restaurant in Shkodra. In addition, our daily trip notes direct guests to plenty of other good local eateries, with traditional Albanian or Montenegrin fare.

PEACE IN THE BALKANS

As a responsible tourism company, we believe fundamentally in tourism as a promoter of peace, and also as a way for us all to gain greater global understanding. We believe that the Peaks of the Balkans long-distance walking trail is not only a tranquil trek, but also an important symbol of the hard-won peaceful relationships between Balkan countries, and this should be celebrated by visiting hikers. If they climb to the likes of Mount Tromedja (aka Trekufiri), Hajla, Taljanka and Arapi, all promising the most peaceful panoramas, this thought makes the peaks all the more poignant.