Peaks of the Balkans: 10 stages and when to book
A loop round the Accursed Mountains that crosses between Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro high above any border post, on permits you apply for weeks in advance. Ten days of mule tracks and shepherds’ villages, glacial lakes and passes above 2,200 m, sleeping in family guesthouses and summer huts in valleys that were sealed off within living memory. The walking is not technical; the logistics and the remoteness are the difficulty.
Start and finish: Theth.
The 10 stages
| Day | Stage | Distance | Climb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theth → Fusha e Gjës (Valbonë) | 11.2 km | 1,095 m |
| 2 | Fusha e Gjës (Valbonë) → Çerem | 19.6 km | 1,004 m |
| 3 | Çerem → Dobërdol | 14.6 km | 1,523 m |
| 4 | Dobërdol → Milishevc | 18 km | 1,115 m |
| 5 | Milishevc → Rekë e Allagës | 14.8 km | 1,097 m |
| 6 | Rekë e Allagës → Leqinat (Kuqishtë) | 24.6 km | 2,001 m |
| 7 | Leqinat (Kuqishtë) → Babino polje | 13.9 km | 911 m |
| 8 | Babino polje → Plav | 20.5 km | 773 m |
| 9 | Plav → Vusanje | 20.6 km | 1,394 m |
| 10 | Vusanje → Theth | 20.8 km | 1,484 m |
The line is the OpenStreetMap route relation, routed through its own ways and cut at the ten stage ends the trail publishes, then checked against the 115 waypoints in its stage sheets: 8 to 80 m off them on average per stage. It measures 179 km against an official 192, and day 9 is the shortfall: 20.7 km where the trail says 27.4. Walking times are the trail’s own; elevation is a terrain model. Treat the figures as close rather than exact, and plan day 9 on the official distance.
Book these first
The border permits come first and everything else waits on them. The three countries agreed a common procedure in 2011: you apply at least fifteen days ahead at the police of the country you are leaving, with a passport copy, for every crossing you make. The trail crosses four times.
- Theth guesthouses
- Valbonë guesthouses
- Dobërdol mountain hut
- Milishevc huts
The trail’s own site says plainly that the procedure can be bureaucratic and that a tour operator or tourist office will file it for you. Most walkers pay someone to do it; doing it yourself is possible and slower.
Theth and Valbonë are the busy ends. In July and August their guesthouses fill weeks ahead, and the Valbona pass day is the one everybody walks.
When to go
Mid-June to late September. The katuns and summer villages are inhabited from roughly late June to late September, and that is what decides where you sleep; the passes hold snow into early July and the shepherds come down at the end of the season.
- JanuaryWinter in the Accursed Mountains
- FebruaryWinter
- MarchWinter, with the first thaw down low
- AprilThaw
- MaySnow lingers high, shepherds not yet up
- JuneThe season starts, snow in the shade
- JulyHigh season, hot and busy
- AugustHigh season
- SeptemberThe best light, the season closing
- OctoberAfter the season
- NovemberWinter is setting in
- DecemberWinter
Peaks of the Balkans in Treksup
Peaks of the Balkans is a paid route in Treksup: its full plan, with every stage, water, where to sleep and weekly trail conditions, comes with the paid tier. 7 routes are open in full for free.
See Treksup on the App StoreYour first multi-day trek
More routes
Page updated 30 September 2026.