THE DESIGN REVIEWER
IT'S WORTH A SECOND LOOK
SHKODËR
NORTHERN BORDER TOWN
SHKODËR, BASE CITY for the ALBANIAN ALPS
Shkodër or Shkodra is about 2.5 hours from Tirana by public bus. It is known to be inhabited by the Illyrian tribes from the 4th century BCE and became one of the Roman capitals in the third century CE.
Slide pictures show the scenery near the city on the way to Lake Koman or en route from Theth. The city itself does not have much to offer to the wary and time-limited traveler but is a base stop for those heading to Valbona and Theth. The city is where I would leave most of my bulk and take only what is required over the next two to three days for hike up from 770m to the Valbona pass at 1795m and down to Theth at 850m. Simply ask your accommodation to help you call a furgon to pick you up early in the morning to take the Lake Koman Ferry. The furgon was at the door by 0645hrs. Furgons are local private vehicles for rideshare.
Shkoder also has my favorite value restaurant – Peja Grill. Along the same street is a barber that does a haircut for 200leke, which is less than 2 euros. It was also the last stop before heading to Montenegro.
Shkoder on a shoestring, how much did I spend?
- 300leke – Bus from Tirana to Shkoder
- 300leke – Dinner at a not so good dining option
- 500leke – Furgon to Lake Koman Ferry Point
- 450leke – Dinner at Peja Grill
- 5€ – Bus to Ulcinj
- Look up the Lake Koman, Valbona and Theth pages for local expenditures.
What should I have done?
- Though I enjoyed the experience at Valbona, I would have commenced the walk sooner to reach Theth to catch any furgon back to Shkoder. This would have save a whole day, which I could have used to visit Rozafa Castle, or spend one more day in Montenegro. The whole Lake Koman; Valbona; and Theth circuit could even be done in a day. Assuming the transfer to Valbona reaches the start of the hike by 2pm, a 5hour hike would means reach Theth at 7pm, and if one is lucky, a furgon could be arranged, but it would be too rush and wouldn’t do the trip justice.
- Wear comfortable shoes that has been broken in. When I started out on this 3-month long trip, I didn’t think I will be doing any trekking. In Bulgaria, I trek the hills behind Boyana Church to get to the waterfall with just flip-flops. So I resolve to get a pair of well-worn hiking shoes and where else better to get something well worn, than from a second hand store. At a store in Prishtina, I set my eye on a Salewa Mountain Trainer Approach, which was the right side and fit. I would use it to travel between cities to lighten the load. The grip was good up the trek, but the trip down was painful. Each, and every step was pain. This is probably why I took 8 hours for the trek apart from an hour detour to the waterfall. The time taken for the downhill hike was 3.5hours compared to the uphill hike of 2.5hours from Rrogam. By the time I did the hikes at the high Tatras 6 weeks later, the shoes had finally been broken in.
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Verdict: 4 Stars
Shkoder is a necessary stop to access the Lake Koman – Valbone Valley – Theth loop, though one can access Valbona Valley from Tirana via Bajram Curri where there’s a bus from Tirana. Despite being small, it has a certain charm, character and cleanliness to it. Rozafa Castle also looks like it is worth a visit.
