The Cursed Mountains - a trek through the Prokletije

July 2015  |  Montenegro and Albania

Forming a natural border between Montenegro and Albania is a jagged spine of mountains called the Prokletije in Montenegran and the Bjeshkët e Namuna in Albanian. Both names translate to “cursed mountains”, likely due to their foreboding vertical spires, deep winter snows, and inhospitable ruggedness. These are the some of the biggest and burliest mountains in the Balkans, but despite their grandeur remain relatively unknown and surprisingly undeveloped. In late July we spent 5 days trekking a loop route through the heart of the range, mostly camping and sometimes staying in Albanian villages along the route.

The village of Vusanje in the spectacular Ropojana Valley near Gusinje, Montenegro.

Ropojana Valley

The village of Vusanje in the spectacular Ropojana Valley near Gusinje, Montenegro.

After jumping through a series of bureaucratic hoops at the police station in the nearby town of Plav in order to document our proposed border crossing into Albania, we started hiking from the village of Vusanje, near the town of Gusinje in a far southern corner of Montenegro.

View from a cave entrance high in the Prokletije.

View from a cave entrance high in the Prokletije.

The “cursed mountains” lived up to their name in one respect, which was the oftentimes oppressive heat during the day. This big cave entrance provided a brief respite, with a chilly breeze blowing out from its depths. During the hike up here we met a Serbian caver who has explored this cave numerous times in the past and was back again with a group of friends to explore and chart even further.

Maja Jezerce (2694 m / 8839 ft.) is the highest mountain in Albania.

Maja Jezerce Sunrise

Maja Jezerce (2694 m / 8839 ft.) is the highest mountain in Albania.

For our first night we camped up on Qafa e Prosllopit, a high pass right at the border between Montenegro and Albania. After an evening spent huddling in the tent with lightning and thunder booming around, my inner masochist convinced us to wake up in the middle of the night to hike up Zla Kolata before sunrise.

At 2534 m, Zla Kolata (aka Kollata e Keqe) is technically the tallest mountain in Montenegro; 12 meters taller than Bobotov Kuk, which is generally considered to be Montenegro’s tallest peak. Why does Bobotov get all the love, when it’s not even the highest? First of all, Bobotov Kuk is indeed the tallest Montenegrin peak that is completely within Montenegro territory; Zla Kolata is right on the border so shares its summit with Albania. But once we hiked up Zla Kolata, I realized perhaps the real unspoken reason why Zla Kolata gets no fame: while Bobotov Kuk is a beautiful, striking peak and the crown jewel of the beloved Durmitor National Park, Zla Kolata is actually just a fairly nondescript summit overshadowed by a plethora taller and more spectacular neighboring mountains just over the border in Albania. So it just wouldn’t be fitting for Montenegrins to pride themselves on such an unremarkable “bump” surrounded by taller giants!

Sunrise light shines into the Valbona valley and the Bjeshkƫt e Namuna (Prokletije) mountains, as seen from Podi e Kollates (...

Sunrise Above Valbona

Sunrise light shines into the Valbona valley and the BjeshkĆ«t e Namuna (Prokletije) mountains, as seen from Podi e Kollates (2556 m).  

Despite the obscurity of Zla Kolata itself, it’s part of a high plateau that offers incredible views of the surrounding mountains as well as a jaw-dropping overlook into the 1600+ meter (5,000+ feet) deep Valbona valley, where we would be hiking down to later this day.

Maja Jezerce and the BjeshkĆ«t e Namuna (Prokletije) mountains rise behind a high meadow plateau near Kollata e Keqe (Zla...

Maja Jezerce Wildflowers

Maja Jezerce and the BjeshkĆ«t e Namuna (Prokletije) mountains rise behind a high meadow plateau near Kollata e Keqe (Zla Kolata) - July.

Albania, Europe, Prokletije, Bjeshkƫt e Namuna, July, 2015

Grassy Steps

A long walk down from our pass took us into the valley of Valbona in Albania. Here we pitched our tent in the grass at an idyllic campground that even had its own spring-fed creek complete with stocked fish for dinner! We kicked off our boots and enjoyed a tasty feast and a delicious bottle of Vranac! We earned it that day.

Remnants of a feast in Valbona, Albania.

Remnants of a feast in Valbona, Albania.

Albania, Europe, Prokletije, Valbona, wildflowers, Bjeshkƫt e Namuna, July, abstract, wildflower, 2015

Flower in the Dew

Walking down the road out of Valbona, heading for a high pass over to Thethi.

Walking down the road out of Valbona, heading for a high pass over to Thethi.

A recently paved access road and a push for tourism is quickly transforming this traditional shepherds’ valley into a more popular destination. The direction of development seems unclear, which became apparent even as we descended into the valley and could hear the thumping of techno music blasting from a party thrown by the Albanian Mountain Club of all people. The party bumped long into the night, including even a set of enormous spotlights spinning around illuminating the mountain walls. At 1:30 in the morning once the band finished playing, a gang of motorbikers felt obliged to rev their motors for half an hour, no doubt scaring the crap out of every animal in the valley. Quite an odd way for a mountain club to celebrate their love of nature if you ask me. But you didn’t ask me, I’m just another tourist after all. But I do hope that the people of Valbona can find a balance of increasing tourist traffic while still retaining the traditional atmosphere of the valley.

Walking out of the Valbona Valley, Albania.

Walking out of the Valbona Valley, Albania.

In the morning we walked out of Valbona, up the valley, and over the Qafa e Valbones mountain pass towards the next village of Thethi.

Rainy and thundery weather up on the Qafa e Valbones pass high above the Valbona valley.

Rainy and thundery weather up on the Qafa e Valbones pass high above the Valbona valley.

As we neared the pass, the clouds got thicker and darker, and sure enough the rain started falling and thunder started booming. We ducked down and did our best speed-walking to get over the pass before all hell broke loose!

Misty mountain near Qafa e Valbones, the pass between Valbona and Thethi.

Qafa e Valbones

Misty mountain near Qafa e Valbones, the pass between Valbona and Thethi.

Thethi, Albania, Prokletije, Bjeshket e Nemuna, 2015

In the Prokletije (and most mountains along the Dinaric Alps for that matter) water can be scarce. The karstic limestone and dolomite rock of these ranges is full of cracks and caves that drain all the surface water, so permanent lakes and streams are a rarity. Most water must be collected at natural springs. In Albania sometimes at these spring locations you’d find little remote cafes that chill sodas and beers in the buckets of spring water to quench the thirst of weary hikers. After our hurried crossing of the mountain pass in a thunderstorm, we were quite relieved to take a load off here!

Hiking through the forest down towards Thethi.

Hiking through the forest down towards Thethi.

Walking along a street in the village of Thethi, Albania.

Walking along a street in the village of Thethi, Albania.

Thethi is another traditional Albanian village in a deep, remote valley. There’s no paved road here (yet) and although more trekking lodges are popping up, the village still retains an almost completely traditional atmosphere. We stayed in a woman’s home in the village; she grew all her own crops, milked her own cows, made her own cheese, even made her own rakji spirits with grapes strung along her terrace.

The church in the center of Thethi village.

Church of Thethi

The church in the center of Thethi village.

Church in the village of Thethi, Albania.

Church in the village of Thethi, Albania.

One of the many old hidden bunkers scattered in the mountainsides near the border of Albania and Montenegro.

One of the many old hidden bunkers scattered in the mountainsides near the border of Albania and Montenegro.

Our fourth day of hiking took us from Thethi over another big pass, across the border, and back into Montenegro.

Vast fields of little yellow wildflowers adorn the dried Liqeni Geshtares lakebed below the jagged spires of Karanfili. The spot...

Jezerce Spires

Vast fields of little yellow wildflowers adorn the dried Liqeni Geshtares lakebed below the jagged spires of Karanfili. The spot is just a few meters from the border of Montenegro and Albania.

On this last day of hiking the heat was especially oppressive. We missed a few springs on our way down into Montenegro and were facing another extra few hours of hiking in the dark to the next spring when we miraculously came upon a friendly Austrian couple who were camping out in their camper truck; they graciously offered us a big 6-liter bottle of water, a plate of freshly cooked veggies and cheese, and entertained us with anecdotes from their extensive world travels over the years. Our saviors! The next day they even gave us a ride back down the dirt road of the Ropojana valley back to our car in Gusinje, saving us many more hours of hiking in the heat. Perhaps these mountains aren’t so cursed after all…

Our Austrian saviors! Bert — if you’re reading this, we lost your email address!

Our Austrian saviors! Bert — if you’re reading this, we lost your email address!