North of Valbonë lies Kukaj, a hanging glacial valley framed by dramatic limestone peaks and forested slopes. It opens gradually into an alpine meadow with a shepherd’s hut used during the summer grazing season. The area is peaceful and undeveloped, offering a quiet alternative to more trafficked trails in the region. While this path is not technically difficult, it rewards hikers with sweeping views of the surrounding ridgelines, forests, and the highlands of the Valbonë Valley National Park.

The hike begins just north of Valbonë and gently climbs through open meadows before entering the forest. The initial section follows a visible trail that rises gradually, passing a few small farmhouses and private accommodations along the valley’s edge.
As you continue, the path enters a denser beech forest, providing shade and occasional clearings with views back toward the valley.
Eventually, the path opens onto a wide alpine meadow at the upper end of the valley. A small shepherd’s hut stands near the edge of the clearing, often uninhabited outside of summer months. This is a good place to take a break and enjoy the views over the surrounding highlands.
The descent follows the same scenic route, retracing your steps back to Valbona.

• Hiking Grade: Moderate
• Technical Difficulty: T2
• Total ascent: 750 m
• Total descent 750 m
• Distance: 11 km
• Time of the hike: 5 hours (Hiking time without breaks)

The price includes:

• Emergency telephone support during the hike
• Road Book App with detailed information and route descriptions in English

The price does not include:

• Other costs and services not mentioned in the program
• Guide
• Meals
• Transportation
• Any type of Insurance

This trail starts and ends in the village of Valbona in the Albanian Alps.

Orientation:
To assist you, we provide a detailed information package, including route descriptions, digital maps and information about transportation options. All this will be available in a dedicated mobile app, which you can download to your smartphone before your adventure.

While most hiking trails are signed, some markings may be unclear or difficult to see. Certain sections might not be well-marked, and poor weather can make navigation more challenging. Good navigation skills are necessary to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.

Hiking Time, Grade and Technical Difficulty:
Our tour descriptions give detailed information about terrain, technical difficulty, estimated activity times, ascent/descent in meters and distance in kilometres. We kindly ask you to read these very carefully and consider them while choosing your tour.

The estimated difficulty of hikes is given in the SAC scale, starting from T1 to T6. These grades are guidelines that must always be used in conjunction with your own experience, intuition and careful judgment. Explanations for the difficulty scale can be found here.

Estimated hiking times are given for each day. These times do vary according to the day’s weather conditions and your fitness levels. These times do not include times taken for meals and breaks. The hiking times are all calculated in accordance with the Albanian national standard for hiking trails, which is based on the Swiss Alpine Club adaptation of the DIN44366 standard.

General Information:

• Confirmation will be sent within 48 hours of booking
• Not wheelchair or stroller accessible
• Not recommended for pregnant travellers
• Not recommended for travellers with heart problems or other serious medical conditions
• Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
• For any other request or question, please write to us here

Free cancellation at any time before app download. Once the app has been downloaded, cancellations are no longer possible.