It was a dazzlingly sunny morning in southern Albania. We had just arrived in the city of Korca from Pogradec the previous day and were about to set off exploring the surrounding area. As our destination for this day trip, we chose the Prespa Lake National Park, located some 30 km northeast from Korca.We got on the road SH3 and took a left before Zemblak village. We began … [Read more...]

After a long night drive from Mount Korab, we ended up camping on a random piece of ground near the town of Librazhd. We were drained and slept late into the morning. Upon exiting the tent, at last, we beheld a marvelous picture. For the first time in weeks, the sky was immaculately clear, and the frozen landscape was twinkling with brilliant sunlight. We got ready lazily and … [Read more...]

When we woke up on that beautiful natural terrace overlooking the Valley of Valbona and the plains of Bajram Curri, we had a clear plan: head to Kosovo. The idea was to extend our road trip from Albania into Kosovo, and among other places in this new country, go for some snowboarding in Brezovica Ski Resort.Sure, crossing borders these days was far from straightforward. It was … [Read more...]

We woke up almost deafened by the night-long, boisterous descent of the torrent beside our camping spot. The rain was having a morning break and we got to enjoy the serenity of the deep gorge that hosted us. We had ended up there after a long drive from Shkoder on the previous day. We packed lazily and got ready to resume our way through the eastern portion of the Albanian … [Read more...]

This morning found us on a lovely spot on the shore of Komani Lake, a few kilometers from the city of Shkoder. On the previous day, we had failed to catch a ferry across the lake, so today we had to make it to Bajram Curri overland.We got on the road SH5 and began on our long way eastwards. We were gaining altitude steadily. The rain soon stopped for snowfall to take its place. … [Read more...]

We had spent most of the day trapped between two snowslides on the remote, narrow mountain road coming out from the Valley of Vermosh in the Albanian Alps. It was late, dark, freezing night when we finally got unstuck and made it to Tamare village. After a quick meal, we headed straight for our next destination: the secluded valley of Vukel and Nikc.Driving to Vukel ValleyThe … [Read more...]

Upon getting out of the tent, we witnessed winter in all its harsh potency. A bleak, damp, dismal morning had dawned over Shkodra Lake in northern Albania. We packed lazily and nestled in the warmth of the car. We were ready to depart for where the winter would only be harsher. On this second day of our road trip, we would head to the majestic Albanian Alps, and particularly, … [Read more...]

A sunny winter morning, backpacks shouldered, we were walking along the busy streets of the Albanian capital city. We were headed for the office of The Lada Guys: a company renting Russian-made Lada Niva 4x4 cars. We got ours and named it Lad. It was going to be our transport means – as well as our home, basically – for the next couple of weeks we'd spend exploring the … [Read more...]