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 the peak days of the second wave of Covid lockdowns. Albania being one of the very few countries worldwide without any significant travel restrictions imposed was the very reason we were here in the middle of the winter. And for what we knew, Kosovo was another one of these few countries. So we set off this morning, headed for the border.
From Bajram Curri to Kosovo
We were soon back in Bajram Curri, whence the Qafe Morine border crossing was a mere 21 km away. The road was also of fairly decent quality so that we covered the distance in no time.
The Albanian checkpoint was sort of abandoned; we drove straight past without anyone bothering us. The Kosovar one was manned by a bunch of uniformed dudes. We were beckoned to stop before a rudimentary control booth and were requested to hand our passports. So far so good; everything seemed normal. But then we were asked for a thing we didn’t have: proof of negative Covid test. They let us know that, although not required for Albanians, a test was mandatory for all alien citizens to be allowed entry into their country. We tried to persuade them to overlook this detail and make a good-willed exception in our case, but they were adamant in abiding by the regulations. We had to turn back ingloriously.
In Kukes City
But we weren’t eager to accept defeat just yet. We decided to drive over to Kukes city, the regional capital, get tested, and cross the main border between the countries on the next day.
It took a good few hours of driving through the area’s rugged mountains to reach Kukes by late afternoon. We parked in the city center and went straight into the first pharmacy we saw in front of us to inquire for a Covid test. The chemist was particularly nice and spoke good English. He informed us that the only place in the whole country where we could get a paid test was a private clinic in Tirana. In Kukes, we could potentially do a test in the public hospital, but we should lie to them that we feel ill and suspect to be infected, rather than disclosing our true intention of traveling to Kosovo; otherwise, they would probably refuse to make us the test. We would surely give it a try, but that needed to wait until the hospital opens in the morning.
We spent a few hours in Kukes, had food and some drinks, and drove out of the city in search of a camping place. We ended up in an open field near the bank of Drini River, a couple of kilometers north from Kukes. In the morning, we packed quickly and made straight for the hospital.
The testing ward was a little room on the side of the main building. Quite a queue was already formed before its door, and we had to fight to keep our place in it against the constantly arriving, slapdash newcomers. Our turn came up eventually. We walked in and blurted out our premeditated story. Whether they believed it or not proved to be irrelevant in the end. Regardless of the reason we wanted to be tested for, they weren’t entitled to give us a written proof document of our tests’ results at all. Upon receiving this new information, we thanked politely and walked out, without wasting their time and ours for a pointless test.
So there would be no trip to Kosovo this time. Instead, we formulated a new plan on the spot. We’d head to Albania’s highest mountain: Mount Korab. But first… coffee.
Rent a car in Albania
If you are intending to go on a similar road trip in Albania, definitely check out the Lada Guys. These Russian machines will get you everywhere. But if you’re looking for a casual, cheaper car to drive on asphalt, you’ll find some good deals on autoeurope.com
Accommodation and Activities in Albania
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