Via Dinarica

Via Dinarica

Via Dinarica trail is an attempt to make a mega trail that would start in Slovenia and end somewhere between Albania and Greece. Balkan Natural Adventure has been selected by the European Union as one of the companies that will be funded to offer Via Dinarica Kosovo to the world. We have done our best to make an amazing trail for you. Parts of this trail are the wildest parts of the Accursed Mountains.

Day 1

In Kosovo we will start the trail in the village of Reka e Allages at the guest house of the Mustafe and Nafihe Nikçi a middle aged couple that runs the guest house as a swiss clock. This guest house is also a spot for the Peaks of the Balkans, you will be hosted in a traditional manner. Your hosts have built experience during the years and now can offer food for any diet, starting from vegan to the full meat meals of the mountains.

The hike itself goes through valleys and mountain crests. Its a moderate to easy trail which can be upgraded if one ads Hajla crest (2405 m) in the trail. With this option you will be getting a view of Moutans that you will climb later, opposite you in the south, including the Majestic Guri i Kuq, one of the most beautiful in Via Dinarica.

The end of the trail will take you to Drelaj to the guest house of Shala familly.

Day 2 Possible start point for a shorter tour.  

After a transfer to Liqenat you will start the trail to the least used trails of Via Dinarica that run on the southern side of the river Lumbardhi. You will be taking part of the Peaks of the Balkans trail up to Lugu i Shkodres in order to turn toward Zllanopoja, the village of Lumbardhi mountains, where shepherds from Lekaj clan grow there  sheep and cows. First part of the trail is one of the most popular walks in Rugova due to the glacial Lakes, however as soon as you cross the 2000 altitude you will most probably be walking alone in the trail, that is seldom used. Through crests and some woodlands you will be reaching the village of Zllanopoja and Zeka’s guest house, opened only on demand.

Liqenat Lake, Rugova Kosovo

Day 3 

Between Zllanopoja and Bjeshka e Belegut the trail goes through even wilder nature of Rugova Mountains. Most of the trail is above 2000 meters.

You will be reaching the Bjeshka e Belegut, or the mountains of the Belegu clan. In the eighties when there were plans of building a ski lift in these mountains this spot was selected due to platy of water and the position that preserves the snow for a very long time. Here you will be hosted by Skender Vishaj, a talented qiftelia player. If you ask him he will play a song or two for you. Probably it will be about some hero fighting a battle somewhere, or even about a forbidden love story in the mountains.

Day 4 

Balkan Natural Adventure decided to close the trip with the cherry in top of the highest mountain in Kosovo Gjeravica. The trail will go paralel to the border with Albania, through open valleys with wide views on the accursed mountains between Kosovo and Albania. Part of the trail is also shared with Peaks of the Balkans trail that goes to Doberdol in Albania. The highlight of this trail is the heart shaped lake that you will see before climbing the top of Kosovo and one of the highest in all Via Dinarica.

After climbing Gjeravica you wil start your descend toward the Qershiza Valley through the Gacaferri clan mountains where shepherds live during the summer with sheep or the cows. At the end of the trail you can spend the night in the local hotel or return to the town of Junik for a cultural tour.

Options    

From Bjeshka e Belegut you can continue the trail to Doberdol in Albania to be connected with Valbona Valley and the Peaks of the Balkans Trail.

You can decide to start the trail in Liqunat and make it shorter going through the wildest parts of the Rugova Mountains only.

The trail can be done also with a start in Gjeravica and arrive in Liqunat in Kosovo, or connect to the Peks of the Balkans trail in Babino Polje, with a hike from Zllanopoja.

Via Dinarica with Dooberdol Included