Via Dinarica Kosovo a 4 day hike

Via Dinarica Kosovo a 4 day hike

Hiking through Rugova and Decani mountains Liqunat – Zllanopoje – Bjeshka Belegut – Doberdol with Gjeravica on the top with Balkan Natural Adventure

Adriatik Gacaferi

We went from Liqunat to Gjeravica in Kosovo, with a stop in Doberdol Albania to experience the last remote places in Europe. The group — a British father and son with military background — is just perfect clients, who become more like friends and family during the hike.

The voyage that starts in Peja is part of a promoted mega trail called Via Dinarica. This trail goes through Kosovo, while it starts in Northern Italy and ends in Greece. Contrary to some promotion done by donors the trail is empty from tourists which makes the whole experience unique. The great panoramas open as God hath created them with no people in it.

On the first day the Hike started in Rugova mountains, passed through two glacial lakes to arrive in the village of Zllanopoja. Thats where the stop is made at Zeka Guest house. Zeka is a native of these mountains, who also runs a fast food restaurant in Peja city and a bio guest house in the mountains. Zeka built his guest house where his family spent summer for generations. A family of shepherds turned to hospitality managers.

On the second day from Zeka we have hiked through the three border between Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania to get to Bjeshka e Belegut. A steep valley known for the amount of snow it gathers during the winter. There Skender Vishaj runs his guest house right under the trees. This was once foreseen as a good place for a ski resort, however now it is preserved as the place for adventure hikers.

On the third day the hike took us to Doberdol. A remote village with no telephone signal or any other connection. It is a wide opened valley where shepherds live together with their flocks. Half wild Horses live freely and feed on the wide meadows. Their freedom is interrupted by occasional task of carrying visitors luggage. Our host Bashkim a ex-cook in the Albanian Communist army grows his own potato at 2200 meters. He does not know  what bio food is but he knows his potato need no pesticide as at this hight there are no insects that attack the plant.

From Doberdol, on the last day the hike goes through glacial lakes, one in the shape of the heart to get to the highest mountain in Kosovo Gjeravica and then walk slowly to Gropa e Erenikut to finish the trail.