The Accursed Mountains of Albania (and why they’re a must-see) Posted on 15 November 2022 Albania is not the first place on most people’s must-see list, but it should be. In the second of four posts, Getaway‘s Peter Frost reports back on the famed Accursed Mountains. READ: Is Albania on your bucket list? Mountains of pain and glory The Accursed Mountains, Albania’s western fortress against the rest of the Balkan lands (and the world), is part of the Dinaric Alps, the steepest, deepest, most southern Pleistocene glacials after the Scandinavian fjords. The limestone and dolomite gorges, cliffs and peaks rise vertically in some areas to 1000 metres from the valley floor, carved some two million years ago by ice sheets that have long since retreated. It’s like the Norwegian fjords without the water – elemental, archaic and well off the tourist grid. Fully 70 percent of the range simply hasn’t been explored because it is so inaccessible. How do you get there? From the northern city of Shkodër there are two roads into the Accurseds, the spectacular SH20 and the busier SH21. What’s to do up there? Visitors go for the jaw-dropping vistas and to explore by car or on foot. Hiking, scrambling and wellness are high on the list. The valleys are epic, the rockfaces like nothing you’ve seen before and it’s special just to spend time up there. In the small communities there are chalets and campsites set aside for hikers and visitors. Where’s the epicentre? There are two separate routings up into the Accurseds. The town of Theth near the Valbona Valley National Park is the best-known spot, popular with backpackers and the international hiking community. But for a much more authentic and less busy experience, head up the SH20 in the far west, on the Montenegrin border. The village of Tamarë is the centre of things here. It will be familiar to anyone who is a Tintin fan (King Ottokar’s Sceptre); terracotta tiles, stone walls, small windows against the winter cold and, invariably a vegetable garden and a battered old car out front. More about that epic road! The SH20 is worth the trip to Albania alone. Built in 2017 with EU money, it winds up through the mountains for 50km to small communities that time has forgotten. There are over 300 switchbacks on the road, most with extraordinary views up and down the valleys. There are plenty of places to stop and walk off into the mountains, or just stop and marvel at the cliffs and the Cem River. Where to stay In Tamarë, Sofra Kelmendit is run by Luçie and her son Angelo. Rooms all have astonishing views of the surrounding mountains and there is a family restaurant downstairs serving local speciality meals. It costs R700 a night for two, sharing. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/32423652?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=36bb3534-946f-44c2-a764-011720c5a11d The car BMW X1 sDrive18d The Balkans is a demanding test landscape for any car; broken backroads in Bosnia and Herzegovina, steep mountain passes through Slovenia, Montenegro and Albania. BMW’s latest X1 sDrive18d acquitted itself well; the supple suspension saw off the worst of the ruts and the perky 1.8-litre diesel engine pulled well on the passes. The new car is bigger than the previous model but still manageably compact in the tighter alleys of Shkoder. Inside materials are much improved and it’s a comfortable place to be, even after 900km stretches. The raft of aids are welcome, as is the excellent fuel consumption. The final figure for the 4000km trip was a commendable 5,0l/100km. The marque will bring the full electric to our shores and, on current evidence across the rest of the range, it should be a cracker. But there’s no getting away from the real-world advantages of the diesel sDrive18d. Handsome, practical, frugal, decent enough to drive and sporting plenty of badge appeal. The X1 is now exactly the right size and should sell like hot apfelstrudel up a cold Austrian Alp. Details Price: R790 617 Engine: 2,0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbodiesel Transmission: 8-speed automatic Power: 110 kW Torque: 360 Nm 0-100 km/h: 8,9 seconds Top speed: 210 km/h Fuel Consumption: 5.0 L/100 km Rivals: Mercedes-Benz GLA, Audi Q3 Pictures: Peter Frost Follow us on social media for more travel news, inspiration, and guides. You can also tag us to be featured. TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter ALSO READ: What to do in a potentially dangerous wildlife encounter Related Posts Quiz: Are you a one-trip wonder or multiple-mini breaker? 1 June 2023 Take this quiz to find out whether you are a one-trip wonder, a multiple mini-breaker,... read more Running rampant in Stanford, the sleeping beauty of the Overberg 26 May 2023 Stanford invites you to do exactly what it has been doing while its neighbours frantically... read more Waterberg wanderlust: 5 reasons to visit the Waterberg 22 May 2023 PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
Quiz: Are you a one-trip wonder or multiple-mini breaker? 1 June 2023 Take this quiz to find out whether you are a one-trip wonder, a multiple mini-breaker,... read more
Running rampant in Stanford, the sleeping beauty of the Overberg 26 May 2023 Stanford invites you to do exactly what it has been doing while its neighbours frantically... read more
