The world is immense, yet we only think about the same countries. We should know that there are more places to explore on our blue planet. Even it applies to Europe. Sure Eifel tower, Big Ben, Collesium are wonders of the world. However, you should not be discouraged to explore less known places like Albania. You might ask, where is Albania? This relatively small country is located in southeast Europe on the coasts of the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Albania is one of the Balkan countries, and it is bordered by Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. Albania is not as popular as other European countries such as Germany, Italy, France, and Britain, but it is for sure that tourism in Albania is flourishing. Records show us that the number of people who visit the country increases every year. Nevertheless, the global pandemic has taken its toll on tourism in Albania as well. With restrictions getting removed, more and more people travel to Albania. Albania is one of the European countries that remain unspoiled. Albania is notoriously known for its nature. It looks like Albanians remain loyal to their cultural heritage. However, it does not mean that the country is old-fashioned. Some cities are modern, bustling with activity. Regardless of your reasons to travel to Albania, there can be requirements for your entry to Albania. One of the decisive factors, in this case, is the Albania visa. If you are not from an Albania visa exempted country, then getting a visa is a prerequisite. What to do then? Well, you will need to apply for a visa. Luckily, Pickvisa offers a service to get your visa within the shortest time possible. You can learn more about our services in our “Services” section. Albania is one of Europe’s most natural countries. Rural life is predominant in some parts of the country. Albania is one of the countries the Ottoman influence can be seen with naked eyes. There are settlements built in the Ottoman style, making it different and unique in these lands. We have looked at where is Albania. But this article is not completely dedicated to Albania’s geography. For this article, we will try to give you information on Albania hiking trails. Is Albania good for hiking? Are there hiking trails in Albania worth visiting? These are some of the questions we will try to find answers to.
Hiking in Albania
Mountain, forest, beach are three elements that characterize Albania best. Albania is one of the most mountainous countries in the world. Albanian alps are famous for their might and beauty, and they look magnificent from every angle. There are excellent hiking trails in Albania, and some of them lie on the slopes of these mountains. Forests cover around 35 per cent of Albania. These forests are breathtaking, and they amaze visitors. These forests are natural habitats of wolves, rare golden eagles, and other endangered species. Albania hiking tours that include walking in forests and mountains are organized regularly. What are these hiking trails? You will learn more about them in the next paragraph.
What are the best hiking trails near me in Albania?
In the north accursed mountains offer great hiking opportunities. These hiking trails start at the flatlands, go through forests and then elevate to the mountains. Along these hiking trails, you will see waterfalls, small lakes, and rivers. There is a hiking trail that covers the distance between Valbona and Theth. This trail is one of the best, if not the best trail in Albania. Hiking on this trail is easy, but it will make an enchanting day out for you and your companions. The path will take you to the Valbona pass, which has an excellent view. There you will be able to enjoy the natural beauty of landscape and nature. This trail is not a regular hiking trail, and it is a relatively long trail. It takes days to complete it. You can arrange your travel via Albania hiking tours. Both Valbona and Theth are national parks, by the way. Llogara Maja transit trail is located southern part of the country, near Vlore. It is around 7.5 kilometres long. It is relatively easier to complete. Hiking here, you will not feel how time in Albania passes. It is excellent for sightseeing. It is surrounded by mountains on the one side and by the sea on the other side. The elevation gain is not so huge. It is around 350 meters. Kryezi waterfall trail is for everyone with its relatively short distance of 2.4 kilometres long. People use this trail mostly for hiking, walking, nature trips, etc. It is near Kryezi, which is the northern part of Albania. It takes its name after Kryezi waterfall as, along the way, you people stop by to see the waterfall. You can enjoy swimming here as well. Supposedly you are in Tirana, the capital of Albania, and you ask yourself What are the best hiking trails near me? My advice would be Zaranika Ramble which is a loop located outside of the city. The area is mostly comprised of small hills stretching across the coast. Why this trail? This trail offers some of the best views in this area. You will go through some of the ancient villages, and some of them will be abandoned. These places are picturesque, so you will get tons of great shots. On your way, you will see oil groves. Most of them are harvested around January by the locals. The total distance of the trail is around 9-10 kilometres. The elevation gain is not so big. Therefore, you will not be so tired.
What websites are best for hiking trails?
Technology has influenced every aspect of our daily life. Lately, we have seen launchings of hiking apps. They are useful in most ways. Some of them are excellent for finding the nearest hiking trails. What websites are best for hiking trails? Let’s have a look at some of them. Wikiloc is an excellent website for people who love to hike. It has an immense resource of hiking related information. You can find Albania hiking trails using this app and learn a great deal about them. It has a diverse range of uses. People can share their experience about a specific trial and rate it. You can find reviews about the trails you are interested in. Wikiloc has app versions for our phones that work for both android and ios platforms. It is free to use; however, it has a premium version that offers additional features like outdoor navigation, live tracking, etc. Alltrails.com is a website that many people use. You can explore hiking trails near you using this website. It contains information on more than 200 000 hiking trails. It gives you a description of the trail along with the reviews made by other travellers. You can use it offline and stay on track by downloading the app version. It has a pro version that offers exclusive features like offline tracking etc. Gaiagps.com, as it can be seen from the name, is a GPS platform. However, it has a nice resource for hiking and backpacking. Using this websites’ services, you will not lose track ever regardless of service cell. It allows you to use maps offline and provides some navigation tools. You can download trail maps before you embark on a journey. It has an app version that is available for both android and ios devices. You can use it free; however, the premium version offers a wider range of services such as NatGeo Trails Illustrated, custom maps, higher spatial resolution, etc. Thehikinglife.com is a bit different kind of platform compared to previously mentioned websites. It is best for people who like to learn detailed thoughts of experts in a specific field. You will find a ton of nicely written, entertaining blogs on hiking trails in different places. Furthermore, it has great guides showing you how to do important things regarding hiking. You can learn a great deal about hiking techniques, etc. If you are new to hiking, it is one of the best hiking websites that you can use to learn about planning. To wrap up things, we can assure you that Albania is one of the best countries for hiking. You will not realize how fast time in Albania passes while you are hiking. Its landscape and nature make it more entertaining to hike in the country. If you want to hike in Albania, then you better hurry up to apply for a visa (if you are not from a visa-exempt country). Remember Pickvisa is the best and easiest way to get your visa. Make sure that you check our services section to further learn about visas.
