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We went on an 8-day Peaks of the Balkans trek starting and finishing in Shkoder. Transfers to Tirana airport/city were included. We also had 2 extra nights in a lovely quiet comfortable hotel (Vila 60) in the centre of Tirana, also arranged by Zbulo.
The guides, Mendy and Tesi, looked after us superbly – nothing was too much trouble for them, even when diarrhoea and/or vomiting struck almost everyone at one time or another. Mendy is a mine of information on Albanian history and culture.
The walks were of varying length and severity each day and took us into some wonderful and spectacular scenery – crossing into Montenegro and (briefly) Kosovo too. We stayed either in guest houses or various grades of ‘shepherd’s huts’ – more like camping pods. The only poor accommodation was in Doberdol where the toilets and showers were dubious at best.
The food was plentiful – in fact usually too much was provided. Sometimes the ubiquitous cucumber, tomato and roasted peppers felt a little repetitive, but there were always nutritious and interesting options.
All in all a fascinating introduction to Albania life – perhaps in danger of swamped by tourism.