8-day self-guided Albanian Alps

Just to say thank-you. From start to finish our “self giuded” adventure was perfectly organised by Zbulo. Everything worked as expected. The maps, the accomodation, the food , the pickups and the transfer all met or exceeded expectations in this stunning country

An absolutely outstanding experience. The Zbulo team were so good at communicating before, during and after our trip. They made everything so easy. The places we stayed, the food and the support during the hike were fantastic. The Zbulo team meant we had nothing to worry about during our time in the Albanian Alps meaning we could enjoy every breathtaking minute.

We had the most amazing trip with Zbulo. Their communication before, during and after the hike was brilliant as was the material they gave us to find our way. Great accommodation and transfers. Would highly recommend Zbulo if you want a stress free way to enjoy every breathtaking moment in the Albanian Alps.

Don’t hesitate to go with Zbulo! Being a regular mountain walker and fairly independent, this is the first time I’ve used an organization for arranging a holiday. I would do it again! With Zbulo. As a group of friends our self guided trip was just perfect – first class and responsive communication, great accommodation, safe drivers (the roads can be tricky) and food was fabulous. Great people, fascinating culture and history, beautiful and spectacular scenery … I could go on. It was a fabulous adventure, thanks to all at Zbulo.

I adjusted the kit list to the weather and nature of the trail etc. e.g no need for some things such as sheet liner as all the guest houses were very clean and not in the high mountains! All had air conditioning.

We met a lot of Australians who heard about Albania through TikTok and we met several other groups that booked through tour agencies in their country, but subcontracted to Zbulo. Hence I recommend you advertise yourself directly on TikTok. It’s pretty easy and cheap. Just contact 2 – 3 influencers that do travel type postings and offer them to do a trip for free in return for a post per hike day.

We had a great time hiking in the Albanian Alps. The mountains are just breathtaking and I warmly recommend this route. The accommodations were nice as well – especially Vera and Pashko were the best hosts! We were also very happy with Zbulo. They provided us with everything we needed and in case of questions they responded within a few minutes.

Zbulo proivded exceptional custoemr service, thorough guide materials and an iterinerary which took some through some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen. Over the past five year (from 2019 to 2024) the numbers of tourists in Albania has voer doubled and the accomodation wasn’t to the standard I had hoped. However, work is being done throughout the country to create the infrastructure for the increased tourism so I would highly recommend visiting, and definately recommend using Zbulo as your tour guides. We look forward to returning.

We booked our holiday through Zbulo and had a wonderful time in Albania in September. I was really impressed by the excellent customer service and timely responses of the Zbulo team. Thank you so much!!

Our itinerary was really good, we all enjoyed hiking in the beautiful Albanian Alps.

I highly recommend using Zbulo for your next holiday!

Thank you to Zbulo team for the lovely holiday!! 🙏

We had a wonderful adventure in the Albanian Alps with Zbulo’s expert arrangements for our self-guided adventure. We loved the lodgings – for example, in Schkoder at La Tradita where we had excellent meals, there was a charming courtyard for breakfast and relaxing, and the live music at one of our dinners was an extra treat! The ferry trip was a beautiful and great adventure (we had a beautiful day of weather for this) – loved the local stops to drop off local people and their packages or deliver items. Our lodging at Vila Dina in Valbone was comfortable with good hearty breakfasts and options for our picnic lunches. Enrique, our host, was gracious, welcoming, and very helpful in arranging travel to/from the excellent restaurant where we ate dinner (Hostel Rilindja). He was also flexible and gave us a generous deal when we had to spend an extra night at Vila Dina due to a huge storm that prevented our hike over the mountain pass to Theth. Zbulo provided a helpful Garmin with hiking maps which we were also able to then download onto our phones which made our hikes easily navigable. We also loved our stay at Xheni (?) in Nderlysaj – our host there was very welcoming and helpful, and immediately made calls and arranged for our luggage to be delivered from Theth when it was not at the lodging when we arrived. Had a great dinner and breakfast there as well!

We greatly appreciated the transport Zbulo arranged for our day’s travel from Nderlysaj, up over the mountains (beautiful drive!), through Albania, and then Montenegro, to Croatia and our destination of the Old Walled City of Dubrovnik. Our driver, Tim’i (?) was excellent – safe and skillful on treacherous mountain roads. He took us to a wonderful restaurant for lunch in Podgorica. I am most grateful for his returning with my laptop (an extra hour and a half drive for him in the dark, after a very long day) which I had mistakenly left in the vehicle after we were dropped off. My mistake, but he was incredibly kind to again navigate the borders and so greatly delay his return, in order to get it back to me! All in all, I am happy to recommend Zbulo to others who are traveling in Albania!

I was impressed with all the helpful info on Zbulo’s website and which they provided us to ensure we were well prepared for our Albanian adventure, and could learn about the country and its people. Thank you!

Thank you! Albania was a beautiful country with kind people and I enjoyed my time there, particularly with Zbulo’s information and arrangements which made it all very well-organized and arranged!

I’ve been on many tours, and admittedly I don’t often post reviews, but in the case of Zbulo I will make an exception. The 8 day Self Guided Tour in Albania organized by Zbulo was perhaps the best organized tour I have ever been on. I say that because: -The information they provided in advance was clear, detailed, and they quickly and thoroughly responded to any questions. -Logistically, everything was perfect. The drivers, the hotels, the equipment, the information, etc was all provided exactly as promised, without any problems. -The tour itself was great. The hikes were a mix of difficulty levels, the lodgings exceeded expectations, and despite our initial hesitation at a “self guided” format, they made the experience easy. In short, I’d highly recommend this tour and Zbulo – I just wish they operated in other countries as we’d be happy to go through them again!

We found Zbulo through our websearch, and have been very satisfied from our first contact to tailor our trip with start &stop in Skhoder.

Zbulo has been amazing in flexibility and service.

Despite our only meeting with Zbulo where through a late videomeeting on the hotel in Skhoder due to our late arrival, we have felt a good follow up and that you have available at all times.

We really reccomend choosing Zbulo !!!

The hikes were beautiful and well organized. The trip was well suited for our family (mom, dad and our kids, 12&14)
The accomodations is varried. Some are fantastic and some are very basic. But everywhere the staff is nice and helpfull
We would love to have Zbulo organize another trip for us

It was interesting to note once we were dropped off at the airport- 5 minutes later we were notified that our lost luggage had been found after 5 days and in it was in your possession- coincidental? maybe but certainly glad we got our bags back before we left Albania. On a whole a very nice attentive staff.
The last place we stayed at Thete was not as nice as the others. No toilet seat in the bathroom which floods every time you take a shower. They played soccer on the outdoor TV till 11:30 PM making it impossible to sleep in addition to having camp fires right in front of the open windows where we slept. Close the very small windows and there is no air in the room.
However everyone was very nice which makes it easier to overlook the other problems. But the bathroom problems was a real annoyance.

Zbulo gave us an exceptional experience in the Albanian Alps. A great self guided walking itinerary (tho the trails a little busy at times) in an extraordinary and majestic landscape. Walking with the freedom of a small daypack was a real pleasure. The accommodation, food and transport Zbulo organised for us was excellent. I highly recommend Zbulo’s professionalism and attention to detail.

The trip to and from Shkoder was a highlight thanks to Zamir our driver. Loads of interesting info on Albania history, culture and modern politics. An excellent guide.

Please only use my first name when you put this on your website.

We were a group of 6, all over 65, and we thoroughly enjoyed the self-guided Albanian Alps trip. Everything was perfect: the detailed website, the responses to our questions before arrival, the self-guided material we received, the transfers, the accommodations, and the hikes themselves. I would advise leaving early in the morning to see the Blue Eye to beat the crowds. Also, it’s worth adding a day at the beginning to visit Shkodra and a day at the end to visit Tirana if your flights do not permit a full day at each of these cities.

I have already recommended Zbulo to other friends and plan to return for another hike in the future.

We went on Zbulo’s self guided 8-day walking tour of the Albanian Alps and couldn’t have been more pleased with the experience. A well thought through (and flexible) itinerary gave us access to the most amazing views. It was lovely to be able to walk at our own pace rather than as part of a larger group. Food, accommodation and transport were all excellent. Highly recommended.

We had an amazing trip! The mountains are so beautiful and the trails are easy to self navigate. I wish we’d had more time. Zbulo were brilliant – friendly, well organised and super helpful – even beyond the alps trip finishing they help us with our next leg of travel in Albania. Many thanks!

We did the 8days Albanian Alps self-guided tour with Zbulo. It was an amazing experience. They give you all what you need in order to have a pleasant trip. Everything was very well organized and the support during our trip was excellent.
I highly recommend Zbulo!

We did the 8days Albanian Alps self-guided tour with Zbulo. It was an amazing experience. They give you all what you need in order to have a pleasant trip. Everything was very well organized and the support during our trip was excellent.
I highly recommend Zbulo!

We thoroughly enjoyed our 8-day Self-Guided tour of northern Albania. All went smoothly from the hand-over documents and gadgets to transfers between locations and airport transfer. The hikes are doable and the accommodations are comfortable with delicious meals provided. A well rounded experience. We highly recommend Zbulo.

It was all in all perfectly organized, the weather was perfect (there was rain/thunderstorms only after I had returned from hikes) and the scenery on the hikes was amazing. Also the meals were very good and the guesthouses were charming with very helpful hosts.

Maybe the best part was the Valbona-Theth crossing which had the best views in my opinion.

The best way to experience the Albanian Alps — self-guided but with all accommodations and logistics taken care for you.

The people, the hospitality, so lovely to meet all the people there, habitants as well as guests. Such a friendly, open, interested society!

Give tips, look besides the routes, take some time to relax at nice places, go in September or Mai 😉

I’m so glad that we booked this trip! The planning and care that Zbulo puts into the details to be sure you have a great experience is top notch!! Bernard was an excellent host who greeted ua with a big smile at the airport and he spent a lot of time with us to be sure we felt safe and “emotionally prepared” for our hike!

For nature: maja e rosit, Peja Pass. Taking baths in the river beds.

For people: coffee with two locals in their garden at Teth;

Learning about communism from Zbulo driver and the hosts;

Walk off the beaten path in Tirana to experience the real street markets.

Get to know the locals, drink Turkish coffee, ask a lot. Eat typical street food. Enjoy the quiet nature 🙂

We just got home from our self guided Albanian hike in the Accursed Mountains. We have used many companies for trips around the world, and Zbulo is one of the best we have ever used. Our main contact, Zmir, was always pleasant and had all aspects of this trip covered–from making sure all went well with accommodations, transfers, route notes, and even making sure to take us to get our Covid test that is required to reenter the U.S. They are a great company to work with! We just wish they had more trips outside of Albania!

We did a self guided hiking trip organised by Zbulo, and really enjoyed it! The organisation was perfect, they are very responsive and arranging 🙂

It was great to have a GPS to help for the hike, and to stay with local hosts. The possibility of having a luggage transfer is also top! Their tips for the way are really useful, and it’s nice to have some background on the local history and customs.
we would totally recommend booking a trip with them!

Thanks for everything! 🙂

I booked a self-guided hiking trip through the Albanian Alps with a third party company but ended up only really communicating with Zbulo who were the ones that had all the knowledge anyway. They were approachable at all times and always available to help as I had a couple of minor things that I needed assistance with. Their drivers were also really nice, talked about their country and answered all my questions and went out of their way to help me get a PCR Test done prior to my departure at the end. Thanks for a memorable trip!

Dieses Jahr wollten wir in den albanischen Alpen wandern. Dieses Erlebnis wurde perfekt von Zbulo organisiert. Wir wanderten allein, was wir so lieben und wurden in privat geführten Gasthäusern oder Quartieren empfangen. Mit Jeeps wurden wir in die Einstiege gefahren. Unser Gepäck wurde transportiert. Über den Valbona Pass begleitete uns ein Pferdehirt, natürlich mit Pferd. Der Pass war noch verschneit – die Männer haben uns mit der Schaufel den Weg geebnet. Wir haben sehr sehr nette Menschen kennengelernt.

Our self guided hiking trip organised by Zbulo was perfectly organised, they are very responsive and arranging 🙂 It was great to have a GPS to help for the hike, and to have the luggage transfer possibility. We also really enjoyed staying with local hosts. Zbulo gives many tips for the way, as well as some background on the local history and customs. We would totally recommend booking a trip with them!

We could not have been happier with our 8-day trip to the Albanian Alps organized by Zbulo. The selection of hotels & guesthouses was great with amazingly friendly hosts – needless to say that food was also great and very diverse at all times. In addition, the logistics / transfers of the trip were very well organised and drivers were already waiting at our pick-up points when we arrived. Most importantly, we were able to tailor the trip slightly according to our ideas that came up during the trip and always had a helping hand from the agency (thank you Dori!). After all, we really enjoyed our week in Albania and hope to be back soon!

I didn’t actually book a tour with Zbulo Adventures, but used their website and the trek descriptions as a reference for a hiking trip with my brother.
Eventhough we didn’t book anything Ricardo answered all of my questions very quickly and detailed.
We had some problems on our trip and he gave us alternatives to continue and overall great advice.
If a person is that caring and helpful to hikers in general, he must be great with his customers.
Overall great interaction, so if you are looking for guided trips in the Balkan area, Zbulo is definitely a good pick!

We normally don’t use tour operators when we hike (which we do frequently and all over the world). However, because of the remoteness of the mountains and the lack of day hikes (as opposed to through hikes), we decided to use Zbulo, based upon Tripadvisor ratings. We are very glad we did. The pre-tour service was excellent. All emails were promptly answered and requests were all accommodated. More importantly, the logistics were perfect. The transfer drivers all showed up on time. The guest houses were wonderful. The food was great and plentiful. The maps and GPS unit which they provided me worked well. The hikes were fun and the overall value was excellent. I would recommend Zbulo to anyone looking for a effortless way to enjoy the Accursed Mountains.

Sure, you could probably arrange everything youself: accomodation, meals, transportation. However, Zbulo made this extremely easy for us. The guest houses were good and hosts very welcoming, meals were very good and transport was well arranged. In addition Zbulo provides a web page where you can easily find lots of useful information. Highly recommended!

We had a great time in the albanian alps. We asked zbulo to recommend and organise a tour suitable for a family with a 2-year old child. They did, and they did so superbly.
Everything was perfectly organised, everyone was friendly and all our special requests were met!
We loves it and would strongly recommend zbulo as a tour organiser

Um das Valbona- und Theth-Tal in den albanischen Bergen kennen zu lernen und selbständig zu erwandern, buchten wir (59, 62) bei ZBULO einen 6-taegigen self-guided Alps Explorer trip. Dazu stellte uns ZBULO einen günstigen Wanderplan zusammen, buchte die Übernachtungen, arrangierte den Gepäcktransport und stattete uns mit den nötigen Informationen sowie mit einem GPS-Gerät aus. Alles lief reibungslos ab. Ein großes Lob an das ZBULO-Team.

My partner and I did Zbulo’s self-guided ‘Alps Explorer’ in the Albanian Alps in July 2019. The walking and scenery was great, and the trip itself was very well-organised and stress-free – transfers, food and accommodation. The instructions and GPS were great, and the overall experience was very positive. As regular walkers we found the itinerary not overly challenging (and about right to allow a relaxding break) except for the heat. We extended one of the walks to take in the peak of Maja e Rosit, which was a great experience. Having an extra night in Shkodra at the beginning is recommended given the early start on the first day. We also had an extra night in Tirana at the end to allow time to explore the city. Overall this trip is highly recommended and I would like to return to explore another part of Albania in future – I would not hesitate to use Zbulo again.

Die Organisation der Tour war von Anfang bis Ende perfekt, individuell, persönlich, flexibel und super pünktlich.
Die Touren waren gut ausgesucht und super beschrieben.
Die Unterkünfte waren sehr sauber und modern, fast immer auch sehr persönlich geführt und wir fühlten uns als Gast sehr willkommen.
Das Essen war bodenständig und gut, einmal etwas knapp, oft nur lauwarm, in einigen Unterkünften hervorragend.
Einziger Wermutstropfen sind einige nicht zu übersehende Müllberge sogar mitten auf dem traumhaften Koman-Stausee.
Wir danken dem ZBULO-Team für diese tolle Reise und empfehlen euch zu 100% weiter.
Wenn ich nicht Ärger mit verlorenem/verspätetem Gepäck auf dem Rückflug mit Austrian hätte, würde ich noch ausführlicher schwärmen.

Zbulo helped us plan our 8 day trekking trip in the Accursed Mountains of Albania. Their response time was exceptionally quick and took all of our questions and concerns about a self-guided experience very seriously. They provided us with detailed hiking guides and instructions, arranged terrific accommodation and provided wonderful staff to work with us once we landed in Tirana. I intend to use them again next year when I plan on hiking the Peaks of the Balkans.

Zbulo is awesome! We are experienced travelers but the idea of visiting the Albanian Alps felt very foreign and remote. This was very exciting but also a bit nerve-racking. Zbulo took care of everything. Our self-guided trek was seamless and the experience of a lifetime. The unspoiled nature, breathtaking views and warmth of the Albanian people captured our hearts. Zbulo provided an incredible service in setting up the details of the trip so we could just relax and soak it all up. We will definitely be sending friends and hope to return soon to this special place.

Zbulo was easy to reach when needed, punctual and provided all of the necessary information for a successful trek. I highly recommend using them if you’re planning an adventure in Albania.

We went for an 8-day hike in the Valbona and Thethi vallies perfectly organized by Zbulo. Pick up and transports were on time, accomodation exceeded our expectations, and Ricardo was very attentive and reponsive to all questions and requests before and during the trip. All guesthouses we stayed at were nice and clean and with the nicest hosts! The guidelines for the hike were mostly accurate and easy to follow and the GPS which included the route was especially helpful. Would highly recommend traveling Albania to anyone, and ever more so, to plan the trip with Zbulo!

I travelled with my family including two teenagers to Albania and used Zbulo to organse a 4 day trip into the Albanian Alps, driving in to Theth, and then doing a variety of hikes, ad walking to Nderlysa. The planning and organisation was very efficient and Ricardo responded quickly to our requests for alterations to the itinerary, and also made some excellent suggestions. The trip itself ran very smoothly, and we loved the area. Zbulo’s choice of accommodation was excellent, and we especially appreciated the opportunity to stay with a local family in Nderlysa. Overall, this was the highlight of the trip. Thanks, Zbulo, for introducing us to such an amazing region.