Theth National Park Albania

August 30, 2023

Theth Church set against rugged mountains at golden hour

Everybody is talking about Albania lately and I can see why. We spent 8 days there this summer, 3 of those in Theth National Park. It is truly one of my recommended places to visit. It’s got it all, mountains, beaches, nightlife…

Capital City	Tirana
Language	Shqiperia
Time zone	Central European Time (CET; UTC+01:00).
On the map	The Balkans SE Europe
Currency	Albanian Lek (Cash is king)

Just take me to the photos already….

As I dipped my tired toes in the ice-cold meltwater, flowing from the Albanian Alps in Theth National Park, I realized I would struggle to describe this place. My journals seem empty of the right descriptions, my photos don’t do the scale of anything justice. Even now I am finding it difficult to find the words to begin. So blown away was I by my surroundings that I smiled constantly for the 2 and half days I was in Theth, Albania.

I’ve admitted already that I knew next to nothing about Albania when we decided to visit. We were in Pescara Italy for a family wedding and it was a cheap flight to Tirana, cheaper than going straight home, so we said “why not?” Why not indeed. It was the best impulse decision.

Getting To Theth National Park

The European heatwave of July 2023 was intense. So much so that we headed up into the mountains for respite. The jagged Accursed mountains capped in the last of the winter snow greeted us as they towered over the valley on all sides. It was still hot but much less so than the cities below and the air was clean and crisp.

We booked our 3-day trip in Shkoder. The package included transfers via minivan, lodging, and 2 daily meals. Fresh meltwater flows down from the mountain peaks and is safe to drink so all we spent money on were coffees and lunch/trail snacks (and beers!).

Theth village is small, handfuls of houses/guesthouses threaded along the river cater to tourists. The 3 hour journey up the huge mountains is not for the faint-hearted. Hairpin bends on narrow roads. Fun when there’s oncoming trucks… Thankfully, our minivan driver was careful and skilled. If you’ve read my post from Luang Prabang you’ll know that I am quite faint-hearted as a minivan passenger on mountain roads.

Our Itinerary

Day 1 hiking: Theth Village > Grunas Viewpoint > Theth Village

Day 2 hiking: Theth Village > Nderlysaj > The Blue Eye > Grunas Waterfall > Theth Village

We had 1.75 days for hiking in Theth so chose day 1, a half day, for a short but steep hike up to Grunas Viewpoint. This takes less than an hour and, as dinner was to be served a couple of hours after we set out, I didn’t bother to bring any snacks. About 15 minutes in my stomach started to rumble and the hanger began to creep in. Listen, I was grand, I wasn’t going to starve but, I had to keep reminding myself that Bob (my boyfriend) was not an a**hole. I was not irritated by him. I was hungry. And repeat.

All was calm once we hit the peak and beheld the scenery. The views were spectacular. Absolute joy washed over me as I sat on a rock and looked out over the river valley below. The limestone mountains stood like spears heads in the sky while the lower more rounded peaks burst with green life at their feet.

With my hunger dissipated temporarily, I all but skipped down the mountain back to Dreni Guesthouse for dinner. As we descended, the sun cast a golden light on the stone buildings, making them even more picturesque.

Day 2

Day 2 was more taxing than day 1. We decided to do the full hike to the Blue Eye which we were told would take between 5-7 hours, about 16km. You can get a bus or a taxi to Nderlysaj and then hike the last 40 minutes to the Blue Eye. Lots of people hike one way and taxi back. We were in Theth for the hikes so set out after breakfast while the weather was still on the cooler side.

It took us about 90 minutes to get to Nderlysaj and found a few restaurants that had affordable food and drinks. They also had a tap where you could fill reusable bottles with free water. Plenty of people stop here for a dip in the ice-cold water before continuing on to the Blue Eye.

The Blue Eye is exactly like the pictures on the internet. I assumed they were all edited. But when we reached the well filled with snow-melt water, I was so excited I almost yelped. The water is blue/green, clear and a gut wrenching 10 degrees Celsius. We got there early(ish) (a bit before 11 a.m.) so it wasn’t crowded yet. I took a little time to psyche myself up for jumping into the deep cold water but I gracefully held my nose and propelled myself forward like a rock into the icy water. My body got such a shock that I couldn’t even curse. After wading the mere feet to the edge and dragging myself out onto the rock I started to feel good, really f*ing good. The sun warmed me up in no time and I was ready for another dunk!

With 3 plunges under our belts and feeling years younger we headed back to Nderlysaj for some lunch. Grilled veggies, chips (fries), and bread tied us over nicely.

We swung by Grunas waterfall on the way back to Theth. It was only about 20-30 minutes from the village and freed up time the next morning to visit Theth church. Most of the trails we followed were uneven but not too taxing. It was a small climb to Grunas but completely manageable even after the previous 16km. When we arrived, a mini rainbow greeted us at the waterfall, which was a treat.

All in all my step counter clocked 21.5km and while my legs were heavy I wasn’t ready to keel over. Which was good because the party kicked off that night in the guesthouse where a group of hikers passing through on a 5-day trek were up on tables doing the Macarena. As you do.

Day 3

On the third day, before our 11 a.m. bus back to Shkoder we headed to Theth Church. It was fabulous to shoot it in the early morning sunlight against the mountainous backdrop.

It was an incredible trip to Theth and very reasonable money-wise. For 2 people in a twin room, it costs €200 for 2 nights. This includes 2 meals each day and transfers to and from Shkoder. We could have done it cheaper, but we booked through the Wanderers hostel for convenience. Accommodation was hard to find online, and we weren’t sure about just showing up and finding a room because it was high season. There are also no ATMs in Theth so it was great to have so much prepaid and not have to worry about cash.