MIRDITA - Hiking highlights in Mirdita / 9 DAYS TOUR

If you want to conquer the landscape of an unknown country, a region, you have to set off on foot.

To understand the soul of a country you have to immerse yourself in its culture, be close to the people and explore the simple in hidden regions.

Anyone who wants to regain their down-to-earthiness in these fast-moving times and do their soul good will take advantage of this offer.

Desired silence and breathtaking nature, rich biodiversity, spectacular views and warm encounters, thousand-year-old historical sites, fascinating rock formations and cave experiences are the mix of the unforgettable hiking week.

Marianne Graf

You can be sure that only a few tourists have left their mark on lonely mountain trails apart from shepherds and hunters. The network has not yet released comprehensive information about the routes.

This trip is for you if:

• You love hiking in untouched nature.

• You love traditional dishes.

• You live in traditional guest rooms.

• You want to get in touch with the locals.

• You appreciate high biodiversity.

• You love the unspoilt life in the countryside.

• You want to immerse yourself in old times.

• You love the special and the surprising.

• Minimum age of participants: 14 years

• Requirement: Enduring, sure-footed, demanding mountain hiking (no climbing)

• Participants: 10 to 22

Including

• 8 nights’ accommodation in double rooms

• All meals

• Entries

• Transport by bus and 4x4 cars

• English speaking guide

• Local guides

Exclusively

• International flight

• Drinks, tips, purchase of Mirdita produce and expenses of a personal nature

Program:

Day 1

Tirana - Departure 8:00

Morning departure from Tirana and drive to Rubik. In order to find out the essentials for the hiking days and to be able to classify correctly, what is to come, we visit the INFOKULLA Mirdita with the tourist information point and the Museum of the North.

Here we get information about mythology, history of the region, peasant life, peculiarities of the Mirdita ethnoregion and see valuable ethnological-historical exhibits. We visit the church on the steep rock, whose apse with the frescoes from 1272, as the only religious sign in Mirdita survived the “cultural revolution” in the dictatorship. We see the stone of creation with the shell of life and look at the fan valley, which only gains in width here. After a snack in the culture house, we drive along the washed-out streambed into the romantic valley of Katund i Vjeter and check in at the idyllically situated eco-hotel Marub. After a short breather, we slip into our hiking boots and climb up to the Marianne Graf Point and the Pictogram. A fantastic view of the Fan Valley and a delicious dinner in the Eco hotel Marub round off the first day.

Walking time: 3 hours

Day 2

Departure 7:30

We set off into Fan Valley and drive to Shengjin. Now the hike begins, which takes us along an ancient path to an altitude of 950 m. Here the rock slab with the enigmatic pictogram from prehistoric times was found, which is now in the National Museum in Tirana. Passing small farmhouses, we climb through sparse forests with black pines and firs to the cave of Batos. Karst formations and many pastures make the area special. What a high diversity of plants and insects can be found here! It is one of the great moments to eat lunch here on a summer pasture in front of a hut in the presence of a shepherd. With views of a mighty mountain scenery, we climb lower again and drive back to Marub.

Walking time: 6 hours

Day 3

Departure 8:30

Before breakfast, it is worth visiting the morning power station at the creek in front of the Marub with all the sounds of nature and only then enjoying breakfast. Today the hidden Valley of Vele is on the agenda.

We get special impressions of the tedious farm work and notice visible signs of emigration due to unemployment. On the new forest road, there are many hairpin bends, always daring up to a special spot. When the trees give way to the bushes, the Mountain Station is in front of us. We have to reckon with an ascent of two hours to get to the top of the Vele Mountains and to be greeted by the pilgrimage destination Zoja e Veles, the Mother of God of Vele. The views we are offered are fantastic, from the lowlands around Lezha to the Adriatic Sea. On the way back we stop at Place of Heart and immortalize ourselves in spectacular photos. With a hearty Highland snack, we get our used strength back and enjoy the fragrant air and the peace until the cars take us back to Marub.

Walking time: 4 hours

Day 4

Departure 8:00

A special day lies ahead of us. In the morning, we let ourselves be taken to the most notorious place in Albania on a gravel road with many curves. It is the Spaç mine, at once an oppressive former penal camp and mining prison, reminiscent of the terror of the Hoxha era. After a depressing tour, we drive on a narrow mountain road up to 950 m to Gurth Spaç. A completely different world opens up to us. The Natura Magica Spaç Guesthouse welcomes us in a magnificent setting. The afternoon is used for a first-class discovery hike. Bell tower, lynx watchtower, medieval sheep pen, water mill and above all the place of power with the chapel built over a spring are counterpoints deliberately built by Marianne Graf to the madness of the mining prison on the lower slope. Dinner and overnight stay in the special atmosphere of the eco hotel.

Day 5

Today’s destination is the last refuge of the Balkan lynx, the mountain range of the Munella. Through beech forests, past simple alpine huts, over magnificent high pastures and rock formations that inspire respect, we reach the summit of the Munella (1991 m) with a magnificent view. Exploring the strongly structured landscape with its enormous biodiversity is a matter of course, as is a snack with the shepherds. Overnight at the “Natura Magica Spaç.”

Walking time: 7-8 hours

Day 6

Departure 7:30

Today it goes into the mountains on the southern border of Mirdita to Urake. From Bruç you have to visit the caves of Shpella e Blazit, e Keputes, e Nezirit and e Valit on a little-used path. The caves, which were already a settlement area in the Neolithic Age, are not only highlights for every speleologist and archaeologist, but also inspire every nature lover. We take our time to admire and enjoy the natural wonders of a special class. Afterwards it goes to the height of Lufaj. The Guesthouse “Tranga Adventura”, a traditional family fortified house, a so-called Kulla, knows how to score with the charm of bygone times and the warmth of the residents. Dinner and overnight stay promise to be unique.

Walking time: 3-4 hours

Day 7

A day in a world believed lost, on the spectacular, unknown Lufaj plateau lies ahead of us. A canyon adventure, hiking through thousand-year-old high pastures, visiting small farmsteads, always accompanied by local guides await us.

It`s also the guides who proudly take us to the high-pressure water tank, because after 3000 years of settlement history, Lufaj got drinking water for the first time in 2022 from a complex pumping system from a depth of 260 meters. After a delicious traditional lunch, we visit the magical realm of stalagmites and stalactites where the cave dragon resides. In the late afternoon, we hike to a unique magical place. The Square of Peace with the inspiring Maria Anna Chapel is a miniature paradise and there is a special magic in the landscape when the silver ribbon of the Mat River greets you from the depths while the sun disappears behind the mountains.

Day 8

After breakfast in the morning, we set out on an impressive climb.

We climb from Lufaj e Poshtme on the edge of the Trangë high plateau to Lufaj e Sipërme over soft grass mats, past old partly collapsing stone houses. Fairytale karst formations line our way. Arriving on the mountain of Trangë, a very special natural site presented to us. If the visibility permits, you can see all of Albania’s mountains from here in a 360° panoramic view. We stand there and marvel, returning to the special guesthouse with the overwhelming impressions.

Day 9

Departure 9:00

It is time to say goodbye to this highland that is unique in Albania and far beyond. The desire to stay in this place with its magic is great. But Rubik with his agro center calls and invites you to buy handicrafts or agro products made in the regions we visited. After a lunchtime snack, we return to Tirana and an extraordinary journey ends!