3-Day Hiking Tour: Valbona to Theth & Blue Eye from Tirana

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/45

Duration3d

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Walk a centuries-old mountain path between two remote villages

A 3-day hiking tour from Tirana through the Valbona Valley and up to Theth, with a professional English-speaking guide, ferry crossing Lake Koman, and two nights in traditional guesthouses with shared rooms. The centerpiece is an 18-km trek on the historic trade route locals used for generations, passing through villages of stone houses and ending with a visit to the Blue Eye, a natural pool fed by mountain water. Pickup from Tirana is included; hiking poles are available to rent.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Tirana to Valbona via Koman Lake

Leave Tirana at 5:00 am
Drive to Koman Lake
Boat across Koman Lake at 9:00 am
Drive from Fierza to Valbona
Lunch break in Valbona
Hike in Kukaj area

Day 2 — Hike from Valbona to Theth

Start hike from Valbona to Theth
Pass old village with stone houses
Stop for lunch at traditional café
Arrive in Theth after 7-8 hours
Dinner and overnight at guesthouse

Day 3 — Theth to Tirana via Blue Eye and Shkoder

Breakfast at guesthouse
Walk to Gurnas Waterfall
Visit Blue Eye natural pool
Picnic lunch at Blue Eye
Drive to Shkoder
Free time in Shkoder
Return to Tirana

The Experience

You leave Tirana at 5 am on day one and drive toward Koman Lake, where a ferry carries you across the water to Fierza — the only modern link for people living in the surrounding mountains. From there, a 45-minute drive through Bajram Curri brings you to Valbona, where you'll have lunch and a short hike around Kukaj to see how the valley's remote communities live. That night you stay in a traditional guesthouse, shared or private room.

Day two is the main event: an 18-km trek from Valbona to Theth on the same path traders and locals walked for centuries. The hike takes about 7 to 8 hours, moving through the oldest part of the valley where stone houses more than a century old still stand. You pass long rocky valleys and green forests, stopping for lunch at a traditional café along the way — bring extra snacks. By evening you reach Theth, a village known for its Lock-In Tower and the way it sits untouched by modern roads. Dinner and overnight at another guesthouse.

On the final day, a 45-minute walk from the village takes you to Gurnas Waterfall, then another stretch brings you to the Blue Eye itself — a natural pool 10 km from Theth's center, fed by mountain water so cold it stays at 5°C year-round. You'll have a picnic lunch there before returning to the guesthouse in the afternoon. The drive back to Tirana takes about 3 hours, passing through Shkoder, the largest city in Albania's north, where you'll have free time before the evening return to your starting point.

What’s included

Professional English-speaking guide for the full 3 days.
two nights in traditional family guesthouses with shared rooms, WiFi, towels and bed linens.
all transportation between Tirana, Koman Lake, Valbona, Theth and Shkoder.
ferry tickets across Lake Koman.
lunch on days one and two, and a picnic lunch at the Blue Eye on day three.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Go as Local

Is this one for you?This tour works best for small groups of hikers with moderate fitness who want to walk an actual trade route rather than a marked trail, and who are comfortable staying in family guesthouses without modern amenities. The 3-day length gives you time to acclimatize on day one and tackle the long trek on day two without rushing; if you have only 2 days or need a less strenuous pace, a different itinerary would suit you better.