What People Say
Ich kann diese Urlaubsregion nur wärmstens empfehlen und würde auch selber jederzeit wieder dorthin reisen.
Christine Krämer
Produkt Manager
Europa- und Fernziele
DAV Summit Club
"This spectacular new trail is Europe’s best-kept trekking secret. Go and enjoy it before everyone else does!"
By John Pilknington - for Peaks of the Balkans trail
He has given talks to over 1,000 audiences in five countries, and holds the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)’s Ness Award for popularising geography and the wider understanding of the world.
“I really didn't know what to expect on our hiking trip through Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo last fall but now I know what I'll never forget: Hiking into Thethi, a tiny alpine village in northern Albania. It'd taken us a bit longer than we'd planned to cross over the mountains but it was well worth the effort. Upon arriving in the village, I had the feeling that Thethi was one of those mountain communities doomed to die out as the youth move away from their traditions to find opportunity 2.0. So what a relief to see all the new guesthouses popping up and a new (hopefully sustainable) economy evolving in such a gorgeous setting.
We walked into one guesthouse at night and soon found ourselves around a heavy wood table eating mountain cheese, drinking homemade hooch and chatting with the owner who spoke great English. He told us how he had decided to come back from working in Italy to his childhood home in Thethi, where he'd converted the stone building into this gorgeous guesthouse. It was such a cool experience that I decided to come back to the region in the winter, just to see the area covered in snow and to explore it on skis. Wonderful. I know I'll be back again. I already have my ticket.”
Tim Neville
Outside correspondent Tim Neville writes frequently for the magazine and other large publications like The New York Times. You can follow him on Twitter @Tim_Neville
“Great trail – well marked, with very welcome “klupis” (a sort of informal, family-run drinks station, which were no more than a shady platform) at strategic points along the way – at least one on every day’s hike – where cool (-ish!) drinks could be bought and tired feet rested under thatched “umbrella” shades. The homestays were comfortable, the food fresh, local, home-cooked and plentiful, as was the rakija… just the job at the end of each day for a tired body and a hungry soul to kick back in great company. Somehow, even though we couldn’t speak the language, our hosts seemed to be right on top of arrangements and made us feel as if we were part of the family. The highlights for me were: the home-cooked food; the characterful homestay houses/farmhouses; the friendly hospitable local people; the stunning wild scenery; and the crazy company at the end of each day’s hike – a real taste and privileged insight into rural Albania…It is all very local, natural, “of the place” in a way that is fast disappearing throughout Europe today.
It genuinely felt as if the trekkers that pass through some of these remote villages are helping villagers to sustain a way of life that they want to hang on to, while still keeping in touch with the technological world of the 21st century. Remote rural areas often find it hard to keep communities alive. Tourism, not factories, is often the answer. It certainly felt as if this trail was a lifeline for these communities.”
Tom Buncle
Managing Director
Yellow Railroad Ltd.
www.yellowrailroad.com
"Unsere Trekkingreise von Montenegro nach Albanien wurde gleich im ersten Jahr hervorragend angenommen, die Rückmeldungen der Kunden waren durchwegs extrem positiv. Besonders begeistert waren unsere Gäste von der außergewöhnlichen, länderübergreifenden Route, der ursprünglichen, abgeschiedenen Landschaft in der Bergwelt Nordalbaniens, von der Gastfreundschaft in den Unterkünften und dem leckeren Essen in
den Restaurants. Auch unser Reiseleiter Egmont, der wahrlich schon viel gesehen hat von der Welt, war begeistert - und kommt in diesem Jahr wieder!"
Stephanie Jörg
Europa-Team
Hauser Exkursionen
www.hauser-exkursionen.de
“One of the few last wild areas of Europe, where the man meets the wolf, where the pristine dawn surprise you above the mist, while you are admiring the marvellous peaks emerging from a sea of clouds. These are just the first impressions that come in my mind when I think about the mountains and valleys between Kosovo, Montenegro and Albania.”
Luca Lietti
Association Trentino with the Balkans
“It was a real surprise to discover such astonishing places, valleys of exceptional beauty and great natural landscape, and in meantime to meet people still lives in an authentic way in perfect harmony with the mountain; which has made this experience unexpected and raise great interest, and certainly also advisable to high demanding hikers.”
Tarcisio Deflorian
Paths Commission SAT – CAI (Trentino Alpine Society – Italian Alpine Club)
“There is a place in the world where free the mind from everyday worries and find yourself walking into your intimate human being side by side with wild nature, discretely observing marvellous alpine landscapes and meeting simple and warm people?
Yes, this place exists. In the mountains between Kosovo, Albania and Montenegro.”
Rita De Gasperi
Vice President SAT – CAI (Trentino Alpine Society – Italian Alpine Club)
Als Begleitung einer Pressereise im Juni 2014, die wir für Journalisten organisiert haben, durfte ich einen Teil des Peaks of the Balkans Trail kennenlernen.
Ich war tief beeindruckt von der Schönheit und Ursprünglichkeit dieser rauhen, unberührten Berglandschaft. In der ganzen Woche haben wir nur drei Wanderer getroffen! Einsame Pfade führen hinauf zu spektaluräen Gipfeln, Wiesen voller tiefblauer Enziane und wunderschöne kristallklare Bergseen wechseln sich ab.
Ich war auch sehr berührt von der Gastfreundschaft der Menschen. Mit einfachsten Mitteln und regionalen Produkten bereiten Sie schmackhafte Gerichte zu und in ihren teilweise einfachen Unterkünften haben wir uns sehr wohl und Willkommen gefühlt.
