6-DAY, 5-NIGHT TRIP (all inclusive)

Highlights:

  • Experience the wonders of the Malësi, or highlands, of Kosovo and neighboring Albania
  • 110 km of road biking
  • Tour Kosovo’s great sites: Decan Monastery, Drini and Mirusha Waterfalls, Roman ruins, Gjakova bazaar, Sufi tekke, and memorial to the victims of the 1999 war
  • Learn to make local cuisine in traditional Albanian kulla       
  • Dinner and overnight in mountain resort in Valbona Valley followed by “one of the world’s great boat trips” across Komani Lake

Price:

Group of 4,      868 Euro/ Person

Group of 8,      720 Euro/ Person

Group of 12,    599 Euro/ Person

Group of 16+,  548 Euro/ Person

ATTIRE Comfortable sportswear with wind and rain protection.
INCLUDED
Expert guides
Meals
Accommodation
Ferry ticket

 

DAY 1

Bus transfer from Pristina to Peja (approximately 1.5 hours) to check in to Hotel. This is mostly a free day, though city tours can be arranged in either Pristina or Peja as requested in advance for an additional fee

DAY 2

Today will be a celebration of some of Kosovo’s most beautiful waterfalls. We will start at the source of the country’s longest river, Drini i Bardhe or White Drin, which takes the form of a 30 meter high waterfall tumbling in white cascades from the rock. After an easy 10 minute walk, we will reach Radaci cave, which has only been open to visitors since April 2016. From there, we will begin a relaxed 30 km bike ride through the region’s scenic villages to one of Kosovo’s most recently discovered archeological sites: an ancient Roman town discovered in 2012 near the village of Dresnik, which is home to a beautifully preserved 200 m² mosaic. We will eat lunch overlooking this impressive site before riding the remaining 13 km to our second waterfall of the day: magnificent Mirusha. There will be free time here to explore the multi-tiered waterfall before meeting our minibus to return to Peja.

DAY 3

Today will be an insight to some outstanding cultural sites, medieval orthodox churches, vernacular houses as well as to some important site of recent Kosovo history.

After breakfast, a minibus will drive you to the 14th century Decani Monastery, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a beautiful example of Serbian Orthodox architecture and iconography. After touring the monastery, a 45 km biking trip will continue your introduction to Kosovo’s local culture. First, we will stop in Drenoc, a village of traditional 18th century stone houses known as kullas, where a local family will host us for lunch. First, you will take part in preparing flija, a traditional Albanian mountain speciality made over an outdoor fire.. Back on the bikes, we will make our next stop just before entering the historic village of Junik, where we will visit Kosovo’s largest Sufi tekke (place of worship) to learn about this fascinating Islamic sect and its history in the region. Our final stop of the day will be a difficult but important visit to the Meja War Memorial, which honors the over 300 people who were killed here during one of the deadliest massacres of the 1999 war. Following our visit, we will bike the final 6 km into the historical center of the city of Gjakova.

DAY 4

After breakfast, we will take a walking tour of Gjakova’s major sights — including the 16th century bazaar, which was completely rebuilt following its destruction in the late 1990s and showcases some of Kosovo’s finest  local handicrafts. Following the tour, we will make the one hour drive over the Albanian border to the small town of Bajram Curri, which was once one of the most remote places in Europe. We will have lunch in one of the town’s traditional restaurants before continuing our journey with a 25 km bike ride into the heart of Albania’s wild Accursed Mountains to the breathtaking Valbona Valley. Here, we will stay in local mountain resort Quku i Valbonës where we will also share a dinner prepared from the best of the mountains’ bounty that day.

DAY 5

After breakfast, we will make the 45 minutes drive to Komani Lake to meet the ferry. The two-hour ride across the picturesque lake has been called “one of the world’s great boat trips” (Bradt Guide), and will include breathtaking views of the steep cliffs and a packed lunch. From here, we will continue our journey down to the Albanian coast for an incredible last meal. If not for the remarkable Albanian cuisine, you might mistake your surroundings for a hut on the Indian Ocean as you enjoy the fresh fish and jaw-dropping sunset.

After dinner, the bus will make the three hours drive back to Prishtina,Kosovo.

DAY 6

Transfer to the Pristina/Skopje Airport