Target is Albania

Target is Albania

Written by Péter Krajcsó

Photos and kayakers: Péter Krajcsó, Bojan Rusjan, Dejan Sedej

Corsica was dry already last year, this year it seemed to be even more, so for the spring kayak trip we choosed another destination where there was snow and rain. It was Albania, the virgin paradise of the whitewaters.

As it is virgin it was difficult to get information about the rivers, so I try to summarize our experiences.

As it has to be, once you drive so far, we tried to paddle as many rivers as we could. We made a Montenegro-Kosovo-Albania-Montenegro round. I was already in Montenegro before, by the Tara river in the famous Durmitor National Park. The south-west part of the country is different. Driving by the road poorness is reflected by the many-many unfinished and unsettled giant houses – who knows why they started to build them – and there is quite a lot of garbage. It is continueing still in Kosovo but there you see already some stores for high-class cars and motorbikes while on the roads there are running old VW Golfes – you get a feeling from where they stem. Close to the boarder there are NATO millitary forces supposed to ensure piece but giving atmosphere of war. We didn’t spend much time in Kosovo but I had really a paradox feeling.

For the fourth day we arrived to Albania to the country of the bunkers. In the beginning you find them interesting but as there are ca. 700 000 bunkers int he country (one for every four inhabitant) your eyes quickly get used to it. We were driving around just in the northern part of the country as it was already far enough and they say it is nicer and less rubbishy. If I should describe it shortly I would simply say that (the northern part of) Albania is wonderful. I could compare its beauty to the Soča and to the Julian Alps. Difference is that there is wild nature as it was made by the years. There are mountains and waterfalls, the rivers are crystal clears with opalescent blue tone, the forests are green already in April and because of the rare population you can hardly see garbage around. (Otherwise in Albania communal garbage collecting do not exist.) But which is really wonderful, which you can hardly see anywhere else, are the people. They share the poorness earsier and hold together more. They are open, friendly, unselfish and helpful. Three times happened that evening falled when we were in some end of the world places, three times we asked for help where we could spend the night and three times we could do it on the spot. Once we got a whole house in a farm, once we set up our tents behind a local bar and once in the garden of a village hall. Even if they expected payment for this, they didn’t tell, they left it to be our decision. Friendship and good relation is more important for them because for help they can expect help as well. From their close environment you see that they are hard-working people, their houses and gardens are in order. Foreign languages they hardly speak, if every tenth speaks English or Italian maybe German or Serbian. Albanian language is othervise like Hungarian, there is no similarity to any other languages. But with some activity you can make out your thoughts.

Some tips for Albania

- Go far away from the cities

I could not say any good about the cities. They are ugly, busy, crowded and there is hardly anything to see. Inside the cities the roads are in a horrible state with unvisible and unmarked holes and gaps. Walkers, bikers and donkeys are on the streets wherewer. Let’s do the necessary things quickly and go out to the nature!

- Take a GPS with yourself

As for me, I don’t like the GPS. It ruins the enjoy of the drive and the orientation. But in Albania it is absolutely necessary. Road signs are hardly existing, you have no chance to get out from a city on the right way.

- Take a 4x4

The roads are developing, soon you can get almost everywhere with 2WD, but you will be certainly more relaxed with a high built 4x4. Not mentioning that to the really nice places definietly do not go asphalt roads.

- Get to know local people

Be open and honest to them and they will be the same to you. Even though is better not to show up your money! It is usual that in the countryside people have guns at home, but it doesn’t mean that they want to rub the lost tourists. They simply need it for their own safety, as you can see hardly a police outside of the cities and the main roads, and also because of the wild animals.

- Try the local food

For European prices the restaurants are cheap and food is good. Lamb is typical food there, they serve meat, cheese and sour cream from it.

- Hire a local river guide

If you are not sure, if you don’t like unexpected challenges or to live from day to day and if you can afford. Outdoor Albania is one company organising all kind of activites and its owner Gent Mati is the kayaker who paddled most of the Albanian rivers for the first time. You can save definietly a lot of time with a guide.

Finally some desription about the rivers one after other as we paddled on our trip. I try to locate them, but as put ins and take outs do not exist, usually you go from bridge to bridge, or you choose some other places where you can get to the river. Take the classification for your own responsibility and scout from the road as much as you can!

Morača (Montenegro) – the river of the deep canyons

The lower is normal section above Podgorica, class II-III with one class V must run, with 150 meter high vertical walls. Because of the high flow we rahter skipped this rapid, and drove further up along the river as long as we could. We found a small bridge where the river looked already dry enough and from there we paddled down to the roadside camp which you can definietly recognise comming from the river by the garbage piles. It’s a beautiful section, there are some class IV-V bouldergardens, some portages, othervise wonderful deep canyons, wertical walls with easy water.

Zlorečica (Montenegro)

The exit is in Andrijevica, the minor road goes up from here on the river bank. Again we drove up as long as we could. It is a narrow creek, sometimes you have to wach out the trees. There was one short narrow canyon which we had to portage because of the trunks, otherwise it is class III.

Pećka Bistrica (Kosovo)

There are a lot of Bistrica rivers in the Balkan countries. We were already scouting more of them but in Kosovo the upper flow of Pećka Bistrica was finally a Bistrica which we could also paddle. You can find it driving west from the city Peć towards Montenegro. It was reminding me of the Restonica river from Corsica. As it is a road-by river, you can start and finish wherewer you want. I got to know again that looking from the road you have to add ww II to your classification. You can see many rapids from the car but the most difficult ones will be behind the eyes. But it is a nice river with endless class IV-V rapids. Finally one paddled Bistrica! Close to each other two bridges are showing the end of the upper part. The lower part already from the road looks a lot more difficult with narrow canyons, high and sick drops.

Valbona (Albania)

The Soča of Albania! The river and its environment as well. The gravel road starts from Bejram Curri to the nort-west towards the village Valbona where some hotels are wating for the tourists. Although the road is straight we succeded to get lost because of one privat asphalt road going to a farm. Here happened that instead of getting direction we got a whole house where we spent three nights among wonderful local people. The road is going next to the river giving the chance for more starting and finishing points. Starting from the village Valbona after some warming up there is a ca. 4 km long class IV-V canyon with a lot of trees and trunks inside. Several times we had to portage but there is a walking path on the river right which makes it easier. After the river continues with ca. 5 km class III, and one km class V-VI road-by section again full with trunks. Here we quickly decided to finish before and to start next day after . Lower there is one more canyon and a few km class III-IV section. The upper Valbona valley finishes with a short and narrow canyon with vertical walls which is hard to scout, so se took out before.

Fani i Vogël (Albania)

This river is the only one from our trip which I would not paddle again. The walley itself would be nice but the A1 highway is crossing it many times with enermous bridges and pillars. In the 20 kms there are about 5 class III-IV rapids, one X which is about 30 minutes to portage, otherwise flat water.

Shala (Albania)

The only river where 4WD is really needed and will be at least in the next 15 years. There are some half-scheduled busses from Shkodra but we rather rented a taxi. We thought in the beginning that our driver made the business of the year with us but during the way we saw that he didn’t. 30 kms we made in three hours, from a few hundred meters we drove up to 1300 and down again. Of course time stops where you can get like this in 2012, so no wonder that you feel arriving to Africa. We set up our tents in Breg Lumi, in a small village close to the end of the upper Shala. Here I understood what is the difference if they say for a river class V or class V-VI. Because the first two kms of the upper part is class V-VI with a lot of siphons. I was walking about the same as paddling, but after it was a relieve to paddle down on class III-IV to the village. Next day we went further to the lower section. We knew that there is 6 km wild and 14 km flat water to the take out. For me these 6 kms were one of the most enjoyable paddling ever. Long class IV rapids, easier than the rivers before, but not too easy to be boring or unchallenging. True relaxing paddling with wonderful surrondings. Not like the next 14 kms. Surrondings still beautiful, flatwater still ok, but we got crazy because of the wind and the waves. With the short flat-bottomed white water kayaks it was impossible to keep going straight. We knew that there is one village in between, we planned to rent a taxiboat but we didn’t counted that we are in Albania. In the village there was only one boat but without petrol. We started further disappointed but with smashing luck we met some fishermen who drove us to the dam. It is possible, so for next time I would organise a water taxi before.

Kir (Albania)

Towards north-east from Shkodra through the valley of the Kir goes the road to the Shala. We paddled the upper Kir as well but the enjoy on the river is not in ration with the difficulty of the transport. So next time I would start from the village Prekal where the asphalt road finishes. With its low canyons and with the crystal clear water I could compare the lower Kir to the Koritnica. There is quite a lot of flat water but there are from the beginning to the end some nice class IV-V rapids surprisingly where you would not expect any more. There are some portages, but all of them are scoutable and easy to walk.

Tara (Monetegro)

On the way back home we paddled the lower Tara as well, just in the right time. After the rains and the melting snow we had about 100 m3 water. Rocks were hardly above the water, just huge and long wavetrains. Beautiful finishing of our trip.