The Peaks of the Balkans Trail. Rudolf Abraham

Чтение книги онлайн.

      View across Lake Plav towards the mouth of the Ropojana Valley (Stage 8)

      Podgorica to Theth or Valbona

      By public transport, this is a less direct route than Podgorica–Plav. There are two buses a day from Podgorica to Skhodër in Albania (journey time 90mins, timetables at www.busterminal.me/timetable), from where you can take another bus along the steep road to Theth (journey time 2hrs 30mins, usually departing early in the morning). Alternatively – and more scenically – take a bus from Skhodër to Koman (2hrs), from where you can take the ferry across Lake Koman, following the flooded course of the River Drin (timetables at komanilakeferry.com/newsite and www.komanilake.com/ferry-transport) – this ferry ride being the main reason for following this route. Of the two ferry operators, Berisha and Mario Molla, the latter offers the advantage of including ferry and connecting minibus services in one single booking. Otherwise, from Fierze where the ferry arrives at the north end of the lake, take a minibus to Bajram Curri (minibuses meet the ferry, as do taxis so make sure you know which one you’re getting by asking the fare); and from there, a minibus to Valbona (one service daily, journey time 45mins) – otherwise, a taxi from Bajram Curri to Valbona will cost around €25. Valbona is scattered along the valley for several kilometres, so let the bus/taxi driver know the name of the guesthouse you’re staying at to make sure you get dropped off nearby.

      Other routes

      Slightly less conveniently for the Peaks of the Balkans Trail but handy if you plan to spend some time on the Montenegrin coast, Easyjet (www.easyjet.com) fly direct from the UK to Tivat, as do Norwegian (www.norwegian.com). From Tivat airport get a bus or taxi to Kotor, followed by a bus to Podgorica, and continue as above.

      Flights to Pristina (Kosovo)

      Germania (www.flygermania.com) flies direct from London to Pristina in Kosovo twice a week (and their baggage policy is very generous – checked baggage up to 20kg is included, unlike Ryanair where you’ll be paying extra). Easyjet also flies to Pristina from several European cities, but not from the UK at the time of writing (2017). If you need to stay a night in Pristina, Buffalo Backpackers are located in the city centre and are reasonably priced (www.buffalobackpackers.com). From Pristina, take a bus to Pejë and another into the Rugova Valley (see below). This is actually the shortest route to get to the Peaks of the Balkans Trail.

      Pristina airport

      Pristina Airport (www.airportpristina.com, called Adem Jashari) lies around 15km southwest of Pristina. There is no airport shuttle bus service, but a taxi into town will cost you around €15 (www.taxibeki.net).

      Pristina to Pejë and the Rugova Valley

      There are buses as frequently as every 20mins from Pristina to Pejë (journey time 2hrs), from where there are twice-daily buses to the Rugova Valley, where you join the Peaks of the Balkans Trail.

      Pejë (Peć)

      The main bus station is on Adem Jashari, about 10min walk northeast of the town centre. There are regular buses to Pristina. If you need to stop for the night in Pejë, Hotel Çardak (Mbretëresha Teutë 101; tel +386 (0)49 801 108; www.hotelcardak.com) is a good, reasonably priced hotel in the town centre, between the main post office and the bus station. For tourist Information see www.pejatourism.org.

      Pristina to Valbona

      There are frequent buses from Pristina to Gjakova (in Kosovo, journey time 90mins), from where there are buses to Bajram Curri in Albania and from there to Valbona (see above).