Peaks of the Balkans trail
The Peaks of the Balkans is a circular cross-border trail through Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo that can be started in Plav; about a third of it is in Montenegro, and every group must notify the Montenegrin border police before it crosses.
Prokletije, Plav and Gusinje · 10-13 days for the whole loop
Photo: Bruno Rijsman · CC BY 2.0
The Peaks of the Balkans is a circular long-distance trail through Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo, with about a third of its length on the Montenegrin side of the Prokletije. The loop can be started in Plav, in Theth in Albania or in Peja in Kosovo and takes 10 to 13 days depending on fitness. The rule that catches people out: the trail crosses the borders away from any official crossing point, so every group must notify the Montenegrin border police of its entry and exit in advance and pay €5 per person.
Key facts
| Countries | Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo |
| Start towns | Plav, Theth or Peja |
| Duration | 10-13 days |
| Share in Montenegro | about one third |
| Length | about 192 km; highest point about 2,300 m; about 9,800-10,000 m of ascent in all |
| Walking months | June to September |
| Border notification | €5 per person, about three weeks ahead |
The Montenegrin section
The Montenegrin part runs through the Prokletije around Plav. Its highlights are Hridsko jezero, the Ropojana valley and the villages and katuns, the summer pastures, along the way. The highest summit near the route, Maja Jezerce at 2,694 m, stands on the Albanian side. The trail was laid out by the national and local tourist organisations and the mountaineering clubs of the three countries together with GIZ, and it counts among Montenegro's demanding long-distance routes.
On the Montenegrin side the loop is walked in three stages:
- Babino Polje via Hridsko jezero to Plav: 20.8 km, about 640 m of ascent.
- Plav via Bor peak to Vusanje: 20.9 km, about 1,190 m of ascent.
- Vusanje to Theth (Albania): 23.1 km, about 1,140 m of ascent.
The kilometres are a planning guide, not surveyed distances; allow a full day for each stage.
Border rules
The trail crosses the Montenegrin border where there is no official crossing point, so each group registers with the border police before the hike:
- Notify the group's entry into and exit from Montenegro by email to igpplav@t-com.me or by phone on +382 67 469 710, on a form that lists the group members and the guide.
- Pay €5 per person into the border police account.
- Send the form and the payment about three weeks before the hike; groups can sometimes be handled at shorter notice.
Allow the full three weeks, and send one form for the whole group, naming the guide.
When to go
June to September; the route tops out at about 2,300 m.
Starting in Plav
Plav is the Montenegrin start, on Plav Lake. To see one of the loop's highlights without the border paperwork, take the park's own marked trail to Hridsko jezero from the Plav side: 3.1 km, about an hour, graded easy.
Safety
This is a demanding trail: stages of over 20 km with 600 to 1,200 m of ascent, and border sections far from any road. Plan the overnight stops with a guide or a mountaineering club. The emergency number is 112.
Nearby
The park's shorter marked trails are on the Prokletije National Park page, and the Grebaje valley above Gusinje is the park's most visited walking area. The Via Dinarica White Trail is Montenegro's other long-distance route; all marked routes are on the hiking hub.
Questions
Do I need a permit?
Not a permit in the usual sense, but a notification to the Montenegrin border police with a €5 per-person fee, sent about three weeks ahead, because the trail crosses the borders away from official crossings.
How much of the trail is in Montenegro?
About one third: the stages between Babino Polje, Hridsko jezero, Plav, Vusanje and the border towards Theth, about 65 km in three days.
How long does it take?
10 to 13 days for the whole loop, depending on fitness: about 192 km with close to 10,000 m of ascent.
Highlights
- Loop through Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo
- Start in Plav, Theth or Peja; 10-13 days
- About one third of the route in Montenegro
- Border-police notification: €5 per person, three weeks ahead
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