Driving from Valbona, Albania to Kosovo

As you can see, the Albanian Alps (aka "Accursed Mountains" of Albania) are beautiful!  After breakfast on 5/7/2015, we headed out on Rruga Azem Hajdari which runs from Valbona through Dragobi to  Bajram Curri, Albania.  We then took highway SH22 to the border crossing with Kosovo.  We passed pretty quickly through the Albanian and Kosovo checkpoints.  From the border crossing, we took the M9-1 back to Gjakova, then the R107 to  Drini Gorge.

First, we needed to travel back through the gorgeous Valbona Valley!  Click on my photos below to see them in high resolution on Flickr.  You can view the photos in high resolution by clicking here!

Mountain view from the Valbona Valley

I tried to take photos out the driver side window with the window down when I could.  In this case, I shot through the windshield to capture the views below.  

The View from Rruga Azem Hajdari.

Occasionally, we passed people walking beside the road.  As you can see, animals and livestock are common in the country side of Albania which is not so different from most countries.

Back to views of the gorgeous Albanian Alps!

A young man with his goats.  I shot these candid image quickly as we passed by.

After crossing the border between Albania and Kosovo, we descended into the plains of Kosovo surrounded by light blue mountains.

The plains of Kosovo.

You can view the photos in high resolution by clicking here!

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Valbona Valley National Park

We entered Valbona Valley National Park in the Albanian Alps at about 11:00 am on the scenic road called Rruga Azem Hajdari.  The road crosses the Valbona River in several places.  The rushing water looked greenish aqua I think in part due to the large amount of limestone in the mountains.

At the first stone bridge, we saw a number of swimmers enjoying the rushing water downstream from the bridge.  Upstream is a series of rapids.  Click on my photos below to see them in high resolution on Flickr.  You can also view the photos in high resolution by clicking here!

Rapids upstream from the first stone bridge on Rruga Azem Hajdari

Downstream from the bridge we found some people enjoying a dip in the river.

As Rruga Azem Hajdari snakes through the valley, there are incredible views of rugged mountains on both sides of the valley.

The Albanian Alps (Prokletije in Albanian) is a mountain range on the Balkan Peninsula that runs from northern Albania to Kosovo and Montenegro.  Its highest peak, Maja Jezercë,  is in Albania, not far from Valbona.  At 8,839 ft (2,694 m), Maja Jezercë is the 7th highest mountain in Albania.

Rruga Azem Hajdari winding through Valbona Valley in the Albanian Alps

The road passes several hotels and finally ends at the Hotel Burimi i Valbonës.  This is the view that greeted us!

The view from the entrance to Hotel Burimi i Valbonës

The hotel and lodge includes a casual and welcoming restaurant.  The food was good and fresh.

Hotel Burimi i Valbonës Restaurant

After settling in our rooms in the lodge, we enjoyed a lunch featuring a large fresh salad and pan-fried Trout from the Valbona River.  Awesome!

Fresh salad at Hotel Burimi i Valbonës

Trout fresh from the Valbona River

Our room was on the fourth floor of this lodge at Hotel Burimi i Valbonës.

There was quite a bit of snow at higher elevations, but not much higher!  We were surrounded by mountain peaks like these.  Apparently, it takes a while for the snow to melt in the Spring.

Snow in May!

There is a waterfall within hiking distance, but we arrived in the valley too late to hike to the falls and back to the hotel 8^(

Looks like a big tooth, doesn't it?

Further up the valley, we found some people camping with the SUVs.  Very pretty location near an abandoned old school building.

You can see the old abandoned school building below.

A large section of the valley floor along the river is composed of this rocky area, devoid of plant life.  I assume it is limestone, but I am not a geologist.

The Valbona River flows through the valley and is very clean at this point.

Pam and I on the banks of the Valbona River.

As the day ended, sheep started coming down the mountainside with their sheep dog.

A boy leading his work horse down the valley.

You can also view the photos in high resolution by clicking here!

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