Questioning which Peaks of the Balkans lodging to ebook? Confused about how the reserving course of works, or what the guesthouses are like?
You then’re in the suitable place!
I’m simply again from mountaineering the Peaks of the Balkans path myself, and one main spotlight was staying at family-run guesthouses and lodges in distant mountain villages alongside the way in which.
These lodging could also be easy, however they’re heat, welcoming, and supply a real style of native tradition—from selfmade meals to the prospect to swap tales with fellow hikers.
On this information, I’ll break down precisely how Peaks of the Balkans lodging works, what to anticipate, and my suggestions for the most effective guesthouses and lodges alongside the path, so you may ebook with confidence.
Fast details:Size: 192 km (119 mi), normally 10 daysDifficulty: Reasonable to strenuousPermit: Required — apply not less than 2 weeks aheadBest time: June–SeptemberSafety: Set up an eSIM in your telephone & take into account a International Rescue membershipAccommodation: A mixture of guesthouses, small lodges, and tenting
How Peaks Of The Balkans Lodging Works
Alongside the Peaks of the Balkans hike, you’ll largely keep in small, family-run guesthouses, with just a few domestically run lodges in bigger cities.
Included meals
These guesthouses normally supply full-board choices, serving beneficiant home-cooked meals with soup, bread, numerous recent and stewed greens, native cheese, and meats. At no level was I hungry, as helpings alongside the path are beneficiant.
Whereas breakfast and dinner are eaten at your guesthouse, you’ll be given substances like bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, chilly cuts, and typically fruit or selfmade cookies to pack a picnic lunch after breakfast.
Supper time at guesthouses typically begins with an array of appetizers. Picture taken at Vita Guesthouse by Jessie Festa.
Rooms, showers & WiFi
Rooms are usually non-public however easy. Outdoors of Tirana and Shkodër, I didn’t encounter air-con, however all rooms had beds, blankets, and retailers.
Most rooms had non-public bogs, with shared bogs widespread in additional distant areas like Çerem and Doberdol.
In my expertise, all guesthouses had showers and scorching water, although WiFi might be hit-or-miss, even after they technically have it. If you wish to keep related, it’s really helpful to put in an eSIM. The European eSIM from Airalo labored effectively for me.
In case you’d fairly camp, there are just a few primary campgrounds and grassy spots close to guesthouses the place you may pitch your tent. Simply be ready for minimal amenities, and at all times ask permission in case you’re wild tenting close to a village. Don’t wild camp in nationwide parks.
Room at Gacaferi Guesthouse in Deçan, Kosovo. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Reserving lodging
Most hikers pre-book lodging, both immediately, by way of a neighborhood information, or with a trekking firm, since many guesthouses don’t use on-line reserving platforms and even have web sites. Having a neighborhood firm deal with your lodging is normally the best possibility.
Personally, I traveled with Wilderness Balkans, which took care of lodging bookings. This made getting ready for my Peaks of the Balkans trek rather a lot simpler and fewer annoying!
Prices
On common, count on to pay about 45€ per individual, per evening, primarily based on double occupancy in a room. This consists of your meals.
Room at Leonardi Guesthouse in Doberdol. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Funds
Most guesthouses on the Peaks of the Balkans path solely settle for money, normally in Euros or the native foreign money (like Albanian Lek, although Albania additionally accepts Euros).
ATMs are extraordinarily restricted as soon as you allow main cities like Shkodër or Plav, so plan to convey sufficient money in your total trek, together with additional for snacks, drinks, and ideas. Personally, I introduced €150 for these extras and it was sufficient.
Peaks Of The Balkans Lodging By Location
Now let’s go over some really helpful guesthouses to ebook alongside the path. These are the locations I stayed throughout my trek, and so they had been very comfy:
Lodge Tradita (Shkodër, Albania)
Courtyard at Lodge Tradita. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Spotlight: The standard meals and decor
WiFi: Sure
Air Conditioning: Sure
Personal Lavatory: Sure
Lodge Tradita is ready in a superbly preserved 400-year-old home embellished with Albanian people artwork and conventional touches. You’ll get a little bit of cultural immersion with fashionable touches, as rooms have air-con, WiFi, and a rain bathe with nice water strain.
Whereas that is extra of a resort than a guesthouse, dinner right here is served family-style, with native specialties like dolmas, recent cheese, Albanian bruschetta, and native trout. You may eat outdoors of their massive open courtyard, or dine indoors to see the meals being revamped an open fireplace.
They’re additionally well-known for his or her scrumptious included breakfast.
When it comes to location, you’re a couple of 10-minute stroll to Shkodër’s metropolis heart.
Click on right here to ebook Lodge Tradita.
Lodge Ikona (Shkodër, Albania)
The restaurant and rooftop at Lodge Ikona. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Spotlight: Trendy comforts within the coronary heart of the town
WiFi: Sure
Air Conditioning: Sure
Personal Lavatory: Sure
For one thing extra fashionable and centrally situated in Shkodër, Lodge Ikona provides clear, fashionable rooms with comfy beds, non-public bogs, air-con, and WiFi.
As somebody who’s choosy about their pillows, I additionally appreciated the closet stuffed with blanket and pillow choices.
Onsite, they function a classy rooftop restaurant and bar that serves yummy meals and an expansive listing of cocktails.
Within the morning, a scrumptious breakfast buffet of juices, eggs, meats, fruit, and extra is included. You may as well have individually-made espresso drinks.
If you wish to discover, you’re simply steps away from the principle pedestrian avenue in Shkodër, Rruga Kole Idromeno, which is stuffed with eating places, bars, cafes, and outlets.
Click on right here to ebook Lodge Ikona.
Neo Kulla Hikers Hive (Valbona, Albania)
View from my balcony at Neo Kulla Hikers Hive. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Spotlight: Epic mountain views from the in-room balconies and out of doors patio
WiFi: Sure
Air Conditioning: No
Personal Lavatory: Sure
Neo Kulla Hikers Hive is a clear and cozy guesthouse in Valbona with spectacular mountain views from its balconies and patio. The dinner is plentiful and scrumptious, that includes native drinks like Albanian wine and tea made with marjoram.
Their breakfast was on the smaller aspect, although you’re going to get bread, cheese, and meat.
Rooms are easy however cozy, and the beds are very comfy with retailers close to the headboard for charging your units.
Click on right here to ebook Neo Kulla Hikers Hive.
Vita Guesthouse (Çerem, Albania)
Lovely views at Vita Guesthouse. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Spotlight: The selfmade scrumptious & plentiful meals
WiFi: Sure
Air Conditioning: No
Personal Lavatory: No (shared solely together with your flooring)
Vita Guesthouse is a family-run lodging with such heat hospitality, it feels extra like a homestay. It options non-public rooms with shared flooring bogs in the principle home in addition to three small A-frame cabins outdoors.
It’s easy, clear, and surrounded by beautiful mountain surroundings.
The meals right here was a number of the better of the journey. You might inform the household places quite a lot of effort into making actually scrumptious and satisfying home-cooked meals that includes dishes like Albanian white bean soup, bread, recent salad, grilled peppers, eggplant, recent tomatoes with olive oil, cheese, olives—and that’s only for starters!
For breakfast, they not solely had eggs, fruit, meats, bread, and jam but in addition hearty bowls of scrumptious porridge.
Click on right here to ebook Vita Guesthouse.
Leonardi Guesthouse (Doberdol, Albania)
Staying in the course of nowhere at Leonardi Guesthouse. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Spotlight: The distant location surrounded by mountains in a valley and the social vibes that made it simple to satisfy different trekkers
WiFi: Sure
Air Conditioning: No
Personal Lavatory: No (shared with everybody on the property)
Situated in Doberdol, one of the crucial distant villages within the Balkans, Leonardi Guesthouse sits at 5,780 ft and provides a mixture of A-frame cabins, dorms, and tenting spots.
In case you’re on the lookout for the enjoyable hostels alongside the path, it is a nice decide. It’s a really social place, the place hikers from everywhere in the world collect to commerce tales over a drink within the yard, the place there are a great deal of seating areas.
As is widespread at Peaks of the Balkans lodging, meals is plentiful. In case you drink alcohol, notice that it’s a bit costlier right here than elsewhere (~€5 vs ~2.50€).
The most important draw back of this lodging is that 4 bogs are shared amongst all visitors, to allow them to get fairly disagreeable. However, as of now, there aren’t any lodging in Doberdol with non-public bogs.
On the plus aspect, in case you stand up to pee in the course of the evening, you’ll be rewarded with some epic stargazing in your option to the lavatory!
Constructing on this, it might be useful to have a headlamp for this lodging, although you also needs to be fantastic with simply your telephone flashlight.
A headlamp can also be useful for nighttime studying while not having to stand up to show the sunshine off.
Click on right here to ebook Leonardi Guesthouse.
Gacaferi Guesthouse (Deçan, Kosovo)
Enjoyable on the patio at Gacaferi Guesthouse. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Spotlight: This guesthouse had the most effective meals of any on this listing, plus it was very social with individuals mingling in the lounge, eating room, and on the out of doors patio with mountain views
WiFi: Sure
Air Conditioning: No
Personal Lavatory: Sure
Gacaferi is the family-run guesthouse of my Balkans trekking information, Adriatik, and so they actually go above and past to make the keep memorable.
Meals are plentiful, with recent salads, bread, cheese, and hearty mains cooked by Adriatik’s household.
There’s a comfortable widespread room and out of doors deck with panoramic mountain views the place hikers socialize over drinks. At sundown, the view of the Accursed Mountains turning shades of pink and orange is unforgettable.
Click on right here to ebook Gacaferi Guesthouse.
“HRID” Eco Mountaineering Village (Babino Polje, Montenegro)
Enjoyable with post-hike beers at “HRID” Eco Mountaineering Village. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Spotlight: The plentiful meals and the enjoyable lodging set proper on a river
WiFi: Sure
Air Conditioning: No
Personal Lavatory: Sure
“HRID” Eco Mountaineering Village options easy however comfy two-storey wood cabins with non-public bogs alongside a river.
It’s a peaceable place to unwind with a chilly beverage after a protracted day of mountaineering. Simply notice that whereas they promote sodas and non-alcoholic beers, alcohol is BYOB.
The meals is a significant spotlight. Count on a beneficiant buffet of native dishes, together with loads of vegetarian choices. They even specifically made me soy patties and vegetarian noodles since I don’t eat meat.
Count on an equally giant breakfast and loads of choices in your picnic lunch, too. Additionally they served certainly one of my favourite dishes of the journey, pizza bread, and so they even gave out bananas for the picnic bag (fruit was a uncommon deal with when it got here to picnic lunches).
Click on right here to ebook “HRID” Eco Mountaineering Village.
Moonlight Home (Vusanje, Montenegro)
Superb views from the Moonlight Home patio. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Spotlight: The unimaginable views from the out of doors patio and indoor restaurant and the unbelievable breakfast
WiFi: Sure
Air Conditioning: No
Personal Lavatory: Sure
Moonlight Home was in all probability essentially the most fashionable lodging I stayed at alongside the Peaks of the Balkans path (outdoors of Shkodër).
It felt extra like a resort than a family-run guesthouse, providing tremendous clear non-public rooms, wonderful showers with nice water strain, and WiFi (although I couldn’t get it to work whereas I used to be there, however my eSIM labored).
The spotlight is the beautiful view of Prokletije Nationwide Park’s peaks from the out of doors terrace. Friends can seize a drink from the honour bar and chill out because the mountains fade into nightfall.
When it comes to meals, for dinner, it’s a little bit bit completely different than the opposite guesthouses. As an alternative of simply bringing out a great deal of dishes to share, you’ll have shared starters and also you’ll select your individual primary: beef, rooster, or fish.
For breakfast, the unfold is plentiful, with eggs, bread, jam, and extra. Additionally they had the most effective pancakes I ate all the journey.
Click on right here to ebook Moonlight Home.
Bujtina Polia (Theth, Albania)
The views from Bujtina Polia are breathtaking. Picture through Jessie Festa.
Spotlight: Superb mountain views from the property’s wrap-around porch and attempting their very own selfmade wine and olive oil
WiFi: Sure
Air Conditioning: No
Personal Lavatory: Sure
Bujtina Polia combines clear, comfy rooms with unimaginable wraparound porch views. There are additionally picnic tables within the yard to play video games and sip drinks whereas appreciating the surroundings.
Their scrumptious restaurant is a five-minute stroll away. Right here you may attempt the proprietor’s selfmade glowing wine and olive oil alongside scrumptious dishes. As a result of I’m a vegetarian, they made me a hearty bowl of pasta with a plant-based sauce.
Taking in 360-degree mountain views, it’s the proper location to rejoice finishing your Peaks of the Balkans journey.
Click on right here to ebook Bujtina Polia.
Bonus: Here’s a video showcasing the view from Bujtina Polia’s balcony:
Regularly Requested Questions About Peaks Of The Balkans Lodging
Now that we’ve gone over the way to ebook guesthouses alongside the Peaks of the Balkans trek and suggestions for the place to remain, let’s go over some continuously requested questions.
Q) Can Peaks of the Balkans guesthouses accommodate vegetarians?
Sure! I’m a vegetarian and every guesthouse had loads of meals for me to eat throughout meal occasions. Some even went out of their option to make particular dishes only for me, however even with out them, there was at all times loads of vegetable soups, recent and stewed greens, bread, cheese, and extra.
Q) Ought to I convey a sleeping bag for the Peaks of the Balkans trek?
Provided that you’re tenting. In any other case, guesthouses will provide bedding.
Q) Can I drink the faucet water at Peaks of the Balkans guesthouses?
Sure, the water is protected to drink at guesthouses alongside the path.
Many Peaks of the Balkans guesthouses serve massive spreads of meals with loads of vegetarian choices. Picture taken at “HRID” Eco Mountaineering Village by Jessie Festa.
Q) How a lot money ought to I convey for the Peaks of the Balkans trek?
As soon as your whole lodging, meals, transfers, permits, and nationwide park charges are paid, you actually solely want cash for drinks and ideas. Soda, beer, and wine value about 2€ to 2.50€, besides in Doberdol, the place drinks had been nearer to 4€ to five€. As I went with a information, I tipped 10€ per day.
Q) Are you able to camp alongside the Peaks of the Balkans path?
Sure, there are lots of alternatives to camp alongside the path, each onsite at guesthouses and wild tenting (outdoors of nationwide parks).
Q) Are bank cards accepted at guesthouses alongside the Peaks of the Balkans path?
On the whole, no. You’ll wish to carry money to pay for lodging, drinks, and different bills.
What are your favourite Peaks of the Balkans lodging?