Location – mountain:

  • Deshat

 

Starting point:

  • The village of Zagrad

 

Description of the trail:

This trail climbs from the village of Zagrad back to the meadows of the Deshat range and follows the ridge along the border, finishing in the summer pasture of Hinoskë, at the foot of Velivar peak (2,373 m). The hike starts steeply uphill heading northwest on a gravel trail. It moves right from the shepherds’ hut (the left one goes towards Gramë) and after awhile reaches the meadow where the grassy trail continues south gently undulating. Approximately 1.5 km from this point, there are a few shepherds’ huts on the meadows on the right. There is another trail that descends to the village of Rabdisht but this trail continues along the meadow trail that stays fairly level for a while before it continues to climb towards the ridge that crosses the border into Macedonia, this way avoiding the rocky terrain on the Albanian side of the border. The trail stays fairly level on the Macedonian side for about 2 km and then crosses the border again back into Albania, losing about 300 m of height over the last two-kilometer-stretch towards the Hinoskë mountain pasture.

 

Technical and touristic information:

Altitude of the starting point: Zagrad – 1,190 m

Highest point: 2,005 m

Altitude of the ending point: Hinoskë pasture – 1,690 m

Altitude difference: 1,060 m

Duration of the hiking tour: 6.00 – 7.00 hours

Length of the tour: 11 km

Difficulty of the tour: (Proofreader’s Note: Please add here) ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Required fitness level: (Proofreader’s Note: Please add here)  ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

 

Panoramas and landscapes:

From the crest the views open out towards the Drin valley to the west and the town of Peshkopi as well as the mountain ranges of the Lura National Park. Lake Debar in Macedonia can also be seen from high points along the trail.

 

Access to the starting point:

  • Highway Tirana – Kukës, 145 km
  • Local road Kukës – Zagrad, 82 km

 

Access to the ending point:

  • Highway Tirana – Kukës, 145 km
  • Local road Kukës – Peshkopi, 75km
  • Gravel road Peshkopi – Zagrad, 8 km
  • Local road Peshkopi – Melan, 6km
  • Dirt road (4×4) Melan – Ilnicë – Hinoskë, 9 km

 

Accommodation and food:

  • Accommodation in Zagrad:
    • Xhavit Feta (guesthouse)
      • (41°42’04.1″N 20°29’59.9″E /701144, 20.499971)
    • Pajtim Feta (guesthouse)
      • (41°42’07.6″N 20°30’00.0″E / 41.702100, 20.500003)
  • Accommodation in Hinoskë
    • Tush Fida (guesthouse)
      • (41°38’47.0″N 20°30’23.3″E / 646375, 20.506475)