search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
CROATIA & THE BALKANS ALBANIA DESTINATIONS


so than the mighty Accursed Mountains in the country’s northeast (pictured). Part of the Dinaric Alps, a rugged stretch of peaks that extends across the Balkans all the way to Italy, this ominously named hinterland has some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in Europe. The highlight for many is


the hike between Valbona and Theth, an old mule track that


winds through the peaceful alpine meadows, pine forests and panoramic mountain vistas that are typical of inland Albania. Surrounded by knife-blade peaks and towering pines, it’s an incredible way to witness Albania’s dramatic mountainous landscape. Although it’s become increasingly popular with hikers in recent years, walkers will have long stretches of the well-marked route completely to themselves.


As much a cultural enclave


as a natural playground, these highlands are also home to Albania’s ancient traditions and customs. Rustic stone dwellings dot the valleys and mountainsides, and modernity feels a century away. In Theth, one of Albania’s few


remaining lock-in towers stands as a monument to the ‘blood feuds’, a period when tribal disputes often ended in murder.


Those who had offended another family would be sent to such towers – for their own protection – while the village elders decided their fate. Luckily, those days are gone, but this is still an area of deep tradition. Getting to the Accursed Mountains is an adventure in itself – a three-hour ferry trip along Koman Lake, a winding fjord-like expanse of reflective water surrounded by sheer


4 October 2018 travelweekly.co.uk 67


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84