Valbona Valley is one of the best-known hiking attractions in Albania and the Balkan Peninsula. Part of the Balkan Peaks, Valbona Valley is a stunning National Park in Northern Albania.

The journey from Tirana to  Valbona is a real adventure as there is no fixed line towards Valbona Valley. The majority of the road from Tirana to Vau Dejës (around 2 hours) will be quite flat though the final leg will be a bumpy ride, making this experience a unique and memorable one. Even though the distance from Vau i Dejës to Koman Lake is approximately 32 minutes, it can take you under just under 2 hours to reach the Koman Dam due to the rocky path we travel on, giving you a real Balkan experience!

When traveling through Koman Lake, you would need an early start from Tirana as the ferry from Koman to Fierza leaves at 9:00am. The drive from Tirana to Koman Lake will take approximately 4 hours.

If you are not on a tour and prefer travelling independently, you can take a minivan that runs from Gazheli Petrol, Rruga Asim Vokshi (Tirana) at 05:00am towards Koman Lake, costing approximately 15 Euros.

A taxi from Tirana to Koman Lake will cost approximately 130 Euros and this would need to be a 4-wheel-drive taxi due to the path we travel on up North.

When you arrive at Koman Lake, you will take a ferry to Fierza which costs approximately 7 Euros per person. The ferry is a stunning ride through the Albanian Alps, taking about 3 hours and offering amazing scenery along the way. If you are traveling with a car, you may take the car onboard, costing approximately 30-40 Euro for a standard 5-seater vehicle. We recommend you reserve your place for the car at least 1 week in advance during the high season (June – September).

When you arrive on the other side of the lake at Fierza Dam, you will find locals offering transport from Fierza to Valbona Valley. This usually costs about 7 Euros per person if they can fill the seats, otherwise if there are only a couple of passengers, it will cost approximately 30 Euros per vehicle. The drive takes 45 minutes to 1 hour and once you enter the Valbona Valley National Park, you will agree that the journey out was absolutely worth it! The valley is surrounded with “The Crown of the Albanian Alps” and the view surrounding you is absolutely breathtaking.

For those wanting to stay on, the next mission is to find your guesthouse! There are several guesthouses in Valbona Valley, the majority of them being old Kulla (Traditional stone houses, typical of Northern Albania) that have been adopted into guesthouses. Locals throughout are very friendly, offering basic tourisms services and anything else they can to make your trip memorable and easy.

As there is so much to explore and take in throughout Valbona Valley, we recommend you spend at least 2 days in order to enjoy the vast natural wonders, giving you an opportunity to also hike to Theth (Albania), Plave (Montenegro) or towards Rugova Valley (Kosovo).

If you have limited time in visiting Albania or if the trip up North sounds stressful, let us help you by taking you on a professional guided tour with one of our knowledgeable and friendly guides at Choose Balkans.