Kosovo among Europe’s most exciting destinations
The British newspaper The Guardian has listed 25 different European countries that writers have visited and described as “exciting” places, including Kosovo and Albania.
During the summer, writer Stuart Kenny visited the Via Dinarica hiking trail, recently re-mapped, where he spent a full week in an isolated mountain hut with sweeping views. His evenings were accompanied by burek and rakia, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.
According to him, although history books provide important context for walking in Kosovo, they “do not prepare you for the beauty of the mountains.”
“We walked past edelweiss flowers along the border ridge with Montenegro; rocky and sheer on one side, and on the other a vibrant green slope descending toward meadows filled with pink and yellow wildflowers. Different birds flew around the high cliffs and perched on branches below. Wildlife, lost in large parts of Europe, still thrives here (bears, wolves, lynx) in a mosaic of oak and beech forests, blueberries and shrubs, deep valleys and high plateaus. Mountain lakes create dreamlike swimming spots beneath the high peaks near Albania,” the article says.
As reported by CE Report, writer Holly Tuppen visited Kosovo’s neighboring country, Albania, which left a “deep impression” on her. She stayed for two nights at a guesthouse in Lëpushë, surrounded by orchards, beehives and small farms that fade into the Accursed Mountains. According to her, this village is not heavily frequented by tourists.
“We arrived at dusk and the children (aged 10 and 12) were playing with kittens on the veranda of our cabin, while we talked with the owner about life in Lëpushë. Migration abroad or to cities is a problem (the local school has only one pupil), and tourism is a lifeline for those who remain. Fortunately, Lëpushë has much to offer. On the first day, we jumped from rocks into a swimming spot with brilliantly blue water and filled up on cheese and homemade bread in a shepherd’s hut. On the second day, we hiked to the peak of Nagvaci (2,412 meters) on almost deserted trails, eating wild blueberries along the way. Despite all this, Lëpushë is visited by far fewer tourists than nearby Theth and Vuthaj, because it is not part of the well-known ‘Peaks of the Balkans’ hiking itinerary,” the article writes.
