Shala River

We had paid €105 each for the two-day trip, including transport and the hike itself, but by the time we'd finished the ferry ride towards Valbona, we already felt like we'd got our money's worth. We spent about an hour and a half meandering down the Shala River, and it was absolutely beautiful. The enormous mountains and clear water made for an incredible start to the trip. The landscape seemed to change constantly. At times, there were green forests and rolling hills that flowed gently into the water. Other times, the scenery turned into enormous sheer rock faces that dropped directly into the narrow cavern of water. It often felt like we were squeezing through giant cliffs with the river barely wide enough to fit the boat. We entertained ourselves with beers and our completely unqualified attempts at estimating the size of the cliffs.

Eventually, we arrived in Valbona, where a flurry of buses were waiting to transfer us to our accommodation. We stayed at a guesthouse that was basically the Albanian equivalent of a cheap ski resort. It sat right alongside a slow-flowing, shallow river, which looked incredibly inviting after the day we'd had. However, the altitude meant the water was freezing. Our questionable estimation skills came out once again, and we decided it was probably around 5°C. The worst part was that you couldn't just jump in. You had to slowly walk into the river, meaning your feet and legs would be completely numb before you even reached water deep enough to properly submerge yourself. I managed one quick dip before deciding I'd had enough.

Instead, I sat in the much more pleasant mountain sun and enjoyed the scenery. Afterwards, we played some volleyball and started getting to know the other people doing the hike. The group was still heavily Australian, but the proportion was noticeably lower than what we'd become accustomed to throughout the Balkans. Usually, Australians seemed to make up about 70% of every backpacker group we encountered. This time, it was probably closer to 40%. There were a few Canadians, some Irish people, a couple from the US, and people scattered from all over Europe. It was a nice change.

Eventually, dinner was served, which was supposed to prepare us for the big hike the following day. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly the feast we'd been hoping for. We'd barely eaten throughout the day, and the dinner wasn't particularly substantial. Still, it was enough to get us through. We were also given the opportunity to make lunches for the following day. It was essentially a free-for-all. I, along with a few of the other guys, decided to wait until the rush had died down before making ours. This was probably a mistake. By the time we got there, we were left with the scraps. Luckily, I'm not a massive eater, so I knew I'd survive.

After dinner, there wasn't much else to do. We had to be up at 5 a.m. for the hike, so we got ourselves organised and headed to bed. The hike was expected to take around seven hours, but the early start was important. The first section was a steep climb, and starting before sunrise meant we'd avoid as much of the brutal direct sunlight as possible. And, more importantly, we were all looking forward to reaching Theth and having some well-earned celebratory drinks.

Tomorrow, the real adventure begins.Read more