Peaks of the Balkans Map Poster

The Peaks of the Balkans is a 192 km (119 mi) loop through the Accursed Mountains, crossing between Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro on old shepherds' and traders' paths. From the stone village of Theth it climbs over the Valbona Pass to Valbonë, runs east to the summer pastures of Dobërdol, north through the Rugova highlands of Kosovo, and back through the Montenegrin valleys around Plav and Vusanje to where it began.

Most people walk it in ten stages, counter-clockwise from Theth, with about 10,000 m (32,800 ft) of climbing and passes up to about 2,300 m (7,500 ft). There are no huts or hotels on the high ground: each night is in a family guesthouse or a shepherd's summer hut, with dinner and breakfast included, and walkers carry cross-border permits applied for weeks in advance.

For much of the twentieth century these were among the most tightly sealed borders in Europe. Hiking clubs from all three countries, working with German development partners, opened the trail in the early 2010s to bring visitors back to emptying mountain villages. Three countries, four border crossings and ten guesthouse dinners, all turned into one Peaks of the Balkans map poster.