Albania & Kosovo Safari Ski touring

Package program

Day 1: Flight to Pristina, arrival day
At the airport in Pristina, an employee of our local partner will be waiting for you for the collective transfer to the first accommodation.

Our destination in the Sharr Mountains (82 km) can be reached from the airport in 1.5 hours. Brezovica is a delightfully semi-functional ski resort from the 1970s that is more like an icy fossil from Yugoslav times. Not far from the Serbian enclave of Shtrpce, snowstorms meet here on the north-facing, 2400 meters protruding from the surrounding Dukagjin plain, rugged ridges and sheltered, sweeping grass ridges. If there hadn’t been enough snow during the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, the alpine competitions would have been held here in Brezovica and the location at 1700 meters would have achieved international fame: it is one of the most snow-sure in the Balkans! We will stay for one night at Hotel Molika, a simple hotel complex and part of Marshal Tito’s legacy. At dinner in the Serbian restaurant we meet your guides and get in the mood for our ski touring week.

 Day 2

Brezovica
The sky is (hopefully!) Immaculately blue, the mountain scenery is definitely at least as magnificent as in the Alps, and descents on untracked powder snow slopes are almost guaranteed. Our tours in the best snow of the Sharr Mountains start either at the hotel, from 1700 m, or the top exit point at 2200 m, depending on the lifts.

Two possible destinations, among many others, are the peaks of Piribreg, 2524 m, and Guri i Zi, 2536 m. “Antenas” is what the locals call the bizarre radio mast ensemble at an altitude of around 2500 meters and the first starting point for many descents on the ridge. If the conditions permit, we continue to climb to the majestic cone of the “Black Rock”. The view extends from here far across the snow-white scenery to North Macedonia, Albania and deep into Kosovo.

Below this begins a dreamy descent of almost 1000 meters in altitude with countless freeride variants: lonely forest clearings and tree skiing follow high alpine terrain with steep gullies and tree skiing – Brezovica has a bit of everything to offer! Nevertheless, there is not a single soul to be seen far and wide, and we often hunt alone in wide sweeps over square kilometers of immaculate slopes down into the valley. At the end of the day we drive 30 minutes to the accommodation for the next two nights.

 Day 3-4

The peaks of the Sharr Mountains
From the front door of the hotel, at 1520 meters, we start our tour to the mountains on the ridge of the Peskovi Massif, the second highest point in the country. Our guides will choose the most suitable between the three mighty peaks of Konjushka, 2572 m, Guzhbaba, 2582 m, and Bistra, 2651 m. Once at the top, the ascent is rewarded with a view of the neighboring country.

The next day, after a short drive to a remote side valley, the Dovedenica, 2510 m awaits us. You can feel the “wilderness” on this seldom made ski tour. The hunting lodge of the former Yugoslav guide Tito is hidden deep in the forest, a series of glacial lakes below the summit and wolves, bears and even the Balkan lynx have been spotted in the reserve.

A slightly shorter second day is available for the approximately 1,100 meters of altitude, fantastic runs in the eastern part of the Sharr Mountains are available. Then we drive through small villages to the Dragash region, which is dominated by Gorans (journey time approx. 90

minutes). We spend the night in the “multifunctional hotel” with a wedding venue and supermarket and can experience the local goings-on in the evening.

Day 5

Ascent of the Kleq, 2467 m
Until modern times, the main traffic artery of the caravan trade in the Balkans ran through these valleys, connecting the Ottoman provincial capitals Prizren and Skopje. The position at the intersection of peoples and the lively exchange has shaped Kosovo significantly and turned it into a patchwork quilt of different ethnic groups with their very own cultural heritage.

From the hotel we can reach the surrounding Goran villages in a few minutes, which are squeezed into a narrow valley surrounded by high peaks and lined with well-preserved coniferous forest. The ascent starts in the village at 1350 meters and first leads through coniferous forest with a view of the roofs and peaks. Bare and rocky pastures form a sea of ​​grass, fed by many watercourses, on the way to the mountain top of the Kleq, 2467 meters. From the ridge we look down on the beautiful Leshnica valley, the second highest peak in the country Titov Vrh, 2747 meters, and its no less impressive neighbors.

The descent on the ideally oriented north-facing slopes offers many possibilities and sweetens our day. Just making a selection is difficult.

Afterwards, a long transfer (92 km / 3 h) across the border to Albania and to the foot of our last mountain destination awaits us. Two nights in a guest house or simple guesthouse.

 Day 6 – 7

Korab –  the highest mountain in two countries
The Diber region is still rarely visited today, visitors only come to climb the summit in summer, and it is famous for its hospitality even within Albania. We will reach the highest peak of Albania and Macedonia, the real highlight of our trip, on one of our last two tours. Our goals are the big Korabi (2,764 m) and his little brother Korab (2,683 m). You are separated by an extensive alpine high valley in which we find the most beautiful slopes. The long but technically undemanding ascent is rewarded with panoramic views over Macedonia and Albania’s eastern highlands.

On the way back to the village, our own ascent tracks will probably be the only ones we cross on the enjoyable descent. We spend the night in a guest house in the village,

After our second ski tour, we return to Kosovo (80 km / 2.5 h) and explore the cultural capital of the youngest nation in Europe at the foot of the Sharr Mountains. Prizren’s cityscape is shaped by Ottoman influence and Turkish is still spoken in the city today.
Day 6: Hm ↑ ↓  6.5 h
7th day: Hm ↑ ↓  3.5 h

 Day 8

Saying goodbye
From Prizren the drive is about an hour to the airport of Pristina, collective transfer and return flight home.

Please note that the program sequence may change due to current weather / snow conditions.