Stay overnight in a guesthouse
While you will be looking to book accommodation in Theth, the main structure you will find is guesthouses, traditional houses ‘Kulla’ style, which has open the doors to the foreign guests, tourists from all over the world. These guesthouses usually have between six to thirteen rooms and other shared spaces like the living room transformed in a dining area.
This traditional ‘Kulla’ is composed of 2-3 floors with wood ceiling and floors, thick stone walls and unquestionably a fireplace. Rooms are simply furnished and in most cases feature an inside bathroom.
Staying in a guesthouse, you will have the possibility to experience the local lifestyle and chatting with the family members of the hotel, and you can learn more about this area.
Try local food
Northern Albania cuisine is not very rich. Being this an isolated area in the Albanian Alps the main alimentary products are meat and dairy products. In this area, you can find fresh lamb or baby goat grown up in the peaks and the close villages around Theth.
Almost every family has a few cows, and they serve their milk and dairy products. ‘Maze,’ ‘Kacimak,’ ‘Byrek’ are some of the best dishes you should ask for and try during your stay in Thethi.
Raki (Albanian grappa) is an alcoholic drink which use to be served accompanied by a ‘Turkish’ coffee to welcome guests at every time of the day, from morning to the evening. In the evening ‘Raki’ is served even with an appetizer of cheese and pickles. Here you will try the home-made bread that tastes differently.
Swimming
If you would like to spend a relaxing day, among the hard hiking days during your tour in Albanian alps, Stone Groves of Nderlysa (1.5 hours of walking from Thethi center) which composed some natural pools under the wood bridge.
Another attraction very interesting for swimming is Blue Eye of Kaprre, just 50 minutes hiking from Nderlysa Stone Groves, which is a water hole in the middle of the woods with very cold and crystal clear water. Swiming here is for those most adventurous who can support diving/swimming in the cold, cold waters. It is formed from the Black River, which flows out from the Black Top. The Blue Eye is formed by the erosion of rock by the water that descends from the mountains. The Black Well is about 100 m2 and about 3 to 5 meters of depth. The Black River is entirely formed from the melting snow in the Alps.
Fishing
For the most passionate of the sport of fishing, they have to know that the only way of the legal fishery here is the fly fishing. The best places to fish are in Nderlysa close to the stone groves or somewhere close to the canyon. For the best spots, you have to ask the locals, and they will show you.
Walking
Thethi valley has a lot to offer if you like to do some easy walking. Grunasi canyon and its waterfall are a must to be visited. Other destinations for walking around the valley are the mills of the two quarters, the Gjecaj waterfall close to the main road going down the valley, etc.
Hiking
Thethi is considered as the heart of the Albanian Alps. Actually, from this point, you can hike in a few essential different directions. Thethi-Valbona path is one of the most frequented ones. Peja golf is another hiking direction from where you can proceed toward Montenegro’s side, camp at the glacial lake close by, or hike to Harapi peak. Theth – Lepushe (Vermosh) is not very frequent because it is a long and hard hike but still accessible. From Thethi you can reach even Jezerca, the highest peak 2965mt in the middle of the Accursed Mountains.
Visit Cultural Attractions
Among the cultural sites we can list the Church of Saint John, constructed on 1892 which used to serve not only as a church but even as a school during the King A.Zog and as a medical center during the Communist regime, Lock-in tower was built four centuries ago and was used to reconcile the two conflicting parties for more than 300 conflicts, Tradition ‘Kulla’ house Museum, with all it’s living spaces, was refurnished with all traditional equipment and used as an ethnographic museum to show the way how locals use to leave from centuries.
Cycling/Motorcycling
A lot of people choose to do Thethi by cycling or motorcycling. Important to know is the fact the unpaved road is 15 km from the peak of 1750 to the valley 650 mt, and not all kinds of motorcycles can do that. A preferred route for both users is Shkodra – Boge – Thethi – Shale – Prekal – Shkodra, with an overnight in Thethi.
Camping in Albanian Alps
At the moment you can camp everywhere in Thethi National Park. People usually choose campsite close to any guesthouse or camping site. For nature lovers, they decide to camp close to the river or in the middle of the woods. If you want to do camping, you should provide your tents and equipment because of no tents on rent in Thethi yet.
