Next date: April 11 to 20, 2024

The most beautiful rivers in Albania? Clearly in the north of the small country! They surround you like a semicircle Shkoder Kayak City. We spend the night a quarter of an hour's drive from the city directly on the beautiful Lake Shkodra. We spend the days in the lonely mountain valleys on the magnificent bouldering sections of Cemi, Kir, and Dushit. In the evening, delicious food in the nearby town and – if you want – off to the nice bars in charming Shkodra. Or delicious cooking yourself at the camp. Or to the camp's own restaurant with a view of the lake. The highlight is the three-day trip to the remote valley of Shala or Valbona including a boat trip across Lake Koman. We decide which destination it will be based on the water, weather and the wishes of the group. In any case, a real adventure!

Explore the region

It is not for nothing that the Prokletije Mountains have the second name of the Albanian Alps. The steeply towering rock towers are reminiscent of the Dolomites, the turquoise of the drinking water-pure brooks is in no way inferior to the Soca. Almost all rivers offer sections for talented beginners as well as for the ambitious faller.

Cemit, Kir and Dushit can be reached in less than an hour's drive from Shkodra, and the Montenegrin lower course of the Cemit, the Cijevna, is just as close. Enough to do for a week.

The rivers

We start the week on the Cijevna in nearby Montenegro. Interrupted by longer pools, the lower reaches of the Cemi run through beautiful conglomerate gorges. Highlights are an (optional) cave passage and gorge slits that are as narrow as you have ever paddled. Guaranteed!

The local river Shkodra, the Kir, offers whitewater of all classes and up to four days of kayaking fun. The sweeping meanders at Prekal are ideal for warming up. Long waves that are massive when there is a lot of water are interspersed with play waves and leave a lot of space for individual lines. For the deeply cut gorge in the upper reaches, however, we have to get up early. Even the journey requires a lot of work from the drivers: the dirt road is narrow, muddy and littered with knee-deep potholes. The reward is technical WW III-IV - heavily blocked, demanding, beautiful.

The dushit in the southeast of the city is so far little known among paddlers. The two stretches through the deserted gorge require a lot of water - the partly gorge-like canyon gives you that expedition feeling.

Finally, at the Cemi, two completely different sections await us: On the left source river, the Cem i Vuklit, things are steep and blocked. In the united Cemi, bizarrely ornate gorges lead us towards the Montenegrin border.

And then there are Shala and Valbona, two of the biggest paddling rivers in the Balkans. Each of the valleys easily offers three days worth of white water. While the Valbona around Bajram Curri, which is easily accessible via the Koman ferry, also offers easier sections (WW II-III), the actual narrow valley of the Valbona is reserved for experienced paddlers. But there, too, there is a road side section (WW III-IV) that is hidden between very steep boulder slaloms (WW IV-V).

At the Shala, however, the limit of safe guiding is quickly reached when the flow is higher. The legendary breakthrough to Lake Koman is also possible for brave three-person paddlers if there is not too much water and expert guidance. But the exposure of this wildest river stage (WW III-IV) remains even a decade after our first trip. The road side sections between Thethi and the Shala Gate have short sections that are manageable for us. But the master is true creeking terrain.

Whether Valbona or Shala, we will visit at least one of the two options during the trip. Look forward to a real adventure!

Interested? Then come with us Skhodra Kayak City!