I messed up our posting schedule, and you may have missed yesterday's post. If so, you can read it here...
https://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2021/05/more-beautiful-lake-ohrid-scenery.html
Yesterday, we drove up into the mountains in behind Pogradec. We were looking for a way to get to Guri i Kamjes, a neat geological formation that sticks up from the surrounding hills. We could see it from a distance, but weren't sure what roads might take us there, and of course whether or not the roads might be passable without a 4 wheel drive vehicle.
We've learned that generally, the further you get off the main roads in Albania, the more they deteriorate. And sure enough, that's what happened in this case. But we managed to get within 4 kms (2.5 miles), so that was good enough to park the car and hike the rest.
Scenery looking back at Lake Ohrid.
A small reservoir along the way.
Bird life.
Like I said, the road is starting to deteriorate.
We parked the car shortly after this point.
We are heading up there.
Uphill, every step of the way.
A shepherd and his flock.
Getting there.
We rounded the bend, and in front of us was this gorgeous view!
We are headed up there.
Wow.
Albania continues to impress us. So much variety in such a small package!
Guri i Kamjes.
The village of Osnat.
Still lots of snow up there.
Heading higher.
Looking back at Lake Ohrid.
We made it to the base of the structure.
We couldn't find any way to get to the very top. I'm sure people have done it before, but there is no actual trail. You might need ropes and climbing gear, and we're not into that. I had seen videos and photos of people who have hiked along the upper ridge, but we couldn't find the trail. Didn't matter, the views were spectacular anyhow.
The road we took back down.
We could see a dirt road on the other side, and I checked the mapping app to see if it would bring us back to our car. It was a longer route, but we needed the exercise anyhow! Besides, we always like to do a circular route if at all possible, rather than having to go back the way we came.
Looking back at where we had been.
We sat and had a snack here.
We saw this new bridge off in the distance.
A funny rock sticking up on that ridge.
Zoomed in.
New highway, not open yet.
As we got closer to that new bridge, we got a better look at it. We found out later that this is a new highway they are building to bypass the city of Pogradec and keep traffic off the lakeshore.
That is the road we hiked up.
Back at the car, we had hiked just over 11 kms (6.8 miles). What a beautiful area, and so many hiking opportunities.
Today is moving day! Our week here in Pogradec is up, and we are heading to the northern part of the country to a city called Shkodra near the border of Montenegro. It's a bit of a drive, and we have to go right back through the big city of Tirana... so we better get going!
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And in Canada...
Follow the dirt roads, they are the best!! We are enjoying Albania with you. 💕
ReplyDeleteYep they sure are, except that we end up hiking on most of them instead of driving because our car isn't equipped for some of those roads, lol. :-)
DeleteGreat header pic!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris, it sure is a good one. :-)
DeleteAwesome views on a beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteThe views were amazing! We can't even begin to believe what they will be like when we get up into the Albanian Alps. We are going to feel like we are in heaven up there. :-)
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