Sometimes you have those tours or trips on the motorbike that give you butterflies in your stomach the night before departure. You feel a little nervous, because you know that something beautiful is waiting for you… and at the same time something exciting… because the route is going to give you unknown challenges, which later grow into grand anecdotes.

Theth National Park is an impressive and beautiful landscape in northern Albania. The tour takes you on paved and mostly unpaved roads right through the park, past a number of beautiful sights and beautiful views.

But first there is another important choice: the place to stay. The start and end point of this route starts at Saint Joseph's farm guest house. This idyllic farm, located outside Shkodër, offers a great opportunity to get acquainted with the friendliness of the Albanian people. The host welcomes you with open arms and offers you a wonderful quiet place to relax in nature. If you are looking for culture and a vibrant city, you can choose to stay overnight in the Wanderers hostel in the heart of Shkodër. Tourists wrongly see the city as a transit port. The city exudes a friendly yet vibrant atmosphere. You can enjoy the diversity of art and culture here.

Whichever “basecamp” you choose, in both cases your route starts with refueling your motorcycle along the main road to the North. Once on the route you will not come across any gas stations!
Fortunately, the main road is short-lived. You will have a moment to catch an occasional glimpse of Lake Shkodra to your left. Soon you turn right off the main road and you see the mountain peaks of the Albanian Alps looming.
You will find your way over small by-roads towards the entrance of Theth National Park. Keep in mind that the Garmin gives a misdirection. The route includes where this happens and how you can solve it.

The climb has also started from sea level. To practice on the two major mountain climbs, you pass a modest peak via the Qafa Dukës mountain pass, at a maximum height of 300 meters.
Once over this pass, the journey upwards begins. The road winds and is partly paved. Here and there you come across a number of unpaved roads. The first kilometers slowly disappear under the wheels. After about 2 hours of driving you have covered only 58 kilometers. Hence a short break to recover from the first technical part of the route. At Hotel & Restaurant Kulla e Bjraktarit you can take a break and drink a (Turkish) coffee to gather strength for the rest of the route.

Because from here begins the tough part of your adventure. The first hairpin bends will appear on your navigation system and for the next hour you will be busy rising 600 meters to an altitude of 1750 meters and then descending again 1300 meters, deep into the valley of the park and the village of the same name. .
This mountain pass is a true spectacle. Even if you don't get above the tree line, here and there you will find spots along the side of the road where you can stop for a while to take in the surroundings. In the distance you can see the rough (and often snow-capped) mountain peaks. In the foreground are also regularly commemorative places: so you can immediately learn something about special people, whether or not Albanian heroes from history.
Keep in mind that even during the descent Garmin has trouble with the route and wants to deviate, because it does not recognize a road. Keep following the main dirt road until you rejoin the original route in the valley of Theth.

You are now driving through the heart of the National Park, along the river Lumi i Thethit. This river cuts its way through the landscape and then merges into the Shales, Drin and Kiri rivers. These rivers are a nice compass during your ride… and perhaps also a pleasant refreshment during a cold day: the temperature of the water is usually around 7⁰ Celsius.
In some places the water cuts through the landscape. A great example of this is the Grunas Canyon. Take a walk to the narrow wooden bridge that has been built over the canyon. Here you can see, at a depth of about 40 meters, the water cutting through the canyon below you.
A little later on the route you can take a walk to the stone forest at Nderlysa. These special rock formations are again created by the continuous grinding effect of the flowing water. If you want to view this, deviate briefly from the route. In the village of Kappre you can also take a break at the local restaurant or bar.

Those who skip this point can stop a little further up the route at Bar Kafe Skollaj, located right on the route and on the waters of the river. Delicious local dishes are also served here and you can cool off with a large glass of cold lemonade.

From here the second big climb of the day starts. Via a continuous supply of curves and hairpins you climb to an altitude of 1200 meters, on the Qafa Astrës mountain pass. Also during this climb you will be amazed by the beautiful mountain peaks and vast landscapes. Sometimes it is also worth stopping along the (right side of the) road and marveling at the deep abyss.

Once you arrive at Buffe Prekali, you know that the hardest part of the route is behind you. Take a well-deserved break before starting the (somewhat) quiet part back towards Shkodër.
From here the road simply slides along the Kiri River. Along the way you will come across a number of places where you can see how the sometimes raging water has carved its tracks in the rocks. This can be seen especially well at the Kiri Canyon (Kanioni i Kirit). Maybe even after a hot day a dip in the icy water at “the narrow bridge” (Ura e shtrejt) is a pleasant refreshment?

As a cultural dessert on the icing, on the last part of the route you pass the bridge of Mesi. Built in the 18th century by a local Ottoman officer, this bridge connected Shkodër with a number of towns north of the city. Today it is mainly a tourist attraction, where you can take beautiful pictures of the bridge in the foreground and the Albanian Alps in the background.

You will eventually arrive at your final destination fully fueled and hopefully look back on a great adventure. One that you will remember regularly with fond memories for years to come.

Finally, a practical tip: keep in mind the pace at which you drive this route. The first part of the route (Shkodër to Theth) is expected to take approximately 3 hours. The second part of the route (Theth to Shkodër via the East side) takes about 6 hours in practice under good conditions. During your preparation for this route, it is good to consider booking an overnight stay in or past (the village) Theth, so that you can spend two days on the route.