Why Theth?
Amy often chooses the lesser-known destinations and in 2019, Albania was lesser-known than it is now (check out her blog Homemade adventures). She visited several places there, such as Gjirokastër and the mountain village of Theth. “The combination of culture and nature really appealed to me and it wasn’t that expensive. And I thought there was a good chance of nice weather in the month of May, but unfortunately the weather was bad when I was there.”
“People asked me: ‘Are you going to travel around Albania by yourself?’ Yes, that’s what I’m going to do. And from the moment I got into a taxi in Albania, it felt nice and familiar – whereas I really hate taxis.”
“The combination of culture and nature really appealed to me. And Albania stole my heart, especially because of the interactions with locals”
What immediately caught you attention in Theth?
“I walked from Valbonë to Theth. I walked down the mountain and could already see Theth a bit, as well as the river flowing there. The houses are made of big, coarse stones. It was like going back in time. I heard this has been changing, though. There is an asphalt road to Theth now, which wasn’t there when I was there. And bigger hotels are being built.”
What are your recommendations?
- Amy definitely recommends the walk from Valbonë to Theth. Her tip: take a guide with you. “When I was there, there was still a lot of snow, so the locals advised me to take a guide with me. Besides being convenient for safety reasons, the guide explained so much about the region. It was really worth the money.” Amy also thinks it’s nice to walk through Theth itself.
- Amy speaks highly of Bujtina Polia, the guesthouse where she stayed. She had not booked an overnight stay in advance, but because she travelled in the off-season, many guesthouses had rooms available. “The people at the guesthouse were so very friendly. I could eat there, which was nice because there weren’t really any restaurants in Theth. You could choose between meat or vegetarian and I got a huge amount of food. I got eight different dishes. I hate brown beans, but the brown bean soup was really tasty.” Amy had met people on the hike who were camping in Theth. “I was allowed to bring food from my guesthouse to the campsite.”
- In the remote parts of Theth, some houses are tall and have almost no windows. This is striking. “Because it is so remote, people used to have their own laws and traditions here. If someone was killed, the victim’s family was allowed to take revenge on the murderer and all the men in his family. Windowless houses – kullas – were used as hiding places. I went inside a kulla. It was a small museum, you could see how people used to live there.”
- Theth also has a cute little church – which is now Insta famous according to Amy. It’s called Kisha e Thethit.
- In terms of nature, you can also hike to a Blue eye and the Grunas waterfall. Amy unfortunately didn’t go here because of the weather.
What is your fondest memory?
Amy also recommends being open to interacting with the locals. “I connected with the locals in Theth. There was a little boy about five years old and he was walking with a flock of sheep and lambs. He was hiding shyly behind a tree. Eventually, he gestured for me to follow him, so I did. We went to his house and he looked for his mother. I think he wanted me to go inside with him, but he couldn’t find his mother. Albania stole my heart, especially because of these kinds of interactions with locals.”
Disclaimer: At Balkanlocals, we primarily focus on the countries that were part of the former Yugoslavia, with a particular emphasis on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia. Occasionally, we make exceptions and share stories about other remarkable countries in the region.
