Montenegro & Albania Unpaved
Everyone is in great spirits as we leave Dubrovnik behind and set off on our adventure! First stop: the viewpoint at Fort Imperial, built by Napoleon — yes, he was here too! Then we take a smaller road into Bosnia and Herzegovina, and just 30 km later we cross into Montenegro. After a coffee stop, we continue along a spectacular and rugged concrete track through the forest, making our way around the back roads to the Bay of Kotor. Following lunch, we turn onto a single-lane mountain road that later becomes a gravel track — definitely an exciting ride at times :-) Luckily, we’ve got some fantastic drivers on board! Next stop is Slano Lake, where we drive halfway around it on gravel roads, and now we’re almost there. Five of us decide to continue on to Manastir Ostrog. Hats off to the guys — what an incredible day!
In the morning we head north and slowly gain some altitude before we reach the „Krnovo saddle“. After a coffee we hit a gravel road, leading us deeper into the Durmitor national parc. Just a few turns before we reach the peak, snow is blocking our way. So we have to turn around and look for another road. In the afternoon we visit the „Tara“ canyon and as the weather is a bit rainy we decide to reach the hotel a bit earlier.
The sun is shining brightly as we’re served a magnificent local breakfast — and the two people running the whole hotel are incredibly friendly! Then we set off: an unexpected turn takes us down into the valley before we blast up a narrow one-lane road with every kind of surface imaginable and plenty of beautiful potholes along the way. Then comes our off-road alternative, which I had scouted yesterday with our Ranger because of the snow higher up. Everyone is fully into it. A quirky coffee stop, a small lunch in Kolašin, and then it’s back into the wild. This section has it all once again: bigger rocks, water, mud, and even a few patches of snow — definitely challenging! At the top we reach the Komovi Nature Park. What an incredible place up here! And then another fantastic off-road descent down the mountain. An amazing day!!
12 km to the Albanian border, then along a beautiful, winding mountain road past the Vermosh Canyon, continuing down into the valley alongside steep rock faces. Up the Qafër Pass on endless switchbacks, followed by a coffee stop in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, where we are surely today’s highlight, before tackling a short stretch of gravel road. Then up to the Thore Pass and down an exciting road into Theth, right in the heart of the Albanian Alps. After lunch, we continue through the mountains on around 50 km of gravel roads toward Shkodra, with the last 15 km becoming a bit more challenging — but absolutely stunning! Our dinner is excellent as well, and a short evening walk brings us closer to Shkodra, a hub on ancient trade routes for more than 2,000 years. What a day!
Today we started our ride quite early to catch the ferry on lake Koman. On the ferry we experienced the beautiful landscape around us. After a short stop in Fierze we continued on the road of a hundred turns and enjoyed countles sweepers in beautiful mountain scenery. In the afternoon we arrived in Kukes, which is situated in a beautiful mountain scenery.
Today we started our ride in perfect sunshine on twisty roads through the mointains. After a coffee in a small town called Fushe Arrez, it was time for our first offroad segment. On forest dirt roads we gained altitude, until we stopped at a viewpoint and relaxed for a bit. Later we went by the old prison of Spac. In the afternoon the most challenging offroad section awaited us with a lot of mud and deep puddles. It was quite a challenge, but as a team we managed to get through. In the evening we arrived back in Shkoder. Exhausted but happy. What a day.
Our last riding day! At first, some wanted to arrive in Dubrovnik earlier and split off after the coffee break… but the team spirit — just like over the past few days — kept the group together. Sharing the experience matters most. And the route was simply incredible: super twisty single-lane roads along Lake Skadar, later through Lovćen National Park, then that breathtaking view through the clouds onto the Bay of Kotor… just wow! We continued right along the waterfront, crossed quietly into Croatia, and tackled our final off-road section — including a flat tire and a few tip-overs. But nobody got hurt, and everyone helped each other out. What an amazing final riding day! And what a fantastic farewell evening filled with great stories. Such a wonderful group! We hope to see you all again soon on another tour. Safe travels! Holger & Björn