TIRANA, July 9 – President Bamir Topi has called on travel agencies to promote the northern national Park of Theth, considered the most beautiful mountain tourism area found in the Albanian Alps, as a top travel destination both for Albanians and foreigners.
Speaking at an open-air traditional meeting with local inhabitants and officials last weekenf, President Topi encouraged tourists to visit Theth, saying that they would not be disappointed by what he called best “postcard of northern Albania”
“These people here have extraordinary opportunities to combine agriculture and tourism in order to attract as many tourists as possible. We should turn these mountains into sources of revenue and profit just like tourism in Switzerland, Germany and other Central European countries,” said the President.”
Several projects have been implemented in Theth during the past four years with assistance by international organizations such as Germany’s GTZ which has helped some 15 local families turn their homes into small inns.
Local officials says up to 50 tourists a day visit Theth.
However, the poor road infrastructure from Boge to Theth and power cuts remain an obstacle for the development of tourism in this areas.
The Theth Park is part of the Balkan Peace Park project that covers Albanian, Montenegrin and Kosovo territories.
The park also has a blood feud tower, a symbol of the revenge phenomenon governed by a medieval Code of Honour, still present in northern Albania.
The “sustainable economic development, social peace” conference was also attended by head of the EC Delegation to Albania, Ambassador Helmuth Lohan, and German Ambassador Bernd Borchardt as well as senior culture and local government officials.
About Theth
Warm fires, gracious hospitality, and stunning nature are just a few of the things tourists can expect on a visit to Theth, a remote mountain village in the Shkodra region in northern Albania – and a national park. The surrounding mountains are full of hiking trails and natural beauty. Theth valley is truly a land of plenty, rich enough to sustain residents with livelihoods, where the grapes hang heavily off the vines, blackberry bushes pepper the trails, and fresh mountain streams provide fish and nurture the land.
Theth is located at a distance of 70 km from the town of Shkodra, in the heartland of the Albanian Alps. The park has an area of 2,630 hectares and lies at an elevation of 600 to 2,570 metres above sea level. The most common type of vegetation is the beech tree. Beeches make up about 90% of forests in the area. Here you can find century-old beeches with a trunk diameter of 1 to1.5 metres. Other common kinds of vegetation are maples, ashes, hornbeams, and Heldreich pines. There is also a great variety of flowers and plants, including the noted Baldacchi Wulfenia, an endemic plant that only grows in Theth. As regards fauna, the area is home to 50 species of birds, 10 species of reptiles and 8 kinds of amphibians. Theth Park has the largest population of felix lynx in Albania, which is an endangered species. Other typical species are golden eagle, several types of woodpeckers, Alpine salamander and a variety of butterflies. Other natural attractions in Theth National Park is the Grunas Waterfall, 25-30 metres high, which is located close to the Birre me Rrath롃ave, rich in galleries, stalactites and stalagmites. Another interesting location to visit is the Arapi Cave. Of great interest are also the Okoli water springs which are the source of the Theth stream where the brook trout grows. Close to Nderlysa there is another interesting waterfall. These water springs are found at about 850 metres above the sea level. Snow precipitations are common in the area and create a stable layer of snow for a period of 150 days a year. Activities: hiking, mountain climbing, caving, kayaking, fishing, winter sports and mountain-biking. Mountain bike tours can start in Koplik, pass through Theth and then from Theth through the Shala valley. Accommodation is offered by local families in their characteristic stone houses with alpine-style roofs.
How to get to Theth
The itinerary to reach Theth is Tirana-Shkodra-Koplik-Boge. The distance from Tirana is 180 kilometers but poor road infrastructure from Koplik, the centre of Malesia e Madhe district, to Boge, a one-way street, makes the trip a bit difficult. The unpaved gravel road from Boge to Theth takes two hours.
