Maja Jezercë — Local services in Tropojë Municipality

Maja Jezercë is the highest peak in the 'Accursed Mountains', standing at 2694m. A tough day hike, it can be approached from different starting points. We (m, 26; f, 24) began in Theth. Let me break down our hike:

We parked the car in 'downtown Theth' and walked to the beginning of the Valbona trail. From there you clock your first 6.5km/1000m in altitude until you reach the Valbona Pass at ~1800m.

Unfortunately, there’s no direct connection to the trail leading to Maja Jezercë, so you’ll need to descend from around 1800m to ~1550m into the Valbona Valley before heading north to begin the second part of the hike.

From 1550m to 1900m you gain some altitude inside the valley before you keep to the right and ascend deeper into the higher mountains. This section is quite steep and tiring.

After you've reached 2200m the landscape changes noticabley. Vegetation almost fully disappears and the terrain becomes rocky. You manoeuver around some peakes until you get a first look at your target, Maja Jezercë, at 2400m.

From here, the trail leads you across several scree fields, heading straight toward the peak.

At 2600m is a small climbing section. It's not long, I'd say maybe ten meters, but you have to master it in order to reach the peak. There are steel wires drilled into the rock but it's still a proper climb. Be aware of that.

After that you have pretty much done it. Another 10 to 15 minutes and you have reached the peak.

This is a proper long hike. Do not attempt this if you do not feel comfortable hiking for 10+ hours. We clocked almost 2500m in altitude. But it's not just about getting up; you also need to walk back down again.

On top of Jezercë we met a group of Serbian hikers who ascended from the north side of the mountain. I have no information about this trail, but it is doable. A German duo of hikers ascended with us on the south side and wanted to descend on the north side so there is also the possibility of doing a full loop, eventually coming back to Theth. However, the trail from Theth via the north side is longer. We already hiked 26km. The loop will probably be at least 34km + (estimation).

That being said, if you feel comfortable, fit and really want to challenge yourself this hike might be something for you. Still, I'd recommend to let someone know that you are up there. Reception is a constant come and go. Sometimes it was fine, sometimes there was nothing, so don't expect that you will always be able to reach someone!

Thanks for reading & stay safe!

Timings

Theth - Valbona Pass 2H20 Valbona Pass - Maja Jezercë 3H50 (6H10 total)

Maja Jezercë - Theth 4H25 (10H55 total)

Please find attached the route and the height profile for more detailed information. All data comes from Strava. I do not guarantee that the tracking is 100% correct, but I think it gives a good estimation...

I climbed Maja Jezerca on 12 Sep as part of my version of the POB trek.

I started in the morning from Vusinje to the north in Montenegro, and hiked up to the Buni i Jezerca lakes in a side valley off the Ropojana valley which took just over 2hrs.

I planned to bivi that night, so jettisoned my gear near to the upper lake at an Elevation of 1800mt. This left 900mt Elevation gain to go to reach the summit.

From this point on the terrain gets increasingly challenging with a combination of karst rock, boulders fields, steep scree, and sections of scrambling for the last 300mt of elevation gain. It took just under 3hrs to reach the summit, which was worth all the effort with stunning 360 views, albeit cloud had started to gather. The descent down to camp took a further 2hr due to the technical nature of the terrain.

19.5km, with 1800mt ascent in just over 7hr moving time. Not bad.

Probably the toughest mountain I've climbed due to the relentless / brutal nature of the second half.

Next day I hiked down to Theth crossing over Qafe e Jezerces into upper Robojana valley, over the Peje pass, and steeply down the Harapit southern wall into the Theth valley. This was a further 19.5km with 1700mt+ descent and took 5hr moving time.

All in all a great 2 day section of...

I did this hike yesterday from Theth and back. I started early in the morning, passing Shalë Café at 7:30am and returned to Theth at 6:30pm (so a total of 11hrs including a break of maybe 20-30'). The path is not signaled super well (I lost it a couple of times) but it's doable if you are an experienced mountaineer. I would recommend to have an offline map (there is no reception in some parts) and let someone know your route and ETA before going. The part that is shared with the POB route is pretty busy but as soon as you "branch off" to Jezercë you're basically on your own. The coolest (and scariest) part of the climb is probably the last 500m of elevation to the peak: You climb a little, scramble over some rocks and pull yourself up on a metall rope. Be ware of loose rocks!

I would recommend this hike to people who are in a very good physical shape, and like climbing (no fear of heights). Maybe don't go alone like me. Also bring enough water and food for the whole day, I didn't find anywhere to fill up my bottle. Also bonus points if you bring a plastic bag to pick up other...