Kosovo
A new dawn in the Balkans
Europe’s newest country is also one of its most talked about. Kosovo self-declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognised by more than 100 countries as a nation — but not Serbia, with whom animosity still lingers.
Despite the signs of conflict that still haunt the region, Kosovo is a safe place to travel to. Visitors come for hiking in the Sharr Gorge and Rugova Canyon, to see 13-century monasteries and enjoy mountain villages, but the biggest draw is the welcome of Kosovans who want you to enjoy their fledgling state.
If you’re after off-the-beaten-path Europe, it doesn’t get much more unspoilt than Kosovo.
Hidden gems in Kosovo
Balkans
High Scardus Trail
The High Scardus Trail (HST) is a new hiking route following the mountainous border between North Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania. It’s incredibly wild and remote, taking in most of the Šar mountain range and Mt Korab, the fourth highest peak in the Balkans, as well as several national parks. Accommodation comes in the form of small village guesthouses, also offering meals, and mountain huts. The High Scardus Trail is broken into three sections. The main section, described here, is an 11 day route stretching just under 300km across the Šar mountains and Mt Korab. Further south there are two shorter sections requiring three days and two days respectively. The latter makes a crossing of Galičica National Park between Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa. The HST starts northwest of Skopje and climbs up to the Ljuboten mountain hut, just below the main border ridge. It follows the ridge southwest before dropping slightly on the Albanian side to Brezovica. The trail continues along the ridge, before dropping back into Albania, with a more significant loss in elevation, to reach Prevala. Crossing back to the North Macedonian side, it skirts below Vrtop and descends slightly to Veshala. It then heads up the valley to gain the main ridge again and descends to Brod on the Albanian side. The trail leads south from Brod, keeping to the Albanian side, before crossing the border ridge into North Macedonia again and entering Mavrovo National Park. Back on the border ridge, the route makes a slight detour to climb Mt Korab, before there’s yet another switch to the Albanian side to reach Radomirë in Korab Koritnik Nature Park. After following the Albanian side of the border ridge for a few more days, the trail descends to the village of Butushe in North Macedonia.Need to know The hiking season is from June to early October. The HST requires two transfers to get between the three separate sections of the trail. A cross-border permit is mandatory for this route, local agencies can arrange these for a small fee. The trail is covered by a series of six excellent maps at 1:50,000, which are free to download. There’s a big annual hike on Korab organised by a local mountaineering club in September.
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