Journey to Valbona

If you are looking for kayaks - that’s the place to go. The women there are the only ones in the whole area renting out all the gear from kayaks to paddles to wetsuits. Cathrine might also be the only person who can give some information about the river and what sections you can paddle (although she is not white water kayaking herself). But as she is the one hosting a kayak camp with the help of some German Pro kayak guys once a year she collected some information over the time. Anyway … if you happen to be in the area, hop in the shop and grab a handmade card of the valbona trails or just a postcard to support the local women working there. And if you are lucky you might be able to catch a room at her lovely house where she sometimes rents one out - presuming you love dogs and all the other animals living with her in the small paradise of her house and garden. ;)

I mean... This is not a shop.. This is not a restaurant.. This is not a tour operator.. This is so much more than that! If travel and tourism would be a religion, this would be the Mecca and the Vatican of it! It has a soul. It has light. It's a place where you feel the combat, the struggle, the light, the darkness, the fun, the drama, the comedy, the art, the nature, the spirit, the taste, the tears, the laugh.. Gerta and the Girls are just great great hosts. They deserve all the attention possible. Giving them attention and a bit of time, is just the most rewarding thing you can do for yourself. I wish there were more similar places with the same kind of approach in Northern Albania. I wish there were more places like this in the World. This is the kind of place where the World starts to become a better one. And than there's Catherine Bohne (discretely being behind the whole Journey to Valbona universe): If travel was classic music, she would be the Giuseppe Verdi of it! If travel was literature, she would be the Gabriel Garcia Marques of it! If travel was sports, she would be the Maradona of it! She's the leader of a real small revolution that is happening in Bajram Curri since many years now! People - do yourself a favour! Stop at this place! Not just to buy a souvenir or to have a meal (in both cases this is one of the best places in the country) but to have a travel experience, to cry, to laugh, to ask, to tell, to learn, to teach! It's a spiritual place! Definitely stop there! You will only have a risk: it will be hard to leave it on time to visit surroundings! Try hard! You can do it!

Fantastic little place to pick up hiking maps and local products including gorgeous handmade rugs and different flavors of raki. The woman we spoke with was very knowledgeable about the area and difficulty of the hikes. We inquired about mushroom hunting and she introduced us to a young Italian doctoral student who took us out the next day. It has been one of the highlights of our trip. Hope this organization gets lots of support from travelers to this beautiful part of Albania!

Tropoje is filled with some kind of magic. And the shop (for want of a better word...) is such a good place to catch a glimpse of it and meet people who can show you round the area.

An incredible shop with all the heart and knowledge you could possible imagine. Its a cumulation of the wondrous minds of Tropoja (through all the things you can buy / taste / read about) and the people who work there help you in every way they can!

Good

Es una agencia local que intermedia entre los guesthouses y los huéspedes, fomentando el desarrollo económico del valle y su protección. No obstante, creo que le falta experiencia en el sector turístico, no siendo especialmente barata en comparación con otras agencias. Nosotros contratamos un paquete de traslados, ferry, alojamientos y guía turístico en Vallbona y Theth. La persona de contacto en nuestro caso era muy joven y tal vez por eso un poco falta de experiencia. Se produjo cierta descoordinación en las reservas de los alojamientos (uno de ellos nos esperaba un día mas tarde, otro creía que teníamos que pagar un día adicional) y el último traslado al punto de partida no estaba incluido y tuvimos que contratarlo por nuestra cuenta.
Hay que tener en cuenta que los alojamientos en guesthouses pueden variar mucho en cuanto a los servicios de que disponen (algunos no cuentan con duchas y las habitaciones pueden ser compartidas) así que es recomendable chequear las condiciones de los mismos para comprobar que se ajustan a lo esperado.