Maja e Jezercës

Maja e Jezercës is a hard hike in Accursed Mountains, Albania: 22 km taking 10–12 hours, with 1700 m of ascent and a high point of 2694 m.

Distance: 22 km
Time: 10–12 h
Ascent: 1700 m
High point: 2694 m
Difficulty: Hard

What to expect

Terrain

Forest track, alpine meadow, then long limestone boulder fields and a short exposed scramble to the top.

Phone signal

None after the treeline. Carry a whistle and a paper map or offline GPX.

Crowds

Rarely more than a handful of parties a day, even in August.

Waymarking: Faint cairns above the meadows and almost none near the summit. A local guide is strongly advised.

Elevation profile

Hover or tap a dot to see water points, cafés and the high point.

Route map & waypoints

Tap a waypoint to centre the map on it, or open it straight in Google Maps.

Navigate & download

Google Maps Apple Maps 360° view Satellite

Load the GPX into Organic Maps, Maps.me or AllTrails before you leave the valley — signal disappears on most of these routes.

Water

No reliable water above the treeline, carry 3L

Safety

Scrambling near the summit. Hire a local guide. Storms often roll in after 2pm.

Emergency & safety

Save these numbers before you start Maja e Jezercës. Several hikers get lost here every season.

112 All emergenciesEnglish-speaking operators, works without a SIM card 127 AmbulanceNdihma e Shpejtë 128 Fire & rescueAlso called out for mountain incidents 129 State PolicePolicia e Shtetit

Albania has no 24/7 helicopter mountain-rescue service. Call 112 first, then your guesthouse — searches in Theth, Valbona and Jezerca are run by police with local volunteer rescuers and guesthouse owners, and they need hours to reach you.

Tell someone your planBefore you leave, tell your guesthouse which trail you are walking, when you expect to arrive and who is with you. This is the single thing that starts a search early.
Download the route firstSignal disappears on the passes. Save the GPX or KML from this page into Organic Maps, Maps.me or AllTrails, and download the offline map area while you still have wifi.
Turn back by 13:00Thunderstorms build over the Accursed Mountains in the early afternoon. If you have not reached the pass or summit by 13:00, turn around.
Follow the red-and-white blazesNever follow goat paths, scree chutes or shortcuts, especially in cloud. If you lose the blazes, walk back to the last one you saw.
Carry the basicsAt least 2 litres of water, sun cover, a headtorch, a foil blanket, a power bank and a whistle. Three blasts means help needed.
Cash and no ATMsThere is no ATM in Theth or Valbona. Carry lek in cash for cafés, guesthouses and any 4x4 lift out of the valley.

Check current conditions before you set off.

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