Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the church in Theth, walk south down the Shala valley on the track past scattered stone farmhouses and the Grunas canyon, then on beside the river to the hamlet of Ndërlysaj, where clear pools lie in the white rock of the river bed. There the path climbs west into a side valley to the Blue Eye (Syri i Kaltër), an oval spring of deep blue water below the cliffs. Return the same way.
It is 17.6 km there and back with 461 m of ascent; allow about 5½ hours. The grade is Hard: a long day on a stony valley track, then a rough path with steep, rocky sections to the pool.
Theth is reached by a mountain road from Shkodër that can be blocked by snow in winter, and most guesthouses close from late autumn. Take water and sun protection, as the valley track has little shade. The water of the Blue Eye is very cold.
Park by your guesthouse in Theth. The church, built in 1892 and restored in 2005, is in the middle of the village.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- The Blue Eye of Theth is an oval spring of deep blue water, like an eye in the rock
- The way runs down the Shala valley past the Grunas canyon before climbing to the pool above Ndërlysaj
- Theth's church was built in 1892 and restored in 2005; the village also keeps a stone lock-in tower
- Nearly nine tenths of the old Theth National Park is beech forest
Getting there
Start: Theth, village church. 42.38943, 19.78166
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Theth: Booking.com → Expedia →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.
