Through the Albanian Mountains

From Prizren (Kosovo) to Muriqan (Albania)

Sept 2, 2025

In the northwestern corner of Albania are the jagged peaks of the Albanian Alps, known more colorfully as the Accursed Mountains. There are plenty of tales of how they got their name. One story says the devil escaped one day and created them fueled by mischief. Another says it is the name given by the Serbian soldiers as they struggled through them. Whatever the origin, the very name is a potent lure, begging me to explore. But I haven’t the luxury now. It is the end of this summer’s travel and I am racing time. Logistics of travel are a tad iffy in these parts and I have a grueling couple of days ahead.

The road leads out of Prizren, past farms and villages that sit in bucolic stupor and soon we reach the border. There seems to be no separate controls for Kosovo or Albania, just the one stop but with one notable feature. All the buildings are purple. And not just the buildings; even the flowerpots are painted purple. I happen to like purple and smile at the quirkiness. The passports are collected by the conductor who greets the officials with much back-slapping and jokes exchanged. They disappear into a building and reappear a scant few minutes later. There is no stamp. And no indication I have left Kosovo and entered Albania.

We continue on through the gentle hills. It is soothing to see mountains after months of lands as flat as pancakes. There are plenty of new roads being made through these mountains, zigzagging up and down. Should I be back again, it will be unrecognizable.

But dark clouds are on the horizon and the rain gods are furious. We are soon driving through a monsoon-like deluge. A long stretch is stop-and-go because the rain has washed debris from the mountains onto the road ahead. But the heavy machinery soon clears enough for us to pass. We reach the border to Montenegro and again the conductor does his disappearing and re-appearing trick.