The High Scardus Trail is a long-distance, transnational hiking route which runs 225 miles (362km) through the mountains of the Western Balkans, criss-crossing the border between Kosovo and North Macedonia, and veering into Albania as well.
The route is a point-to-point hike consisting of 20 stages, starting and finishing in North Macedonia. Along the way, it crosses the mountains of Sharr, Korab, Deshat, Jablanica and Galichica and enters national parks in each country.
- Start point: Staro Selo (North Macedonia, 40km from Skopje)
- End point: Sveti Naum at Ohrid Lake (North Macedonia, 30km from Ohrid)
- Length: 225 miles (362km)
- Stages: 20 (+2 transfer stages)
- Altitude: 700m-2,764m
- Best for: Seasoned hikers, strong at navigating in remote environments
“The High Scardus Trail is a hiking route which was developed from around 2016,” says Uta Ibrahimi, a Kosovar mountaineer involved in the creation of the route. It’s only in the last few years that the trail has been properly mapped, though, with waymarkers installed and more accommodation opened along the distance, meaning it is now open and ready for thru-hikers.
“The idea was to connect the countries of Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania. It's 80% in Kosovo and Macedonia and 20% in Albania,” says Uta. The route was a joint project between local operators and the German development agency GIZ.
There is a lot of deep, very old forest. I love Sharr, because it's still very unspoiled and it's still very wild, compared to other trails...
The mega-trail is made up of numerous smaller, interlinking hiking routes, with many of the paths used on the High Scardus route originally built by Roman caravans, as long ago as the second-century BC.
“We used a lot of old trails and just made the connections,” says Uta. “The idea is to spend time in each of the countries involved - so you spend one night in Macedonia, the next night in Kosovo, and then you’re back again in Macedonia and then Kosovo again. So you go through very diverse terrain.”
The route starts in the village of Staro Selo, and many of the early stages take place in the Sharr Mountains. The trail takes in the ski resort of Brezovica and Mount Korab (2,764m/9,068ft), which is the highest peak in both Albania and North Macedonia, and runs through Galicica National Park before reaching the UNESCO-protected Lake Ohrid, which is not only beautiful, but is home to one of the oldest human settlements in the world - over 8,500 years old.
The ridges of the Western Balkans were used as military vantage points during the Kosovo war, which took place in 1998 and 1999.
Along the way, expect to see ancient monasteries, picturesque towns, cut off from the world by the mountains, and shepherds still minding flocks.
Of course, the borders here are also steeped in not-so-ancient history, as the ridges of the Western Balkans were used as military vantage points during the Kosovo war, which took place in 1998 and 1999.
While landmines were common on the border of Kosovo and Albania at that time, the mountains here were declared landmine-free in 2001. Tourism, however, is largely still in its infancy here.
“Albania is more popular now, and tourism numbers are increasing, but a lot of people still connect Kosovo with the war and the conflicts,” says Uta. “That’s why people don’t expect there to be mountains like this. Or the people - when you come into Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, it’s very safe; it’s very European and we have a large international community here.
“Often expectations are low, but when people come here, they’re so surprised - and they’re so happy with the landscape and the people and accommodation. If we’re talking about Sharr, you have forests, big valleys, meadows, and a lot of wildlife.”
The animals range from boars, deer and chamois to lynx, bears and wolves.
“And the hospitality here is special too,” says Ibrahimi. “People are very generous. They open their hearts. You are immediately part of the family.”
Stuart Kenny
Uta is a pioneering Kosovar guide and mountaineer. In May 2017, she became the first person from Kosovo ever to have climbed Mount Everest.
Ibrahimi has climbed 13 of the 14 8,000m (26,246ft) mountains in the world since, and looks set to become the first person from the Balkans to complete the full set of 14 when she ventures out to climb Kangchenjunga later this year.
She will always have a special place in her heart for her local Sharr Mountains.
“It’s a true love,” she says. “You can be in the middle of a valley, with high peaks around - up to 2,748m, Titov Peak - and there are technical routes as well. It’s where I go to refill my energy.
“When you start hiking from the villages, there is a lot of very deep, old forest. I love Sharr, because it's still very unspoiled and it's still very wild compared to other trails - for example, the Peaks of the Balkans trail, which is beautiful, but which has so many people on the trail now.”
Indeed, the High Scardus Trail was developed partly as an alternative option to the Peaks of the Balkan Trail, which covers Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro, but is becoming increasingly popular.
“The last group we had with Much Better Adventures in Sharr, everybody was saying "wow! wow!" because we spent so many days on the trail where it was just us,” Uta says. “It's so beautiful.”
There are cultural aspects and diversities, too. “From one village to another in Sharr can be quite different,” Uta says. “We have Sharr-y cheese, and even though the villages are so near to one another, the way that they make it is different; the way they fold the cheese; what kind of herbs they use - so we try to spend time in a range of villages in Macedonia and Kosovo.”
Whilst there are waymarkers along the sections of the High Scardus Trail, navigating can be tricky at times, and experience of orienteering and navigating without paths is required. The best option is simply to hire a local guide, who can tailor your experience on the route to your fitness and interest levels.
“Sometimes we climb peaks, or sometimes we just walk through the pass beneath them,” says Ibrahimi. “If we have clients who want to challenge themselves more, we can do that, or if not, we can walk on the passes and on the saddles, and go between Macedonia and Kosovo.”
Those who really want to challenge themselves can take on the High Scardus Ultra - an ultra-marathon which takes place on the route once a year, started by Uta and her team. “The race is usually the first weekend of September,” she says.
Mere mortals are more likely to take each of the 20 stages one day at a time, though it is also easy to break the route down into shorter itineraries.
The regulations currently in place on the trail state that only guides local to the areas the trail runs through can guide on the High Scardus route. So, by hiking it with a guide, you’ll be helping the fledgling outdoor economy here thrive.
When is the Best Time to Walk the High Scardus Trail?
The best time to walk the High Scardus Trail is from mid-June to mid-October.
If you go earlier than mid-June, you may find snowfields which make navigating extremely challenging (though stages 16-19 in the Jablanica Mountains, and 20-22 in the Galichia National Park are at a lower altitude, and so can usually be walked from the beginning of June).
Expect the height of summer - July and August - to be extremely hot and often dry. Temperatures around 40°C (104F) are not uncommon in towns, while in the higher reaches of the mountains, it is substantially cooler. In winter and spring, the trail is buried under snow and is un-hikeable. If you’re looking at exploring the region in that period, it’s likely you’ll be doing so with skis on. “We also do ski touring and cat-skiing,” says Uta. “It’s great - and a lot of people come for it.”
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