Hike ‘The Edge’ in Kosovo
Lynx. Bears. A 532.72 km2 national park. Two mountain peaks over 2500m high, and a camp on the edge of the ridgeline that connects them
What's Included?
Small Like-minded Groups
Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 12 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people…
…
What's it like?
Trek the spine-tingling ridgeline that connects two 2500m+ peaks in the remote Sharr Mountain National Park
Keep your peepers open for bear, lynx, wild boar and roe deer as you bag up to four challenging peaks in a single day
Visit this unspoilt country brimming with glacial lakes, alpine plateaus and dramatic limestone cliffs before the secret gets out
Key Information
Day 1
Meet your crew and eat out in Pristina
Arrive in Pristina and meet for a pre-trip briefing with your host. There's time to relax into the Kosovan spirit and enjoy a late dinner with your fellow adventurers.
Day 2
Hike 'The Edge'
Hiking
From Pristina, you'll be driven to the village of Prevalla where your hike into the Sharr and Bistra Mountains begins. Starting at 1500m, you’ll hike along one of the most beautiful routes in Kosovo, following a 600-year-old trade route. Keep your eyes peeled for lynx and bears! You’ll hike up Kosovo’s second-highest peak, Bistra Peak (2650m) and pass the source of the Lumbardhi River which you probably admired from the arched footbridge on arrival in Prizren. With views of the Albanian Alps and Macedonia, you’ll continue your adventure as you walk the ridgeline, known as The Edge. Weather permitting, you’ll hike two to four of the range’s peaks including Bistra and Guzhbaba (2589m). When you’ve bagged as many peaks as you can in a day, it’s back to camp – you’ll be pitching up close to The Edge, so have your camera ready for some stunning sunset shots.
Day 3
Two more peaks and then home
Hiking
Bag another belter today, as you hike two more peaks, stopping for a rest at a picturesque mountain lake at 2400m before pushing on to the summit. Journey back to Pristina, stopping in Prizren to share a traditional meal and swap stories with your new hiking friends. From there, you’ll carry on to Pristina, where bed (or a local bar) is waiting.
Day 4
Time to take your weary legs home
Have a lazy start to the day before enjoying a cultural tour around Pristina during the morning, to take in some of the city's highlights. The afternoon is free for you to explore the city on your own, before heading back to the airport armed with some great stories and a pocketful of photos.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Pristina Airport
Arrive by 20:45 on Day 1
Ends
Pristina Airport
Depart by 19:00 on Day 4
Transfers
Your transfer will collect you at 20:45 on Day 1 and drop you back at the airport at 19:00 on Day 4. If you arrive outside of these times, your host can arrange a private transfer for an extra cost. Please see Optional Extras.
Travel options
There are regular flights to Pristina from major airports across the UK and Europe.
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 4
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Your host will be able to give recommendations for eating out on the first night, and on the last night together you’ll enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. You’ll have a choice from a few dishes, with extra orders and drinks payable separately.
While out hiking, the food will be simple camping food that you will be given to carry yourself. There's no chef as such on the trek, so everyone will get involved and help your guide(s) with the food preparation. Picnic lunches include a sandwich for each day (vegetarian or tuna), fruit and biscuits. You may want to also bring a few personal snacks.
Dinner will be simple camping food such as noodles, cooked over a gas stove at the campsite. Breakfast will be muesli with fruit. Food in Kosovo generally is Mediterranean with a strong Turkish and Albanian influence. Breakfasts are typically fresh bread and cheese, eggs or French toast. Lunches and dinners include savoury burek pies, hearty casseroles, spiced sausages, roasted lamb, stuffed peppers and fresh vegetables.
Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for - please just let your host know on booking.
What is the accommodation like?
Pristina
Your first and last night will be spent in a hostel in Pristina. This will usually be Hostel Tuba, which offers rooms with private bathrooms and is known for its excellent location and friendly service. There's also free WiFi, a bar, a shared lounge, and a garden.
Gushababa Camp
Your second night will be spent camping under the stars with stunning views of the mountain range when you unzip your 2 or 3 man tent in the morning.
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room and tent can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).
Hiking the edge in Kosovo was a great trip. Our local guide, Meto, was fun and energetic and really understood the local history and culture of the region. Really good group dynamic, and overall super positive energy. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to explore this beautiful part of the world!
Excellent trip, would recommend and come back to Kosovo again. Meto, our guide, was a font of knowledge, organised everything and adapted the itinarary to each of the groups needs. We did so much in 3 days... seeing two cities, cultural tours, great local meals, climbing many peaks and camping in the mountains.
The mountains and area were stunning! The views are definitely worth those climbs. We were so lucky to have Meto as our guide. He really made sure that the different needs of the group members were catered for and was very adaptable. Meto went out of his way to find gluten free food for me (not easy in Kosovo!). He genuinely loves the outdoors and shared his passion for the beautiful mountains with the group. What an amazing, memorable long weekend - thank you to Meto and the great team of people we got to share the experience with.
Excellent hikes with amazing views across Kosovo and North Macedonia in great company
Would recommend for a lovely weekend break
Great hike (accompanied by very friendly shepherd dogs the entire time), amazing guides and breathtaking views - the Sharr mountains are simply gorgeous!
Great trip! The hikes were gorgeous and well-led by a very knowledgeable and fun guide, Meto. Everyone fell in love with Kosovar food (peppers, cheeses, breads…) and with all the adorable dogs that followed us everywhere. A wonderful way to see a different side of the Balkans.
Despite some unpredictable weather, this trip was very fun - the guide, Meto, was excellent and modified the schedule so that we got the most out of the experience. The cultural tour on the last day was fantastic as well.
Fantastic trip! I couldn't fault it - our host was amazing, friendly, knowledgeable and flexible depending on the groups needs. I would highly recommend Kosovo!
It was very nice to visit a lesser known part of Europe. The mountains are beautiful, and the hiking experience amazing. It was tough though, and I fully recommend to take the kit list more seriously than I did. It can be really cold, wet and windy, and sunny and hot a moment later. I do feel there is room for improvement on the logistics, and accommodation. But overall it was a fantastic trip and a great guide. One more tip: buy a SIM card at the airport, as free roaming does not apply in Kosovo.
A brilliant adventure! Meto is an excellent guide - very knowledgeable, fun and accommodating to everyone in the group. The hiking was fun and the food was delicious! Would highly recommend this trip for the incredible views and to meet like minded people.
What an amazing trip! It was a really excellent way to be introduced to the gem of the Balkans. We packed a lot in, both culturally and in terms of hiking, really seeing the best of the country with a brilliant team of friends. Uta, our guide, was extremely professional and friendly. She was full of knowledge and really went out of her way to make our trip as fulfilling as possible. This is my first much better adventures trip, and it surpassed my expectations. I will definitely be booking again!
Fantastic trip with the fabulous Meto as our guide. Excellent communication before and during our visit, everything very smoothly organised. Lots of immersion in the mountains with a bit of time before and after to explore Pristina and Prizren. There is no end to Meto's knowledge. Exceeded expectations on all levels.
Fantastic Trip, quantity of food could be improved. Altogether a good trip which I’d recommend to anyone. 👌
Great trip from start to finish, the hiking was the main reason for going but the cities were an added bonus, would definitely recommend this country. Go there before everyone realises how beautiful it is. Thanks Meto and team for a top weekend 👍
People, guides and small city we visit after the trip were great.
The views and remoteness of the mountains were great.
Beautiful country, lovely people, amazing food, superb guided!
The hosts were very hospitable, friendly and informative. It was a great way to see Kosovo, and the hiking was excellent (despite the unfortunately bad weather!)
Everything about this trip was fantastic. The team looked after us from the moment we landed through until we headed off for the airport on Monday morning. The hike was amazing, the weather was terrific, couldn't have asked for more!
Gorgeous place, wild-camping in the middle of remote Sharr mountains, is an experience to remember.... Gorgeous people, warm, friendly and the inspirational Uta herself, and delicious food.
The Pristine landscape was great.
Uta and the guides were great. The country is beautiful, the equipment was good, the weather was perfect and a great group
A fantastic destination and a great group of people. Our guide Etnike, although inexperienced (we were apparently her first group), really cared about our needs and tried to do everything she could for us. With a little more experience I think she will be a fantastic guide. I also loved the fact we were taken for traditional local food on more than one occasion.
The host Etnika was amazing. She’d been left to look after us after a change last minute & did everything possible in her power to make it all work for us. Kosovo is beautiful & the ridge hike was superb.
Host and guide team where fantastic! ...
Host and guide team where fantastic!
Just back from this trip at least 3lb heavier! The food in Kosovo is unbelievably delicious. I didn’t go for the food though, just had to tell you all about it because it really was top notch! The Sharr mountain range, which is stunning and just the break I needed from city life, was well worth the initial gruelling trek, loaded with our rucksacks. I arrived Saturday morning and spent the day in Prishtina with the other 5 people I met on this trip. On Sunday we made our way to the start point and walked about 2 hours fully loaded to reach our camp spot. It had incredible views and was well worth the hike up to it. You do need to be fit enough to carry your personal belongings for the few days, sleeping bag and tent (the weight of which I shared with my tent buddy). I genuinely panicked when I realised this, but honestly, don’t. It’s achievable. After setting up camp, we then continued our uphill hike to Mount Bistra. A challenging hike but definitely attainable, even for those new to hiking. We ended up hiking in the clouds and didn’t get to see the peak in all its glory, but the views surrounding us were so beautiful. On Monday we conquered another two peaks and even trekked over a stretch of ice a few times, which was so much fun. Part of me definitely wanted my feet to give way so I could slide all the way down. I’m fairly certain the guys running the trip would have heart failure had that happened though. We then worked our way back to camp, taking in all the views, before packing up and making our way to the waiting bus. Fantastic weekend. Would highly recommend Uta, her wonderful team and Kosovo. We were spoilt with all the food she had in store for us and even had a cheeky cocktail the night before we flew home. It would have been rude not to!
Uta and the boys were very friendly and helpful, and very passionate about what they do. They listened to our feedback along the way.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What's included?
- Tent
- Sleeping bag & liner
- Roll mat
What do I need to bring?
- Day pack (35 litre +)
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Warm jacket or fleece
- Thin wicking baselayers (top and bottom)
- Additional upper body layers and trousers/shorts (not cotton)
- Hiking boots/shoes (worn-in, waterproof)
- Walking socks
- Warm hat and gloves
- Something to sleep in
- Sun protection
- Water bottle
- Head torch
- Bowl, spoon and mug/cup to eat and drink from
No optional extras are available for this trip.
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 64kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
Yes you can leave any luggage you don't want to take on the hike at the hostel where you stay on the first and last night of the trip.
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).
For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.
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