Albania, Montenegro & Bosnia Cycle Tour

Route Overview

On the map below you can see the overall route that I took. I go into this in much more detail with points of interest and riding notes on the route review pages, starting with the section from Podgorica to Krujë.

In summary, I flew into Podgorica (Montenegro) and crossed south into Albania, climbing over the Leqet e Hotit pass to Shkodër. From Shkodër I did a loop south to Krujë, then returning north via the Malësi e Madhe mountains.





My route then took me north into Montenegro, riding alongside Lake Shkodra to the historical capital of Cetinje. It was then time for the high mountains, as I headed north to Žabljak and crossed the Durmitor National Park into Bosnia.

The final part of the tour was through southern Bosnia, crossing the Sutjeska National Park and visiting the beautiful towns of Blagaj and Stolac. I finished by crossing the border and riding a very short distance in Croatia to Dubrovnik.

Logistics

I flew into Podgorica from Barcelona with Ryanair, and flew out from Dubronvik with Vueling. Everything worked well and the bike arrived on time and undamaged. I put the bike together in Podgorica Airport and rode the short way into the city. In Dubrovnik, I found a bike shop that both packaged my bike and transferred it with me to the airport.

My bike for this trip was a steel framed Kona Sutra (2017). I have made a few minor changes to the bike. Firstly I replaced the cable disc brakes for hydraulic TRP Hylex, then I also put on a set of Fulcrum wheels. Otherwise, it is pretty much original spec. The bike is heavy (around 16kg / 35lb), but is extremely comfortable. I carried two large Vaude panniers and one smaller handlebar bag. This was too much really for a short tour where I was staying in accommodation every night, but the weather forecast suggested significant temperature differences between the mountains and the lower levels, so I took a lot of waterproofs and warm clothing we me.


The route I had planned was mostly on paved roads, with just a few gravel sections, so I went with relatively narrow Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tyres.

Overall, I was happy with the set up and would go with something similar if I did this tour again, only with less luggage.

Alternative Routes

My initial plan had been to ride from Shkodër, through Pukë to Kukës, and then to cross into Kosovo. There I would visit Prizren, Gjakova and Peje before crossing the Cakor Pass into Montenegro on the M9 Road. I had applied for and received the permit to cross at this border.

My route would then have continued through Berane and Kolašin, before joining up with the actual route that I did around Žabljak.

I think this would have been a great route - I have since been to Prizren and elsewhere in Kosovo and found it very enjoyable for cycling. Unfortunately, on this trip the weather was bad. There were regular thundestorms starting from around 1pm in the Albanian and Kosovan mountains. This made it very difficult to do longer days there, and I didn't feel comfortable being so exposed to intense electrical storms. Locals told me that such frequent storms were unusual at this time of year, but not unheard of.


In the end I was very happy with the modified route. I added in the towns of Krujë and Cetinje, which were very interesting to explore. And some of the best riding of the trip was around Lake Shkodra in Montenegro, and also the circular ride between Krujë and Tirana.

I have done quite a bit of cycling before around the Western Balkans and, in my experience, as long as you avoid the main roads and find some interesting towns to stay, you will have a great time.

Overall Thoughts

This was a relatively short, but very enjoyable tour. Albania has long been one of my favourite countries for cycling, having done quite a bit of riding around Berat, Gjirokastër and Himarë. So it didn't surprise me that the riding in the north of the country was just as good, if not better!

I had also ridden in Montenegro around Kotor and Lovćen, but actually preferred this trip where the roads were quieter and the towns were less touristy. The Durmitor National Park was the obivous highlight, but also riding around Lake Shkodra was a lot of fun.

I hadn't cycled much in Bosnia before, although had previously visited Mostar and Trebinje. I was actually really pleased to leave out Mostar and Trebinje from this trip (even though I like the cities), because it allowed me to discover Blagaj and Stolac instead - which were really, really charming towns.

Next time I return to Bosnia, I would like to head further north and do some more off-road riding around Sarajevo, before continuing up to Jajce.




The main negative I have already mentioned, which was the tendency for thunderstorms to roll in quite early in the mountains of Albania. I mitigated this by starting riding quite early, but it still forced me to change my plans.

The drivers were pretty good overall in Albania, and not bad in Bosnia. In Montenegro, there were more close passes at high speed, but I was generally on very quiet roads so it wasn't an issue most of the time. The final stretch into Dubrovnik was busy with very aggressive drivers.

Overall though my experience on this trip was great. The people were extremely friendly, particularly in Albania; the food was great and the cycling was as good as I expected it would be!

Check out the links below for much more details about the rides that I did...


Part 1 - Podgorica to Krujë

Part 2 - Krujë - Shiroka

Part 3 - Lake Shkodra - Nikšić

Part 4 - Durmitor National Park

Part 5 - Foča - Dubrovnik

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