Long known as a national park, the area was reclassified as a nature park in 2022 and greatly enlarged, to almost 6,900 hectares. Forests of black pine, beech and oak cover the slopes, while the peaks to the north rise above 1,700 metres. The woods are home to brown bears, wolves, foxes and wild boar, as well as many mountain birds.
Qafë Shtamë is best known for its mountain springs. The most famous, the Queen Mother’s Spring (Kroi i Nënës Mbretëreshë), lies at about 1,100 metres among the pines and is protected as a natural monument; it is said to have supplied drinking water to Albania’s royal household in the 1930s, and water from the area is still bottled nearby. Today the park is increasingly popular for hiking and for escaping the summer heat of the lowlands.
Come in late spring or summer for fresh mountain air, or in autumn when the beech woods turn golden.
