Shkodër, Albania

Maja e Vajushës (Vajusha Peak)

Maja e Vajushës (Vajusha Peak) rises to about 2,050 m on Albania's border with Montenegro, above the village of Lëpushë in the Kelmend highlands. Unlike the bare limestone giants around it, Vajusha is a green, grassy summit at the end of a narrow, panoramic ridge.

Grassy ridge of Maja e Vajushës with hikers on the summit, and the grey limestone walls of the Karanfil massif across the valley
Photo: Argetim Shabani · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About Maja e Vajushës (Vajusha Peak)

From the top the view opens over the Albanian Alps (Prokletije): the sheer walls of the Karanfil massif and the Grebaje valley on the Montenegrin side, and the forested valleys of Kelmend running south into Albania.

The peak is a popular hike for walkers staying in Lëpushë and for trekkers on the cross-border routes around the Peaks of the Balkans trail. The path climbs through beech forest and summer pastures before following the open ridge; the final section is steep in places but does not require climbing skills.

Vajusha is climbed as a day hike from Lëpushë, which is reached from Shkodër on the SH20 mountain road through Kelmend. The season runs from June to early October; earlier in the year snow can linger on the ridge. The summit lies on the state border, so carry ID, stay on known paths and consider a local guide, especially in poor visibility.

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