Kosovo
Wild river valleys, high passes and one of Europe's last wildernesses.
Kosovo is Europe's youngest country and at the same time one of its most mountainous. In the west lies the Rugova range, with gorges, lakes at altitude and the peaks of the Prokletije on the Montenegrin border; in the south rises the Šar-planina, with Gjeravica as the country's highest summit. Between the mountains lie broad valleys of fields, vineyards and a scattered network of villages. The cultural layer is as visible as the natural one: Orthodox monasteries, mosques, Catholic churches and Ottoman bridges sit within a few kilometres of each other. The Peaks of the Balkans links the three countries in a 192-kilometre loop of ten stages through the Prokletije, the Accursed Mountains: limestone peaks reaching almost 2,700 metres, glacial cirques, shepherd paths and stone villages where time runs differently. The route has existed since 2012 and, with border formalities arranged per pass, can be walked in either direction, from June to October.
