Balkan Roadtrip 2026

4Fri Sep

Drive to St. Veit

familySt. Veit

18:00–21:00 Drive to St. Veit.
Meet Carolin and Georg if not too late.

5Sat Sep

St. Veit → Rastoke

campsiteKamp Rastoke€18

Coffee and a chat with Mum. Pop by Carolin and Georg if we missed them.
12:00 Leave St. Veit.
12:00–18:30 Drive to Slunj / Rastoke. Five and a half hours of driving plus an hour of breaks and border buffer.
Walk half an hour to the waterfalls and back along the river.
The main road is very busy and it is the only way to and from camp.

6Sun Sep

Rastoke → Una NP → Livno

campsiteKamp Sturba, Livno€15

09:00 Leave. Border crossing at Izačić.
09:00–12:00 Drive to Una National Park, Martin Brod. Two hours driving plus an hour of border buffer.
Una entrance €8 (16 BAM). Milančev buk and Rmanj Monastery at Martin Brod. Komoot walk
15:00 Leave south towards the Neretva. Going all the way to Jablanica is 3 h 45, too much.
Stop around Livno, two hours, arrive about 17:00. Kamp Sturba sits directly on the river.
Food: Ašćinica “Happiness” in Livno, great vegan reviews, 12 min from the campsite. Stop there before going to camp.

7Mon Sep

Livno → Jablanica → Potoci → Tjentište

campsiteTjentište or Prijevor

Livno to Tjentište is 4 h 30 without buffers.
10:00–12:00 Drive to Jablanica, then down the Neretva.
About 40 min on to Potoci.
13:00–15:30 Potoci → Tjentište, two and a half hours.
Tjentište → Prijevor is 1 to 1.5 h on bad dirt road. Either today or up in the morning, depending how we feel.
Perućica Campsite seems to have nice views. Prijevor

8Tue Sep

Maglić and Trnovačko Lake

wild campPrijevor, tent

Option 1 Drive up to Prijevor from Tjentište, start the hike at 10:00.
Option 2 Already at Prijevor. Chuck the tent in the car and start at 08:00. There is drinking water at Prijevor.
Round hike, Maglić and Trnovačko Lake. bergfex route
Helmet and sticks.
Going up Maglić via the lake is about 22 km, six to seven hours, no alpine ascent.

9Wed Sep

Prijevor → Kotor

hotelKotor€120 paid

08:00–13:00 Drive to Kotor. Border crossing at Vraćenovići.
Accommodation booked and paid.
Check in and walk around.

10Thu Sep

Kotor → Škala → Grebaje

wild campGrebaje valley

10:00–15:00 Drive from Kotor to Škala.
15:30–19:00 Hike. Prokletije route
Full circle or only part of it. We can decide at the split.
Straight to Volušnica instead: panorama of the Karanfil, 1 h 30 from Škala, 750 m up.
Then five minutes to sleep in Grebaje. camping notes
Meadow with wooden pavilions about 200 m behind Katen Maja Karanfil. Sleeping apparently tolerated.

11Fri Sep

Vusanje → Buni Lakes

wild campBuni Jezerce lakes

Flexible. We could start later and look at Oko first.
09:00–09:30 Drive to Vusanje.
10:30 Start the hike. Vuthaj – Buni Jezerce stage
14:30 Reach the lakes.
Camping permit still pending. If all goes well it comes on the 9th.

12Sat Sep

Buni Lakes → Grnčar → Albania

campsiteUnder the Ledge or Syri i Sheganit

09:00–13:00 Hike back down from the lakes.
14:00 Drive into Albania, crossing at Grnčar. Open, 56 min from Vusanje.
Under the Ledge with the Selca waterfall beside it.
Syri i Sheganit if we would rather be by the lake, two hours away.

13Sun Sep

Shkodër → Theth

hotelThethto book

Shkodër Castle and Mesi Bridge on the way.
Then the SH21 up to Theth.
Roughly 1 h 30 plus 2 h 15 of driving.

14Mon Sep

Theth → Koman → Shala river

undecidedShala river

Back down through Shkodër and out to Koman, 3 h 30.
Boat from Koman up to the Shala river.
Camp or guesthouse, decide when we are there. Camping is not common but there are a few photos of it. Looks possible to walk further upriver and find a more secluded spot. Otherwise nice guesthouses.

Koman → Shala river → Koman

Check-in at Koman	08:45–09:15
Departure	09:30
Travel time	1 h 20
Arrive Shala	11:00
Free time on the river	about 3 h 30
Return departure	14:30
Back at Koman	15:30

The ferry site only allows a same-day return, so tickets probably have to be bought there. The boats are tiny and it is not clear they will take us with the rucksacks.

komaniferry.com · komanlakeferry.com one-way — the second one may not be legit.

15Tue Sep

Koman → Llogara pass

wild campLlogara pass

Boat back to Koman in the early afternoon.
Drive to the Llogara pass, about 4 h 30.
Camp up top: the SH8 pull-off, or a clearing in the pines.
Nothing on Organic Maps or Gaia, so we look when we get there.
Alternative: Campsite Hamiti Llogara on the pass.

16Wed Sep

Llogara → Dhërmi

hotelDhërmito book

Drive down to Dhërmi, half an hour.
Full day at the north end: Dhërmi, Gjipe, Himarë Fshat.

17Thu Sep

South end → Lukovë

campsiteMarutzi or Krorëza beach

Qeparo i Sipërm and Borsh Castle on the way south.
Camp at a small beach walked from Lukovë. Marutzi or Krorëza.
Path to Marutzi Start from Plazi i Shpelles. A Google review from 31 August says 20 min on the path from there. Parking about €5 a day. Asphalt road, very curvy, donkeys, cows and goats on the way.
If all camping fails: Camping Shpella e Pirateve in the forest.

18Fri Sep

Lukovë → SH76 → Gjirokastër

hotelGjirokastërto book

Lukovë → Kuç → SH76 → Progonat waterfall → Gjirokastër, 2 h 16.
Gjirokastër old town and the Ali Pasha Bridge.

19Sat Sep

Gjirokastër → Bënjë → Langarica

campsiteLangarica canyon

Këlcyrë Castle Bridge, then the Bënjë baths. 1 h 15 of driving.
Camp at Langarica canyon. Vjosa bend and Sopot waterfall if the afternoon allows.
Camping at Langarica Apparently lots of places right at the river at the entrance to the canyon. Gets crazy busy during the day, so put the tent up only in the evening. Get there early for a parking place.
Alternative, Sarandaporo near Leskovik A 4 km turn-off from the Përmet–Leskovik asphalt road, newly asphalted except the last 2 km, which any car can manage. Under 1 km on foot from the parking to the springs. Paths inside the canyon look a bit tricky. You could camp before it but it does not look nice. walkmyworld write-up

20Sun Sep

Albania → North Macedonia → Ohrid

undecidedOhrid, not decided

SH75 through Erseka, Korçë and Pogradec. About four hours to Ohrid.
Border options: Tushemisht on the south side of the lake, Qafë Thanë on the north side, Stenje further south. All open.
Small detours on the way: Sarandaporo springs and Dardhë.
Police registration within 24 h of arrival. A hotel does it for you.

21Mon Sep

Ohrid → Belgrade

hotelBelgrade hotel

Border crossing at Tabanovce, open.
Can we do Ohrid to Belgrade in one day? It is about seven hours.

22Tue Sep

Belgrade

hotelBelgrade hotel

23Wed Sep

Belgrade → onward

hotelBelgrade hotel

24Thu Sep

Serbia / Croatia

undecidedopen

Depends on our state lol.

25Fri Sep

Serbia / Croatia

undecidedopen

26Sat Sep

Serbia / Croatia

undecidedopen

27Sun Sep

Drive home

familyHome

From → to	Crossing	Status
Croatia → Bosnia	Izačić	open
Bosnia → Montenegro	Vraćenovići	open
Montenegro → Albania	Grnčar / Vermosh	open
Albania → North Macedonia	Tushemisht, south of the lake · Qafë Thanë, north · Stenje, further south	open
North Macedonia → Serbia	Tabanovce	open

Day by day

Drive to St. Veit

St. Veit → Rastoke

Rastoke → Una NP → Livno

Livno → Jablanica → Potoci → Tjentište

Maglić and Trnovačko Lake

Prijevor → Kotor

Kotor → Škala → Grebaje

Vusanje → Buni Lakes

Buni Lakes → Grnčar → Albania

Shkodër → Theth

Theth → Koman → Shala river

Koman → Shala river → Koman

Koman → Llogara pass

Llogara → Dhërmi

South end → Lukovë

Lukovë → SH76 → Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër → Bënjë → Langarica

Albania → North Macedonia → Ohrid

Ohrid → Belgrade

Belgrade

Belgrade → onward

Serbia / Croatia

Serbia / Croatia

Serbia / Croatia

Drive home

Still to sort

Decisions

Hotels to book

Known costs

Practical

Border crossings

Watch out

North Macedonia registration

Resources

Albania

Mountains

Blogs and photos

All places

Croatia 1

Bosnia & Herzegovina 4

Montenegro 3

Albania 33

Kosovo 2

North Macedonia 3

Serbia 5