3 COUNTRIES, 2 WHEELS, 1 WEEK: ALL ON OUR MOUNTAIN BIKE TOUR ALBANIA, NORTH MACEDONIA & KOSOVO
This tour is perfect for any avid mountain biker who wants to be among the first to explore this spectacular region and experience at first hand the hospitality that Macedonians and Albanians are famous for. With moderate and challanging singletrack rides in an environment completely out of tourism map and gaining an understanding of the living conditions in Albania’s highest region.
The itinerary covers the historical capital of Kosovo, Prizren where we visit a Serbian enclave and family winery, much more rural villages of Albania where we sleep and eat in simple homestays and experience the hospitality at first hand, on the foot of the highest mountain bordering Albania and Macedonia, as well as one of the as well as one of the best regions to ride in Macedonia, Mavrovo National Park.
Rides are of a duration of 5-6 hours on average, but for every day transport by car is available for those preferring to take a rest. Accommodation is in simple homestays in the villages and comfortable hotels in towns.
“High Scardus MTB week” Highlights
- best natural singletracks in the region
- be among the first to explore the area & experience true hospitality
- sleep in rural homestays and understand their way of living
- enjoying fresh, local dairy products, honey, vegetables and home-made raki
TOUR PRICE
We welcome solo travellers on our trips and if you are happy to share a room with another solo rider of the same sex you do not need to add the single supplement. If, however, you wish to have a room by yourself, a single supplement of €85 will be payable.
Price includes:
- English speaking expert mountain bike guide(s) for the duration of the trip
- Seven nights’ accommodation
- All breakfasts throughout tour, lunches (usually packed) and dinners
- All ground costs
- Back-up vehicles and luggage/ bike transfer (as required) for duration of your mountain bike tour in Albania, Kosoovo and Macedonia
- All group safety equipment
- Airport/ Hotel recommended hotel pick-up on day 1 and drop-off on day 8 of tour (specified times apply)
Price excludes:
- Flights
- Travel and activity insurance
- Bike rental – we can arrange rental of a limited number of full suspension bike at a cost of €320 for the week
- Tips in restaurants and hotels
- Alcoholic/ non-alcoholic beverages
- Personal safety and cycling equipment
- Any other items not mentioned as included
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE DETAILS
Your mountain bike tour will start on day 1 with a pickup at the Zbulo recommended hotel in Tirana/Prishtina or at the airport of Pristina. Your guide and/or driver will meet you in the arrivals area of Pristina Airport, or the hotel lobby and he/she will be holding a Zbulo!-Discover Albania sign. We can also pick you up from Skopje Airport/hotel but a fee of €50/transfer will apply.
The trip will end back at Pristina Airport on day 8.
We would ask you to arrive at Pristina no later than 12 noon on the first day, and to arrange flights home no earlier than 13:00, if possible.
Ideally, you should arrive in Pristina the day before the tour start date, to allow for any flight/ luggage delays before the start of our mountain bike tour in The Balkans. If you arrive in Tirana, prepare for an early start towards Prizren, so a day prior the tour start is essential. If you arrive in Skopje, make sure to arrive a day/two prior the tour start or not latter than 12 noon.
Once you have arranged your flight, please let us know about your flight details and if you are not sure which flight to take, we are happy to advise.
On arrival we will transfer you by private shuttle to our first location in Prizren, about 90 minutes’ drive from the airport of Pristina, and close to the Sharr Mountains National Park.
PREPARING YOURSELF FOR THE TOUR
The ideal bike for our mountain bike tour is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike with around 140mm of travel front and rear. We can arrange hire of a good quality full-suspension mountain bike for the duration of your trip but we should know in advance as we have only a limited number.
To get the most out of your mountain bike tour you should plan some training in advance of your tour, and it is essential that you ensure that your bike has been properly serviced before the trip. Some training would be essential to make the most out of the challenging natural single tracks of the region.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
You are required as a condition of booking to be insured against medical and personal accident risks. In this policy you must include cover for mountain biking and we recommend that you take out a policy which covers cancellation and baggage.
Fitness level:
Is this for me?
You can handle rocky terrain and narrow trails, and have excellent bike handling skills. You’re comfortable and confident riding all-mountain trails with long, technical descents. You don’t mind the odd long day if it gets you to a spectacular and remote place that few other visitors will see. You’re not afraid to get out of your comfort zone and experience a totally different and fascinating culture.
Not into all-mountain/trail riding, check with us for exciting cross country MTB tours options in Peaks of the Balkans and through Albanian Riviera.
Level 6/7
- You have an excellent level of bike fitness, exercising four or five times every week throughout the year, for at least an hour at a time
- You are comfortable mountain biking up to six hours a day at a moderate pace, with snack and photo stops, for four or more consecutive days
- You can tackle several serious climbs a day, up to 600 metres each
Skill level:
Strong intermediate (3+/5)
- You are generally comfortable riding most types of terrain in different conditions: singletrack, double track, muddy, dry, loose, bedrock…
- You can brake, use gears and corner instinctively
- You’ll have a go on moderate technical features, such as small rock gardens, small drops and steeper sections, but may get off and walk certain technical features
- You ride more than once a week throughout your biking season
- And the ‘strong’ part of ‘Intermediate’ means that you will be aiming to tackle more of those moderate technical features
Can you tailor it for intermediate skill level and level 5 of fitness? Sure, we will swap a few of the rides with less challenging ones, with less bike pushing and no bike carrying at all.
tour price per person is 1.050€
group size 4-8 persons
Tour dates:
- Ask us for a private tour.
If the minimum number of participants (4 persons) isn’t reached a month before departure, a small group fee will be charged of 100€/person. All the dates are guaranteed over the condition above. One can cancel without a fee a month before departure.
Want to organize your private departure? Ask us for a proposal for your trip and ride of the beaten trails in High Scardus Trail with your group.
How much? 8-day trip with 6-10 riders from €1050 p.p. including guide, accommodation, transport & meals. With 4-5 riders a supplement of €100 applies and with 2-3 riders a supplement of €300.
When? June – September
How to get there? Fly to Pristina, Tirana or Skopje.
Budget flights from the Germany, Switzerland, the UK and Netherlands: