Peaks of the Balkans – how an idea got off the ground
The Peaks of the Balkans long-distance hiking trail connects Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. Initiated with the support of GIZ, the trail is today considered a model of sustainable tourism – and one that has long since become a destination among German tour operators.
Not that long ago, so it is said, most of the local people here herded sheep up on the pastures that lie in the shadows of the mountains connecting Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. In Montenegro they call them the Prokletije, the Accursed Mountains. Accursed, because the villages in this rugged landscape were often abandoned as young people moved to nearby towns – or better still abroad. Anywhere but here.
Today, the picture is different. The alpine pastures, silvery limestone cliffs and pristine mountain streams are a magnet for hikers. The wooden houses that once stood empty have been given a new lease of life and now accommodate guests from all over the world.
A hiking trail and peace project combined
A growing number of travellers – in particular from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia – desire a version of tourism that combines nature and sustainability. German and international tour operators now feature the Peaks of the Balkans Trail in their brochures and promote the route for its authentic trekking experience and unspoiled valleys.
Stretching for almost 200 kilometres, the Peaks of the Balkans Trail winds its way through this mountainous region, crossing the borders of three countries. The idea of establishing the long-distance hiking trail was originally promoted over 15 years ago by GIZ in collaboration with local partners.
One person who was involved from the very beginning was Thomas Wöhrstein, a tourism expert with a PhD in geography. Planning for the Peace Trail, as it was provisionally labelled, began around 2009. GIZ staff, advisers like Wöhrstein and additional stakeholders from all three countries formed a working group. Around ten years after the end of the Yugoslav Wars, the joint planning process brought about a rapprochement of the regions. As Wöhrstein recalls, implementation of the project was possible only ‘because all three sides cooperated very closely.’ At that time, this was anything but normal for life in the Western Balkans.
Dreamers and optimists
‘Back then, no one dared to dream that this might one day become a successful tourism product,’ says Wöhrstein. The members of the working group initially focused on the fieldwork: they interlinked well-trodden shepherds’ paths, erected signposts and mapped the route. And they developed a procedure between the three border police forces that made hiking across borders possible at all. At the same time, they made targeted investments in public relations work to raise awareness of the Peaks of the Balkans. Today, Wöhrstein explains, it is mainly young hikers who promote the brand internationally by word of mouth.
Direct funding for the project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) came to an end in 2012. GIZ then continued its work until 2015 with the German Alpine Club as part of a DeveloPPP cooperation with BMZ support. Today, it is funded by local authorities and citizens of the region.
Agron Alija is one of them. As part of the working group from the outset, Alija was responsible for developing the paths across the peaks. Having spent decades in Germany, he returned to his homeland of Montenegro because he was sure the idea of the Peaks Trail was a winner. Today, he welcomes guests to Babino Polje, a village near the town of Plav in Eastern Montenegro. ‘My family laughed at me at the time, my neighbours thought I was mad,’ says Alija. ‘But at the same time, we earned a lot of respect for having the confidence to do it.’
Together with his brothers, he designed and built the Triangle Woodhouse – completed just in time for the Peaks of the Balkans official opening in 2011. ‘The opening ceremony was held in this very building, with 60 people from all three countries.’ His first three guests arrived from Belgium in 2012. It took a little time and patience, but within seven years the guesthouse was almost continuously fully booked. And demand picked up again once they had navigated the difficult months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Figures from a study published in the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism in late 2025 demonstrate just how successful the Peaks of the Balkans Trail has become with an international clientele. In Albania, a sensor was installed to count the number of hikers on the popular section between Theth and Valbona, with more than 43,000 people walking the route between July and November 2024.
Hiking enthusiasts from Germany to Australia
Agron Alija says that his guesthouse alone accommodates an average of around 300 visitors per month. They mainly come from German-speaking countries, but also from Australia and Canada. Some of his guests tell him how visiting the Alps used to feel like a whistle-stop sightseeing tour, but here it’s different. In addition to individual travellers, the region is also popular with small, organised hiking groups.
If there’s no room at the Triangle Woodhouse, you can be sure to find a bed elsewhere. Like Alija, other locals have returned from abroad to open accommodation along the trail. ‘Lots of guesthouses have sprung up on the Montenegrin side since 2018. In many cases, they’re existing residential buildings that have been repurposed – most of them family-run,’ Alija explains. He is keen to emphasise that the focus from the outset was on sustainable tourism that benefits local people.
‘We had two objectives – to create prospects that make local people want to stay, and to bring the three countries back together again.’
Tourism as an opportunity
The Peaks of the Balkans Trail offers people in Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo the opportunity to earn a living from the tourism sector. It is an opportunity many have grasped. According to the study published in 2025, hiking tourism generates around EUR 25 million in revenue every year. Around EUR 16 million of this remains in the region as income, equivalent to around 1,380 full-time jobs.
The benefits are clear: inns and guesthouses can open their doors, locals can provide expertise as hiking guides, the alpine pastures will be farmed and maintained and there will be footfall for businesses in the region’s towns and villages. Local farmers supply the kitchens with milk and cheese. At Alija’s table, conviviality is key: guests all dine together, no one eats alone. It is a true melting pot of nationalities.
Growth – but sustainable growth
Today, Agron Alija is no longer considered a dreamer in his neighbourhood. He is now a voice of wisdom. In many ways, he would like to attract even more visitors to the region. But he’s aware of the risks: ‘We mustn’t overdo it. We have to be able to offer a warm welcome to everyone.’ On the Peaks of the Balkans Trail, the goal has been to strike a balance between growth and sustainability.
Tourism consultant Thomas Wöhrstein has nothing but praise for the progress that Montenegro and its neighbours have made in long-term investment: ‘With new hotels and restaurants springing up everywhere, it is obvious it’s working. This thing is developing a momentum of its own.’ The key aspect for Wöhrstein is that people now recognise and believe in the potential of the Peaks of the Balkans Trail.
The Accursed Mountains have today become the spectacular backdrop to a success story. And the Peaks of the Balkans long-distance hiking trail has turned once-ridiculed dreamers into determined entrepreneurs.
