Is the road to Theth completed? 2022 UPDATE

If you want to travel to Theth, you might be concerned if the road to Theth is completed? Has the asphalt road to Theth been finished? In this blog post, I will discuss the status of the road to Theth and give you an update for 2022.

Is the road to Theth completed? The road to Theth has been completed. The road from Shkoder to Theth is now an asphalt road. The construction on the asphalt road was finished at the end of the summer of 2021. The asphalt road leads from Shkoder to the guest houses in Theth.

In this blog post, I will give you a 2022 UPDATE on the road to Theth. I will discuss the asphalt road to Theth, the closing of the road during the winter season and when the Valbone Pass re-opens. I will also discuss how you can get to Theth and what kind of car you need to get to Theth.

Is the road to Theth finished? Is the road to Theth completed?

UPDATE 2022: The road to Theth was finished and completed at the end of the summer of 2021. This means there is an asphalt road from Shkoder to the guest houses in Theth.

In the past, the Albanian government was still working on the construction of the asphalt road to Theth. Therefore, before 2021 the last part of the road was still a rocky dirt track. However, at the end of the summer season of 2021, the asphalt road to Theth was completed.

Because the road to Theth is an asphalt road now, you do not necessarily need a big Jeep or Landrover to get to Theth anymore. Of course, the road to Theth is still a mountain road with many steep passages and sharp bends. So driving slowly and carefully will always remain important.

Although the road from Shkoder to the guest houses in Theth is finished. There are still rocky dirt tracks to the sightseeing spots in Theth. For instance, the road from the guest houses in Theth to the Blue Eye of Theth is a rocky dirt track. And the road from the guest houses in Theth to the Grunas Waterfall is a rocky dirt track too.

So it still makes sense to hire a 4 x 4 car from the guest houses in Theth to the Blue Eye of Theth or to the Grunas Waterfall. Because those roads are still dirt tracks.

Is the road to Theth open right now? UPDATE 2022

The road to Theth is closed in the winter season, due to high snowfall. Due to the high snow and ice on the road, Theth is completely inaccessible in the winter season.

UPDATE 2022: In 2021, the road to Theth re-opened on the 27th of May 2021. Theth was open for the summer season. And then on the 9th of December 2021, the road to Theth closed due to snowfall.

Therefore, it is safe to assume that it will take until the end of May 2022 or the beginning of June 2022 for the road to Theth to re-open.

When the mountain village of Theth is snowed in, there is no way to visit Theth. Because Theth does not have a ski-lift or cable car. The only access is via the road from Shkoder to Theth which is closed from December until the end of May due to high snow on the road.

Is the Valbone Pass open right now? UPDATE 2022

The Valbone Pass is closed in the winter too. And because the Valbone pass is much higher up in the mountains, the Valbone Pass re-opens later in the season.

UPDATE 2022: In 2021, the Valbone Pass re-opened on the 18th of June 2021. Before that time, only professional snow climbers can make the climb across the Valbone Pass. The Valbone Pass was open for the summer season. And then in November 2021, the Valbone Pass was covered in snow and inaccessible.

Re-opening and closing dates:
27th of May 2021 – Road to Theth re-opened
18th of June 2021 – Valbone Pass re-opened
November 2021 – Valbone Pass closed
9th of December 2021 – Road to Theth closed
Dates for 2022 depend on the snowfall and temperatures

The Valbone Pass is an 1800 metre high mountain mass between Theth and Valbone. In the summer season, you can hike from the Theth village to the Valbone village over the Valbone Pass.

In the winter season, the only area in the Albanian Alps that can be accessed is the Valbone Valley. The Valbone Valley is sometimes visited by tourists, who would like to see the snow.

Can I drive to Theth in a normal car?

You can drive to Theth in a normal car. Because at the end of the summer of 2021, the asphalt road from Shkoder to Theth was finished.

This means you will be able to drive from Shkoder to your guesthouse in Theth in a regular car. In order to drive to your guesthouse in Theth, you do not need a 4 wheel drive car.

However, the road from the guest houses in Theth to the Blue Eye of Theth and the Grunas Waterfall remains a rocky dirt track. So with a regular car, you cannot drive to the Blue Eye of Theth or the Grunas Waterfall.

To drive to the Blue Eye of Theth, you will need to hire a driver with a 4 wheel drive in Theth. A driver with 4 wheel drive can pick you up from the guest house in Theth and drive you to the trailhead that leads to the Blue Eye of Theth. By hiring a 4 wheel drive, you will save yourself 3 hours of hiking alongside the rocky dirt-track road. From the trailhead, you will only need to hike the last 1 hour to the Blue Eye of Theth.

Do I need a 4 wheel drive to drive to Theth?

You do not need a 4 wheel drive to drive to Theth. Because at the end of summer 2021, the asphalt road from Shkoder to Theth was finished. Therefore, you can now reach Theth with a regular car.

The asphalt road from Shkoder leads to the guest houses in Theth.

However, the road from the guest houses in Theth to the Blue Eye of Theth or the Grunas Waterfall is still a rocky dirt track. If you want to drive from the guest house in Theth to the Blue Eye of Theth, you will need a 4 wheel drive.

So to get to the Blue Eye of Theth you have these options:
1) Hike 4 hours to the Blue Eye of Theth and 4 hours back to the guest house
2) Hire a 4 wheel drive in Theth to bring you to the trailhead and hike 1 hour to the Blue Eye of Theth
3) Rent or hire a 4 wheel drive in Shkoder and travel all the way by 4 wheel drive

How long does it take to get to Theth?

It takes between 1.5 hours – 2 hours to get from Shkoder to Theth by car. At the end of summer 2021, the asphalt road from Shkoder to Theth was completely finished. Which reduces the travel time from Shkoder to Theth to 1.5-2 hours.

How to get to Theth in Albania?

You can get to Theth in Albania with a rental car, with the shared minibus or by hiring a taxi.

You can start your journey to Theth from either Tirana or Shkoder. Shkoder is a big city in the North of Albania. From Shkoder, it takes 1.5 – 2 hours to get to Theth by car, by bus or by taxi. Tirana is the capital city of Albania, which is further away from Theth. From Tirana, it takes 3.5 – 4 hours to get to Theth.

How to get from Shkoder to Theth?

You can get from Shkoder to Theth with a rental car, with the shared minibus or by hiring a 4 wheel drive taxi. A rental car will cost you at least 20-25 euros per day + 30 euros for petrol. The shared minibus costs 10 euros per person for a one-way trip. And a 4 wheel drive taxi costs 150 euros for a round trip from Shkoder to Theth.

How to get from Shkoder to Theth by bus?

To get from Shkoder to Theth by bus, you must take the 7:00 AM bus. There is only one bus a day from Shkoder to Theth which departs at 7:00 AM.

The bus journey from Shkoder to Theth takes roughly 1.5 – 2 hours, so you will arrive in Theth between 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM.

The bus from Shkoder to Theth picks up passengers from their hotel in Shkoder. So you can ask your hotel to call the bus so that the bus will pick you up from your hotel the next morning.

Or you can book a tour package online or with an agency in Shkoder. A tour package will usually include the bus journey as well as the guest house in Theth with breakfast and dinner. If your tour package includes a bus journey, it will be the shared bus, which departs at 7:00 AM.

The bus trip from Shkoder to Theth costs 10 euros per person for a one-way journey.

How much does a taxi from Shkoder to Theth cost?

A taxi from Shkoder to Theth costs 150 euros. There are drivers with 4 wheel drive cars, like Jeeps, Landrovers etcetera, who drive from Shkoder to Theth frequently.

The advantage of hiring a driver with 4 wheel drive, is that the driver can also take you to the trailhead of the Blue Eye of Theth. A drop-off at the trailhead for the Blue Eye of Theth will save you 3 hours of hiking along the rocky road. Moreover, you will save time, and therefore still be able to see the Grunas Waterfall as well on the same day.

The drivers with 4 wheel drive usually stay overnight in Theth, since it is not safe to drive back over the mountain road at night. So the driver can bring you back to Shkoder the next day if needed.

How to get from Tirana to Theth?

You can get from Tirana to Theth in one day, but it will be a very long day with an early start.

I am a private tour guide in Albania and I usually recommend starting a trip from Tirana to Theth at 5:00 AM. Because it will take 3.5 – 4 hours to drive from Tirana to Theth. And upon arrival in Theth, you will need time to visit the sightseeing locations, like the Blue Eye of Theth, the Grunas Waterfall, the Church of Theth and the Lock-in Tower.

It is also best to stay at least 1 night in a guesthouse in Theth. So that you have enough time to hike to the sightseeing locations, like the Blue Eye of Theth and the Grunas Waterfall.

If you do not want to stay 1 night in Theth, you will run out of time quickly. Because you cannot drive back in the dark on the mountain road in Theth. Since the road does not have street lights and it is simply not safe.

Bus from Tirana to Theth

There is no direct bus from Tirana to Theth. The only direct bus to Theth departs from Shkoder at 7:00 AM.

Although there are busses from Tirana to Shkoder, the earliest bus arrives in Shkoder at 8:00 AM. So you would miss the bus to Theth, which departs at 7:00 AM.

So if you want to travel by bus to Theth, you must take a taxi from Tirana to Shkoder and then the bus from Shkoder to Theth. Or you must travel to Shkoder the day before, stay overnight in Shkoder and then get on the bus to Theth the next day.

A taxi from Tirana to Shkoder costs 55 – 72 euros. The bus from Shkoder to Theth costs 10 euros for a one-way journey. You will need to depart by taxi from Tirana at 5:00 AM so that you can catch the 7:00 AM bus from Shkoder to Theth.

Taxi from Tirana to Theth

Most likely, you won’t find a taxi driver in Tirana that will take you all the way to Theth. So I would recommend the following:

Step 1: Take a taxi from Tirana to Shkoder

A taxi from Tirana to Shkoder costs between 55 -72 euros.

Step 2: Take a 4 wheel drive taxi from Shkoder to Theth

A 4 wheel drive taxi from Shkoder to Theth costs 150 euros. The driver can drop you off at the guest house in Theth for check-in, then take you to the Blue Eye of Theth trailhead and bring you to the Grunas waterfall trailhead. The driver will stay overnight in Theth, so the driver can bring you back to Shkoder the next day.

How to get to the Blue Eye of Theth?

You can get to the Blue Eye of Theth in two ways.

Option 1: Hike from the guest houses in Theth to the Blue Eye of Theth

If you want to hike from the guest houses in Theth to the Blue Eye of Theth, it will take you 4 hours to get to the Blue Eye of Theth and 4 hours to get back to the guest house in Theth. So the return trip will take you 8 hours of hiking.

Option 2: Hire a 4 wheel drive from guest houses in Theth to the trailhead + hike from the trailhead to the Blue Eye of Theth

The alternative is hiring a 4 wheel drive that brings you from the guest house in Theth to the trailhead. Then you can hike from the trailhead to the Blue Eye of Theth, which only takes 1 hour. So you will hike a total of 2 hours for the return trip from the trailhead to the Blue Eye of Theth.

It is important to note that the Blue Eye of Theth always requires hiking. From the trailhead to the Blue Eye of Theth, there is a 1-hour long hiking route that leads through the mountains. This hiking trail cannot be driven by car.

So what you have to decide is whether or not you are going to hike 3 hours along the dirt track road from the guest houses of Theth to the trailhead.

3 hours hike – Guesthouse in Theth to the trailhead (or hire a 4 wheel drive)
1-hour hike – Trailhead to Blue Eye of Theth
1-hour hike – Blue Eye of Theth back to the trailhead
3 hours hike – Trailhead back to the guest house in Theth (or hire a 4 wheel drive)

I am a private tour guide in Albania. And I usually recommend hiring a 4 wheel drive to the trailhead. Because if you hire a 4 wheel drive, you do still have enough time to also visit the Grunas Waterfall, the Lock-in Tower and the Church of Theth.

You must remember that 8 hours of hiking to the Blue Eye of Theth and back to the guest house will make you tired. And most likely you won’t have enough energy left to visit some of the other sightseeing spots.

Moreover, you may have sore legs the next day, so if you plan on visiting the Grunas waterfall or the Valbone Pass for some more hiking, you may want to spare yourself a little on the Blue Eye of Theth trip. So that you can enjoy the next day too!

Related Questions

How to get to the Grunas Waterfall in Theth? You can walk to the Grunas Waterfall from your guesthouse in Theth. The Grunas Waterfall is much closer to the Theth village than the Blue Eye of Theth. The road and trail is a rocky dirt track. It takes approximately 30 minutes to walk to the Grunas Waterfall from the Theth village and Theth guest houses.

How to get to the Church of Theth? You can walk to the Church of Theth from your guesthouse in Theth. The Church of Theth is located within a 5-minute walking distance from any guesthouse in Theth.

How to get to the Lock-in Tower in Theth? You can walk to the Lock-in Tower of Theth from your guesthouse in Theth. The Lock-in Tower of Theth is located within a 5-minute walking distance from any guesthouse in Theth.

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