Lake Ulza

Lake Ulza is in the northern part of the Mat River and has an area of 13.5 square kilometers. It is located near the villages of Shtreze and Bushkash and the town of Ulza, from where it gets its name.

The lake is located within the territory of the District of Dibra, north of Mati, on the eastern edge of the Skanderbeg Mountains that rise between the region and the coast and at a distance of about four miles from the town of Burrel.

The artificial lake of Ulza was formed by the spills of the Mat River in the service of the first hydroelectric plant in Albania, inaugurated in 1957. The dam rises in the Mat River where the Mat Mountains begin at 129 meters above sea level.

The lake is characterized by a rare beauty and it often seems as if the mountain, the river, the greenery, the winding roads, the flowing water accompany it at every step. Near the center of the town of Ulza there is a small church and along the road that must be followed to get to the center of the regional park of Ulza, there are also ruins of the Ottoman style.

The western part of the lake and the hilly region to the west, including the entire Shkopet Lake, form the Ulza Lake Regional Natural Park with an area of about 42.06 square kilometers.

In this area of the country, not far from the capital, only 68 km, foreign and domestic tourism takes special importance in economic development. According to the features that the area presents, many activities can be developed from: mountaineering, hiking, swimming, fishing, boat trips and others.

Characteristic of the area are handicrafts, traditional cuisine and the sale of medicinal plants.