Theth National Park

Theth National Park is located in the heart of the Albanian Alps, in area of “Bjeshkeve të Namuna”, with a surface of 2,630 ha (26.3 km2) and at a distance of 70 km from the city of Shkodra.

The park was established to protect different ecosystems, biodiversity, cultural and historical heritage of the region. It is dominated by a high terrain, with a variety of natural features including valleys, rivers, mountains, waterfalls, dense forests and rock formations. Thethi is part of the “Parkut të Paqes”, joint project, which includes the cross-border region of "Bjeshkeve te Namuna" between the three countries, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro.

The villages of Theth are distributed in the upper valley of Shala such as Radohima in the west, Arapi and Poplluka in the north and Jezerca in the east. The park is dominated by limestone and dolomite rocks and contains major karst features such as: Gruna Canyon, the southern wall of Arapi, considered the highest rock face in the Balkans. Due to its limited area, the park is characterized by a very diverse flora, with estimates ranging between 1,500 and 1,650 plant species. There are three types of forests found in the park.

1.       The oak floor extends from an altitude of 600 - 800 m and is dominated by, among others, Austrian oak, oriental hornbeam, hornbeam, hornbeam and flowering ash.

2.       The beech floor is mainly covered with common beech, silver fir and sycamore, between 900 -1,900 m.

3.       The alpine floor, located at an altitude of 1,900 - 2,300 m, is characterized by herbaceous plants and the most visible shrubs, among them juniper and willow.

The most important plants of this floor include alpine bilberry, alpine aster and trefoil.

Within the area (land-park), 20 species of large mammals have been recorded such as: brown bear, deer, as well as rare or endangered species such as gray wolf, lynx and wild goat. 50 species of birds are also observed, with predators such as: the golden eagle. Also due to the harsh winters, the park has only a few species of reptiles and amphibians, a total of 10 species of reptiles and 8 species of amphibians including the alpine salamander, common frog and brown trout.

Thethi National Park is known for its heavy snowfall, for nearly 6 months this area remains blocked by snow which occupies the Tërthora Pass 2,000 m above sea level which connects Boga to the Thethi Pit.

In Theth you will find the alpine type buildings with sloping roofs built and stone slabs. The traditional cuisine of Theth consists of "ferlik" (roasted meat), cooking trout from the stream of Theth, as well as under dairy products.

Among the most interesting objects to be visited by tourists in Theth are the Gruna Waterfalls, which have a height of 25-30 m. Next to them is the cave of “Birreve me rrathë” whose galleries contain various forms such as stalagmites, veils of walls, etc.

Another cave is that of Arap. Quite attractive are the water sources of Okoli, from where the waters of the stream of Theth originate.