Bistra, the beautiful peak in Sharr mountains 2’651 m/alt

· updated · 2 min read
A hiker crosses a snowy ridge beneath Bistra peak in the Sharr Mountains under a cloudy winter sky
Bistra, Kosovo
Distance
11.6 km
Time
7 h
Ascent
+1,088 m
Descent
−1,142 m
High point
2,651 m
Water
Lumbardh river spring is the last water sourcecarry around 2 litres

The route

Bistra, on the map

From my own GPX track. Move along the elevation profile or along the line on the map: both show the same point.

Distance11.6km
Time7 h
Ascent+1,088m
Descent−1,142m
High point2,651m

Walking time at your paceAn estimate without breaks, worked out from the distance and the climb.

  • Relaxed9 h 10 min
  • Average7 h 20 min
  • Fast5 h 55 min

Elevation

Elevation profile of Bistra, the beautiful peak in Sharr mountains 2’651 m/altStarts at 1,553 m, climbs 1,088 m in total to a high point of 2,646 m after 5.4 km, and finishes at 1,551 m; 10.3 km in all.1,500 m2,000 m2,500 m0 km1 km2 km3 km4 km5 km6 km7 km8 km9 km10 kmPrevallaBistra · 2,646 m

How steep

  • 1.7 kmUnder 8%
  • 1.8 km8 to 15%
  • 2.0 km15 to 25%
  • 4.7 kmOver 25%

In two parts

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What to pack14 things, for a summit, a long day

Every hike

For the summit

For a long day

The light for photographs

Today at Bistra: sunrise 06:07, sunset 16:31.

Today at Bistra: sunrise 06:07, sunset 16:31.

At Bistra, 2,646 m, in local time (Europe/Belgrade), with an open horizon: the mountains around can hide the sun sooner.

In short

Bistra is a 2,651 m peak in Kosovo’s Sharr Mountains, and this route starts near Prevalla. The hike is 11.6 km and takes 7 hours, with 1,088 m of ascent and 1,142 m of descent. Lumbardh river spring is the last water source, so carry around 2 litres.

Bistra, is the third highest peak in Kosovo, after Gjeravica and Rudoka. It is located on the border between Kosovo and Macedonia, with an elevation of 2’651 m/alt. There are a few trails where you can hike this peak, but the most common are from Prevalla, through Lumbardh river spring, or through Jazhinca lake. The path to Jazhinca lake, I’ve described in another blog post, therefore in this blog, I will describe the trail from Prevalla, through Lumbardh water spring to Bistra.

How to get there

The starting point for this trail is near the touristic village of Prevalla, Prizren, and there are two ways to get to Prevalla. 

The first way is from the city of Prizren, you will go through some villages like Recan, Musnikovo,  Sharr Mountains range, and finally, in Prevalla, the distance is 26 km.

The other way is to go through Shterpce. Once you arrive in Shterpce you continue to Brezovica, and after that follow the road to Prevalla. The distance from Brezovica to Prevalla is 21 km.

About the Prevalla to Bistra hike

A hiker crosses a snowy ridge beneath Bistra peak in the Sharr Mountains under a cloudy winter sky

As mentioned before you will start the hike from Prevalla. First, you will go through an unpaved road for 500 m, after this, you continue ascending the hill in your left. You will go through a meadowy terrain for more than 3 km. After 3 km, you will have a water source, the Lumbardh river spring, really cold water and this is the last water source. As soon as you ascend the hill you need to turn left and follow the ridge, which is around 1 km long. Through the ridge is the border between Kosovo and Macedonia. After all, you will reach the 2’651 m/alt peak. When you reach it, the view is amazing, there you can enjoy the view of Oshlak peak, Sharr mountains ridge and below the Jazhinca lake too. In conclusion, the total distance of the hike is around 11.6 km.

A lone hiker crosses the snowy ridge of Bistra Peak in winter, with clouded sky and Sharr Mountains beyond

There are several water sources during the hike, so take around 2 liters of water.

Points of interest:Starting point: Prevalla, KosovoStarting altitude: 1’563 m/altHighest altitude: 2’651 m/altElevation gain: 1’088 m/alt

Check out the summer trail, you can download and follow it:

And here you can find the winter trail:

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Granit Temaj

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