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For the trail · alpventurer.com/maja-ujezes

Maja e Ujezes, astonishing views of Shkelzen peak

Maja e Ujezes · Albania

Time
~7 h
Difficulty
Challenging
Water
Around 2 liters
Parking
Free

In short

Maja e Ujezës is a peak in Kosovo’s Accursed Mountains, with views of Shkëlzen. The hike starts near Kështjella në Rrasen e Koshares and reaches 1,822 m. It took us about 7 hours in snowy conditions, with 1,550 m of ascent; carry around 2 litres of water.

The route

Distance
14.6 km
Ascent
+1,550 m
Descent
−956 m
High point
1,822 m
Lowest point
990 m

A Kështjella në Rrasen e Koshares: 42.45321, 20.21105▲ Maja e Ujezës: 42.47055, 20.17908

Elevation profile of Maja e Ujezes, astonishing views of Shkelzen peakStarts at 1,042 m, climbs 1,550 m in total to a high point of 1,886 m after 7.2 km, and finishes at 1,060 m; 13.0 km in all.1,000 m1,500 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 kmKështjella në Rrasen e KosharesMaja e Ujezës · 1,886 m

Walking time, without breaks

  • Relaxed11 h 10 min
  • Average8 h 55 min
  • Fast7 h 5 min

How steep

  • Under 8% 2.7 km
  • 8 to 15% 3.8 km
  • 15 to 25% 5.5 km
  • Over 25% 1.0 km

In two parts

  • Up to Maja e Ujezës 7.2 km · +924 m
  • Back down to Maja e Ujezës 5.9 km · −877 m

What to pack

Every hike

  • Water: about 3.5 litres (half a litre an hour)
  • Rain jacket
  • A warm layer (fleece or light down)
  • Sun cap, sunglasses and sun cream
  • Boots or trail shoes with good grip
  • Phone with the map offline, and a power bank
  • Small first aid kit
  • Headlamp, in case it gets late
  • Some cash and your ID

For the summit

  • Hat and gloves: it is colder and windier at the top
  • Walking poles, for the way down

For a long day

  • Lunch, and a snack for every two hours
  • Salty snacks or electrolytes
  • Blister plasters

The guide

If you will drive through the southwest part of Kosovo, you will see an amazing mountain range. This is the Accursed Mountains mountain range, and there are two peaks that you can pick out in that range. The highest one is Gjeravica peak (2’656 m/alt) officially the highest peak in Kosovo,  and the rocky mountain called Shkëlzen (2’404 m/alt) which is located in the border between Kosovo and Albania. Maja e Ujezës (1822 m/alt) is the one mountain peak where you can see Mount Shkelzen straight in front. The view is incredible! This mountain peak isn’t visited that much, because, in the last war in Kosovo in 1999, this area was one of the largest battlefields, and it was a landmine.

How to get there

The starting point for this hike from Kosovo is near the Kështjella në Rrasen e Koshares.

From Gjakova you drive towards Junik until you reach Botushe. Botusha is 20 km, and it takes around 25 mins. When you reach Botushe, you take left, and just follow the road. The distance from Botushe to Keshtjella is around 7.5 km. The road is fully asphalted. At the starting point, there is a lot of parking space.

About the Maja e Ujezës hike

A hiker crosses a snowy ridge with the snow-covered Shkelzen peak rising in the distance

From the Parking lot, you go down and take an unpaved road. You pass by a destroyed military base, through a forest. Going through a forest, takes most of the time, and distance, around 7 km. After 8 km, you have the shepherd mountain huts. From there, it takes around 1 hour to arrive at the peak. From the peak, just go closer to the peak, to enjoy the best views of Shkelzen peak.

It took us around 7 hours in total because of the snow. I would highly recommend following the trail and not going a lot off-trail because it was a landmine before.

Take around 2 liters of water.

Points of interest:

Starting point: Skore, Gjirokastër

Starting altitude: 976 m/alt

Highest altitude: 1’822 m/alt

Elevation gain: 1’550 m