Shkopet lake – Breathtaking untouched nature

· updated · 1 min read
A hiker crosses a narrow suspension bridge over turquoise Shkopet Lake, with forested hills and mountains beyond
Shkopet lake, Albania

Where it is

Shkopet lake, on the map

What to pack11 things, for a swim

Every hike

Water and sun

The light for photographs

Today at the high point: sunrise 06:27, sunset 16:22.

Today at the high point: sunrise 06:27, sunset 16:22.

At the high point, in local time (Europe/Tirane), with an open horizon: the mountains around can hide the sun sooner.

In short

Shkopet Lake is an artificial reservoir in Albania’s Mat district, about 65 km from Tirana. The area offers opportunities for exploring nature, kayaking, birdwatching, swimming and visiting Shkopet Gorge.

Shkopet lake (Liqeni i Shkopetit) is an artificial lake located in Mat district. In Mat district, flows Mat river, which flows into a large reservoir called Lake Ulëz (Liqeni i Ulzës), and then after passing the dam, flows into a smaller reservoir called Lake Shkopet (Liqeni i Shkopetit), and forms a great gorge through a mountain range that separates this district from the Adriatic Sea.

A hiker crosses a narrow suspension bridge over turquoise Shkopet Lake, with forested hills and mountains beyond

How to get there

Located 65 km from the capital of Albania, Tirana (around 1h and 30 min drive) and 200 km from the capital of Kosovo, Prishtina (around 2h and 30 min drive) makes this destination a great spot for hiking, exploring, kayaking, birdwatching or just enjoying the beautiful views. The road is totally ok, so it is accessible for a small car too.

If you don’t drive, you can take the bus from Tirana to Burrel direction, and ask the bus driver to stop in Shkopet.

About the Shkopet lake

As mentioned before, Mat river flows into the Lake Shkopet. The source of this river is mountains of Martanesh and it flows in the Adriatic Sea. The length of the river is 110 km.

The length of Lake Shkopet is 11 km, width 240 m, and depth 75 m.

What’s interesting about this zone is the fact that nature is untouched and locals there are very friendly.

This zone is perfect for exploring virgin nature – hiking, birdwatching, kayaking in the beautiful green lake, canoeing, swimming, fishing, etc.

In Shkopet, there is the Shkopet Gorge too. Its length is around 60 meters, and from 1963, there is a dam there. There you can relax by swimming or drinking something in local cafes there, or you can rent a small boat and explore the surroundings.

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Granit Temaj

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