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For the trail · alpventurer.com/shkopet-lake

Shkopet lake – Breathtaking untouched nature

Shkopet lake · Albania

Parking
Free

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.

What to pack

Every hike

  • Water: half a litre for every hour of walking
  • Food and snacks for the day
  • 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

Water and sun

  • Swimsuit and a quick-dry towel, if you fancy a dip

The guide

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.