← Back to the guide
Photos
Map
Text

To keep it on your phone for the places without signal: in the print dialog, choose "Save as PDF".

For the trail · alpventurer.com/thrown-sand-shengjin

Thrown Sand Shëngjin, a great sand hill in Albania

Thrown Sand Shëngjin · Albania

Difficulty
Challenging
Season
Early summer; sunset
Parking
Free

In short

Thrown Sand is a sand hill on Albania’s Adriatic coast, near Shëngjin. The route is 3.2 km with 42 m of ascent, and the post recommends visiting at sunset because the sand can be scorching during the day.

The route

Distance
3.2 km
Ascent
+42 m
Descent
−36 m
High point
83 m
Lowest point
41 m

A Shëngjin: 41.82474, 19.55582▲ Thrown Sand hill: 41.83332, 19.54032

Elevation profile of Thrown Sand Shëngjin, a great sand hill in AlbaniaStarts at 49 m, climbs 42 m in total to a high point of 83 m after 1.6 km, and finishes at 55 m; 3.2 km in all.50 m100 m150 m0.0 km0.5 km1.0 km1.5 km2.0 km2.5 km3.0 kmShëngjinThrown Sand hill · 83 m

Walking time, without breaks

  • Relaxed1 h 10 min
  • Average0 h 55 min
  • Fast0 h 45 min

How steep

  • Under 8% 3.0 km
  • 8 to 15% 0.2 km
  • 15 to 25% 0.1 km
  • Over 25% 0.0 km

What to pack

Every hike

  • Water: about 1 litres (half a litre an hour)
  • 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
  • More water than usual in summer, and time in the shade

The guide

Thrown Sand is a very popular destination in the Adriatic Sea. It is located in the coastal town of Shëngjin – Northern Albania, near the city of Shkodra. This destination is well known for its calmness.

A hiker walks along the shore at Rana Hedhun as the sun sets over the sea

How to get there

If you want to go to the Thrown Sand, first, you need to go to the city of Shëngjin. From Tirana, you need to go to the highway Tirana – Shkodra. After you pass through Lac, you follow the signs to Lezha. Before going to Lezha, a sign shows you to turn left.

From Kosovo, you need to go to Milot, via Highway and then turn right to Lezha. Before arriving at Lezha, you need to turn left.

When you arrive in Shëngjin, you need to follow the road to the Port of Shëngjin. After passing the Port, some signs will lead you to the last Hotel. There you can park the car! From Shëngjin, there are a lot of taxis to Thrown Sand too.

About the walk to the Thrown Sand

When you arrive at the last hotel, you just follow the road to the beach. From the beach, you need to walk straight ahead for around 2 km to arrive at the hill. This hill is amazing! Going to the top of this hill is a great workout, and the view is amazing. During the daytime, the sand is scorching, so be careful! The best time to go to the hill is the sunset. During the sunset, the view is stunning.

Shëngjin has a long coastline, and in some places, it is very beautiful. In the summer, the beaches there, are crowded, and I wouldn’t prefer, but going there in the early summer is perfect. Also, the prices during that time are much cheaper!