I came up with several different “titles” for this post, including:

 From Fearful to Fantastic: The Road to Theth: Not for the Faint-hearted! (which is what I named the YouTube video included here:

https://youtu.be/rfWo0tEfMGQ. This is a MUST see 3D visual of the ride.

 Highway 21, the Albanian road that SCARES people away from Theth!

 Theth: the town that everyone keeps talking about, and the one that almost made me give up motorcycles

I finally came up the one that really speaks to the city, which has taken on an almost mystic, magical reputation. When we moved back to Tirana, Albania, in June, I spoke with Paul, our fellow nomadic American friend, who bought a property in Saranda, where we used to live. Since we were going to be here for several months, and I’m a motorcycle guy, I asked, “What towns should I specifically visit to see if they are worth moving to, or just visiting for a short time?” He gave me a list of the “usual suspects,” including Korce, Pogradec, Vlore, Durres, Shkodra, Berat, and one I never heard of, called Theth. He described it as THE up and coming place to see in Albania, and said it was a small mountain village at the foothills of the Albanian Alps, AKA, Accursed Mountains. Well, with a name like that, I had to go!

On the second day of my four day bike ride to the north and western cities from Tirana, I stayed in Shkodra for two nights, and left there early on the second day for Theth. Truthfully, I was a bit fearful since SO MANY people warned me (including my wife) to BE CAREFUL. I looked at the road map, and yes, it was a mass of squiggles going over the mountain passes, but that is what motorcyclists live for! Most of the trip from Shkodra is 80% evenly paved streets, very ordinary, but it’s the 20% that makes the difference. As I reflected on my journey, I came up with some ideas, some tips for anyone interested in visiting the “other side” of the hill, and I’ll share MY thoughts as to if it really IS, all that, or if it’s over-hyped.

First off, a choice must be made: drive yourself, or take a tour? This below is for drivers. I WILL post a separate set of suggestions for motorcyclists.

• Fun: Yes, the road IS fun–as long as you don’t mind narrow roads and driving slowly. In many places you have to pull over for oncoming cars to pass, but they are not what I call “dangerous” places.

• Danger?: Mildly, the biggest risk is oncoming traffic and lane crowding. Even under the best of driving conditions people sometimes crowd your lane. That would not be good on SR21!

• Passing options: For cars, very few overall, so you’ll be driving the speed of the crowd. But, there are some pull-offs for slower cars to do that, but many do not…

• Road conditions: Overall the road is 85% good to very good, well paved, and the rest is rough with some potholes and gravel.

• Traffic: I imagine it could be horrendous on weekends or in summer. Theth seems to be “the” place to visit, and the traffic reflects that. There are several switchbacks/ 180 degree corners which are HORRIBLE for full size buses or large RVs, and bad if you are behind them. One funny section of the road had a FULL SIZE bus trying to take a 180 degree turn. The downhill cars had to back up, and the uphill cars behind the bus did the same. It took two or three back and forths for the bus to negotiate the corner, but bless them, they did! Meanwhile, as soon as I had a chance to skirt around the front, I took it, and had no one behind me the rest of the way.

• Fear; do you need to be afraid? Some may, thinking they are putting their lives on the line, but in my opinion, there are few dangerous areas with drop offs.

• View: Yes, there are quite a few pull-offs to stop and check it out, but not as many as lots of comparable roads in the world I have ridden.

• Attractions: There are a few restaurants of different sizes to stop on the way and rest or have a bite, but aside from that and views, not much cause to stop.

The time from Shkodra was about two hours, but that could vary wildly based on cars vs. bike, the traffic, and the weather. I would not want to drive this road at night or in bad weather.

OK, so finally I’m coming down the last section of road, sharp turn to the left, then the right, and I pull into town, but there IS no town. Cross over the bridge and you find rutted, dirt and gravel roads. There’s some lodgings there, restaurants and coffee shops, and a few maps for hikers and those going on to Valbona National Park, which is a 15-17 km hike taking about six hours plus. Yea, maybe next time… I watched some videos of those hikes, and even the hikers half my age—or less—said it was tough going. Meanwhile, the town I saw had little to offer. I had a coffee, took some pictures of the mountains and stream, and headed back. BTW, it IS worth staying the night just to not have to return the same day.

As of right now, since there’s not much else to offer, it’s for nature lovers and hikers. I saw quite a few while I was there, and there were several trailheads close to town. As long as the weather is nice, the walking and or hiking in the area are great.

Is Theth over-hyped? There have been many places we have visited in the world that we thought WERE overhyped, and many that were more impressive than what we expected. For me, personally, I think Theth is only worth the drive if you’d like the experience OF the drive, and going somewhere different and unique. What it will look/ be like 10 years down the road is hard to predict, but it will certainly be MORE crowded and difficult to visit.