Cycle the Balkans

A fantastic itinerary through four Balkan countries, all offering scenic views, good cycling , excellent food and just enough historic places of interest. Challenging cycling climbs rewarded with spectacular long descents.

Most Inspirational Moment
The ride through the Tara Canyon reaching the famous Tara Bridge. Endless fantastic photo opportunities.

Thoughts on Group Leader
What an excellent guide Dhimo was. Professional, helpful, knowledgeable, choosing good routes and pointing out places of interest. In depth knowledge of the region culture, language and currencies. Fantastic help choosing unique restaurants, ordering appropriate local tasty dishes and organising an easy method to pay all the individual bills. Complete empathy with all group members. Good sense of humour. A really good guide and companion who I would like to consider a new friend. Of note Viz, the driver also contributed significantly to the success of this tour.

Advice for Potential Travellers
You need to be quite fit but if you are, you will struggle to find better views on any tour. End of April / early May was a good time to visit. All countries were safe and culturally interesting. I have been on several [tour operator] cycling holidays and this is one of the best.

Suggestions
I strongly recommend this trip for adequately keen and fit cyclists.

The tour is well paced for both distance and difficulty through beautiful scenery with some long climbs and exhilarating descents. We travelled the first two weeks of May and were very lucky with the weather with the rain staying away for almost all of the trip. The tour took us through glorious sunshine and took us right up to the snow.

Thoughts on Group Leader
Dimitry (Dimi) and his almost inexhaustible knowledge of the complex history of the region led the cycling & Elvis (Vici) with his careful, patient driving provided vehicular support. They worked fantastically well together, had every situation under control and were a pleasure to travel with. Together they showed us some of the highlights for the beautiful Balkans and made us feel extremely comfortable/welcome.

Suggestions
In summary I feel extremely lucky to have been on this trip. Some of magic was the chemistry between those in the party but a huge part of it was the part Dimi & Vici played making everything work so beautifully. They deserve my gratitude and hope you are lucky enough to take the tour with this partnership.

Great trip and fantastic itinerary going through 4 countries ( crossing the borders by bike, was a lot of fun!). This trip is more on the challenging side with long climbs and several days spent in the mountains. The views from the mountain roads were fantastic and made us forget about the climbs. It was also a fantastic way to discover the history of this region going form Ottoman empire to Communist / modern era. The food was really good, a lot of local cheeses, grilled vegetables and olive oil. Great to refuel after a day spent cycling! The hotels selected were great and some of them even features a hot tub and a sauna to relax in the evening.

Most Inspirational Moment
The day spent going up and down Durmitor us the highlight for me. Unspoilt nature, quiet roads and great 360 degrees views.

Thoughts on Group Leader
Dimitri and the Support driver "VC" were great, providing a very detailed and clear briefing every morning. Always happy to answer our questions.

Advice for Potential Travellers
Pack several Layers! The temperatures on this trip vary a lot! We had cold mornings in the mountains but very hot days once we were cycling the bay of Kotor. I found myself starting a couple of days with long sleeves gloves and hat and finishing in short sleeve jersey, zip open by the end of the day.

Met expectations – 4 countries in 2 weeks. Well constructed itinerary for the two weeks. Centrally located Hotels were good. This is a cycling trip with quite long well graded uphills and downhills most days. Sturdy (heavy) bikes handled the down hills confidently.
Cultural visits were limited to a couple of hours in Ohrid, Peje & Prizren and Kotor. We did get an afternoon in Tirana to explore by our selves.
Food was good – lots of cheese and seasonal veg. Friendly locals smoke a lot!
Weather went from hot and humid to very wet to cool and then back to hot.
Roads were generally quiet but some sections were busier. Roads surfaces were mainly better than the UK, driving standards were variable – very few other cyclists on the road.

Most Inspirational Moment
The descent into Kotor Bay takes a lot of beating. Montenegro mountains, Prizren and Peje in Kosova, and Lake Orhid were also great.

Thoughts on Group Leader
Leader and assistant both excellent and hard working! Interaction with clients was good.

Advice for Potential Travellers
It got quite cold in the mountains - pack a few warm layers. And water proofs. Consider bringing decent bike lights for the tunnels. A couple of the tunnels were very dark the provided lights were feeble. Infrastructure in these countries is good. We used Euros - In Albania and Macedonia you get change in local currently. Card payment common. ATMs common. Food was good - we may have been lucky that there was lots of seasonal produce. Some wonderful cheeses. Vegetarian options possibly a little repetitious. Vegans would find it a challenge.

A challenging and beautiful journey through Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro with breath-taking scenery. The cycling was challenging with lots of climbing, but the bikes that we were provided with were perfectly geared for and suited to the terrain. There were regular re-groups on the hills as everyone climbs at their own pace and is able to enjoy the holiday at a pace that suits them. Delicious healthy and reasonably priced meals were provided in the hotels and cabins that we stayed in.

Our guide Joshua was knowledgeable and efficient and provided us with information each day about the route and some background history. He arranged for a local guide in each country we visited to give their personal perspective and an opportunity to ask questions about the complex history of the region.

Most Inspirational Moment
The climb through Durmitor National Park in Montenegro with its wild and rugged scenery, exposed to the elements. The very welcome Turkish coffee brewed on a portable gas stove at the top, before the stunning descent through switch backs and short tunnels. At out destination in Rudinice, we were greeted with a dramatic sunset with a double rainbow across the mountains, a delicious roast lamb dinner and comfortable stay in a log cabin. Standing up high on the castle walls at Prizren, Kosovo, hearing the call to prayer from across the city from the many mosques below with the Pashtrik mountains in the distance. The opportunity for quiet reflection on the beautiful climb through no man's land between North Macedonia and Kosovo. The thunder and lightning on the last part of our descent into Berane which thanks to our guide we avoided the worst of.

Thoughts on Group Leader
Joshua and drivers Toni and Juli made a great team - very welcoming, funny and approachable. Joshua gave detailed descriptions of the route ahead such as rough roads, descents, metal grids, tunnels, city traffic and any inclement weather. He gave advice on how to negotiate these safely and as a result there were no serious mishaps. We regrouped regularly after climbs and descents. Coffee stops and meals were efficient with a group tab system. We were given some free evenings to explore the area we were staying in and make our own arrangements for dinner which was nice to have a bit of freedom to explore/take a break from the group. This safety conscious but relaxed and friendly approach worked well and it felt like a holiday!

Advice for Potential Travellers
Take layers for cycling: the mountains were cool in Montenegro and we did encounter some rain. For the descent from Durmitor I was regretting not having my long finger gloves! Rehydration tablets I did have a slightly upset stomach on a couple of occasions, which was fixed with loperamide! Take Euros with you to pay for meals/settle the tab at the end of the holiday.

Suggestions
I would recommend this trip, it was fantastic.

The challenges were so worth while. The guide and driver/mechanic Dimitri and Juli were lovely guys. Juli made you smile every time he passed us slogging up the hills 🙂
We saw different kinds of villages and towns, some busy some remote, all with their own charm.
Having everything organised for you frees your mind to just enjoy the wonderful scenery and sweeping descents (some a little scary).

Most Inspirational Moment
Cycling up a remote valley, seeing traditional farming and hearing the calls for prayer. Cycling through beautiful no-mans land between borders. The first view of The Bay of Kotor.

Thoughts on Group Leader
Lovely guy.

Advice for Potential Travellers
Take lots of layers for hot or cold weather. We had a lot of rain and it got cold. Definitely take light overshoes, they take no room.

Suggestions
I didn't get much hill practice in, living in Essex but your climbing ability does improve every day. I loved how different this holiday was, it was very different to the Indochina I did.

A great trip covering some (as yet) relatively un-visited parts of Europe. I was inspired to book after reading ‘To The Lake’ by Kapka Kassabova, but had no idea how spectacular the mountain scenery would be or how vexed the relationships between Albania, Kosovo, N Macedonia and their neighbours to N, E & S – credit to our guide (Dhimo) for bringing this to life. I’d like to return to hike the Accursed Mountains and spend more time around Ohrid / Prespa under warmer conditions.

Most Inspirational Moment
I was overwhelmed (to the point of tears) by the frescoes within the churches of the Patriarchate of Peć. The bazaar in Peja was a distinct disappointment, but the Patriarchate was a must-see for me. That it is the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church - but situated in Kosovo and protected by the local police force - speaks volumes for regional history. Other than scenery and culture, I was keen to see wildflowers: and was not disappointed. The alpine meadows in Durmitor were awash with Muscari, orchids and gentians (amongst others) while the high passes were ablaze with crocuses wherever the snow had receded. Breath-taking. As was the constant waft of jasmine at low altitudes - particularly in and around Kotor.

Thoughts on Group Leader
Dhimo set a good pace - and made life extremely easy for the group, tallying food and drink expenses in his little green book for periodic payment (in whichever currency group members happened to have in greatest quantity). His penchant for classic British comedy (Fawlty Towers) also made for a gently humourous atmosphere throughout

Advice for Potential Travellers
The history of the Western Balkans is extremely complicated. Whilst many of the overnight stops aren't featured in the relevant lonely planet guide, it does include a reasonable overview of this history. You will need to be a confident cyclist. The route is on public roads and close passes were constant in all four countries (although there was no obvious malice on the part of drivers, they just weren't used to giving cyclists any room). Other than in the run-in to Kotor, traffic levels were moderate - but expect this to change over the next few years as visitor numbers increase. Travelling as a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) was fine - cheese features at every meal, and roasted veg are readily available (as are pasta and pizza options). Travelling as a vegan would be a challenge. The museums in Tirana are excellent, with unflinching presentations of the challenges presented by Albania's recent communist and post-communist history. Learning about the growth of the police state and widespread betrayals / persecution was eye-opening (and humbling). Take out a few Lek from an ATM in the city and see some of the sights on your first afternoon - mulliri coffee shops do a decent latte and pistachio bun if you need refreshment (a wide range of savoury options is available in the Tirana Castle area). The Adrion bookstore in Skanderbeg Square is well worth a look.

Suggestions
We tended to arrive at our hotels during early afternoons, leaving plenty of downtime. Since the cycle routes sometimes passed sights of cultural interest (such as the Sveti Jovan Bigorski monastery in North Macedonia) I would have preferred to spend time visiting these at the cost of an hour or two of pre-dinner idleness. Exodus could consider 'culture plus' tours with this feature, without much effort. In a similar vein, it would be great if the local operator could circulate basic maps and/or 'things to do' at overnight stops with no obvious points of interest (eg Berane) - or some basic ground rules (can we wander where we like in Durmitor National Park, or only on marked paths? Are there any trails near the accommodation that we might want to have a go at? etc). The hybrid bikes provided were great for the road conditions. We avoided long, unlit road tunnels and the provided bike lights were OK for alerting other traffic to our presence but pretty useless for illuminating the road ahead if pedalling at any speed. Local beer and wine were (almost) universally excellent. We had an extra night in Tirana at the end of the trip thanks to a BA IT failure. Credit to Dhimo for arranging accommodation and getting us into the city - but thereafter we had no support from either the local operator or [the tour operator]. We were all experienced grown-ups and sorted ourselves out, but I expected better customer care and follow-up from [the tour operator].