Prokletije National Park

Info

“Creating a fascinating and breath-taking scenery between the north of Albania and the east of Montenegro is the fifth National Park Prokletije. The name Prokletije and Albanian Bjeshkët e Namuna both mean “the accursed (mountains)”, possibly because they are perceived as insurmountable and wild.”

Prokletije national park is situated in southeastern Montenegro and lies within the “Prokletije” or Albanian Hills—a branch of the Dinaric Alps. Established in 2009, it is the country’s youngest national park. Covering an area of 16,630 hectares (41,100 acres), it has numerous peaks that exceed 2,000 meters (6,560 feet) in elevation. Its peak in Albania, Maja Jezercë at 2,694 m (8,839 ft), is the highest point of the Dinaric Alps, and the 7th highest peak in Albania. The park’s unique alpine ecosystem is home to a diversity of flora and fauna. Its many glacial lakes, some of which are typical examples of natural phenomena known as “Mountain eyes,” are bound to captivate you.

Location and relief

The Prokletije mountains stretch more than 64 kilometers from Skadar Lake along the Montenegrin–Albanian border in the southwest to Kosovo in the northeast. The southern boundary of the Prokletije is found at the river Drin and its tributary Valbona. In a broader sense the Prokletije also include the mountain ranges to Kosovska Mitrovica with the Hajla and Mokna massifs. Some authors, however, see the river Lim as the northern boundary of the Prokletije in geological terms. The Prokletije are ethnographically and sociologically diverse due to many tribes living in the region as sheep herders. Names of various tribes – Hoti, Gruda, Kelmendi, Kastrati, Dukagjini, Shkreli, Shala, Nikaj, Krasniqi, Gashi and Rugova – refer to their geographical locations within the range.

A Mountaineers Paradise

The Prokletije itself are made up of many large sections or mountain massifs/groups, all of which are connected to one another. These massifs include the Popluks group with a height of 2,694 m, the Shkurt group at 2,554 m, the Radohimës group at 2,570 m, the Zaborës e Krasniçës at 2,625 m, the Bjelic group at 2,556 m, the Karanfili-Brada group at 2,554 m, the Rabës group at 2,232 m, the Ershellit group at 2,06 6m, the Kakinjes group at 2,359 m, the Shkëlzen group at 2,407 m, the Bogićevica group at 2,533 m, the Horolac group at 2,199 m, the Kershi Kocaj group at 2,399 m, the Maja e Zezë group at 2,400 m, the Lumbardhit group at 2,52 2m, the Kopranik group at 2,460 m, the Strellc group at 2,377 m, the Đeravica group at 2,656 m, the Junik group at 2,296 m, the Starac-Qokorr group 2,426 m, the Hajla group at 2,403 m, the Stedim-Ahmica group at 2,272 m, the Zleb-Rusulija group at 2,382 m, the Mokna group at 2,155 m and the Suva Planina group at 1,750 m.