How to Get to the Blue Eye in Theth

The Blue Eye in Theth is a simply breath-taking waterfall nestled in a valley amongst the Albanian Alps. The Blue Eye gets its name from the shockingly vibrant water, which is also deceivingly cold! If you visit the mountains in the north of Albania then make sure you plan a hike to the Blue Eye, it’s the most popular hike to do after the Theth to Valbona hike. I’ll share how to get to the Blue Eye in Theth in this post.

WHAT TO BRING

If you are planning to hike to the Blue Eye in Theth make sure you bring:

• Trainers / hiking shoes as it’s a long hike.
• Swimming stuff if you decide to brave the freezing water!
• Money in case you decide to eat in one of the restaurants along the way or grab a drink at the Blue Eye.
• Water! Like in any hike make sure you bring a big water bottle with you. You can fill it up in Nderlysaj.
• Your mobile with Maps.Me app downloaded as this will show you the exact path to take (as you won’t have any signal).

HOW LONG DOES THE HIKE TO THE BLUE EYE TAKE?

The hike to the Blue Eye is around 17km in total and takes around 3/3.5 hours each way. There are slopes at the beginning and end of the hike but the middle part is flat. The hike is not too intensive but the distance and path require a good physical shape and a sure foot.

CAN I GET TO THE BLUE EYE BY CAR?

Like the majority of people you probably didn’t bring a car to Theth (the best way to get to Theth is in a jeep from Shkoder). If you aren’t ready to hike for 6 hours but you still want to see the Blue Eye then there are two options for you:

• You can hire someone to drive you in a Jeep from Theth to Nderlysaj and back so you will only need to walk 30-40 minutes to the Blue Eye (each way). Please note that this is expensive (around 60€) as you are then paying for someone to wait around for you to come back.
• You can walk to the Blue Eye then back to Nderlysaj and hire a Jeep back to Theth from one of the two restaurants there. This costs around 20-30€ depending if you share with other people or not.

HOW TO GET TO THE BLUE EYE IN THETH

As I mentioned before make sure you download the Maps.me app and select to access the Northern Albania map offline. This way you will be able to easily follow the path to the Blue Eye.

The basic steps are:

1. Head south out of Theth
2. Stop at the Theth waterfall (pictured below)
3. Carry on the path past the waterfall and head downhill
4. Follow the path along the river
5. Cross the bridge and follow the path to Nderlysaj
6. Head up the rocks towards the Blue Eye

CAN I EAT AT THE BLUE EYE?

There is a restaurant at the Blue Eye where you can get simple food (like fries) and soft drinks which are kept cold in the freezing water!

You can also stop to eat in Nderlysaj which might be better if you left for the hike straight after arriving to Theth.

There aren’t any shops in Theth so if you were hoping to bring a picnic with you you will need to bring it from Shkodër.

BEST TIME TO GO

Due to bad weather conditions in the winter, the road to Theth is actually closed during the colder months from November to May. If you are planning a trip to Theth make sure you go during the summer or early Autumn.

If you are hoping to get a photo with no one in it’s actually easy to do as the water is so cold no one stays inside too long! We hiked there straight after arriving in Theth from Shkodër, getting there around 3pm and there were a few people but it was still easy to take photos!

WHERE TO STAY

Theth has a number of charming guesthouses which are all around €40-50 a night. We stayed at the Marashi Guesthouse as it is located right near Theth church (which I wanted to photograph at sunrise and sunset), had good reviews and was also one of the cheaper guesthouses.

You will need to pay in cash when you arrive (Euros or LEKs), so make sure you bring enough cash with you as there are no ATMs.

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I hope you have an amazing time exploring Thethi National Park, it was one of my favourite parts of my Albania road trip! Even if you’re not that into hiking the region is well worth a visit, the views are just break taking! Find out more in my ultimate guide to Theth in the Albanian Alps.

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