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Shkodra poetry
As the centre of Albanian cultural life, Shkodra has attracted and inspired many writers and poets. The most famous local poet was Migjeni, although others include Filip Shiroka and Gazmend Krasniqi, all of whom are featured here with some poems.... -
Rozafa Castle
Crowning the 113m-high hill towering above the confluence of the Buna and Drini rivers, Shkodra's impressive top sight is the pride of the locals.... -
Marubi Photo Collection
With 250,000 negatives covering every major event in Northern Albania between 1858 and 1959, this is one of Europe's most valuable photo collections.... -
Velipoja beach
On summer weekends it seems the whole city smacks on sunscreen and flops on the wide sandy beach at Velipoja, 34km west of Shkodra.... -
Buna Delta
Nature lovers or those just looking for a pleasant walk in some cool forests can head straight from the beach into the Buna Delta reservation, between Velipoja and the Buna River which forms the Montenegrin border here.... -
Shkodra City Songs
The people of Shkodra have the reputation of being good-humoured, tolerant and happy, and perhaps this all has led to the wonderful local songwriting tradition.... -
Lake Koman ferry
Possibly the best trip you'll ever do in Albania is sail the Koman-Fierze ferry. Read all about it here....
Lake Shkodra
Lake Shkodra is in fact a former sea bay that was cut off from the Adriatic when the sea levels dropped, thousands of years ago. The lake is the largest in the Balkans at 41km long and between 370-530 square kilometres, and the lake surface varies between 5 and 10 metres above sea level depending on the season (lowest in winter). As its depth is up to 60 metres, the bottom of the lake is well below sea level, making it a so-called cryptodepression.
The Moraca river in Montenegro is the main source of water for the lake, flushing the whole lake through about 2-3 times a year. The Buna river near Shkodra is the only outlet, flowing down 41km to the sea. The Buna joins with the Drini river just below Rozafa Castle, a few kilometres from the lake, and curiously in winter when the lake surface drops, this top section of the Buna reverses direction for two to three months, allowing water to flow from the Drini past Shkodra into the lake.
This was a source of pollution for the lake, because of the heavy metals leaked by the chromium and other mines at the Drini's upper reaches. Fortunately, the Drini is improving after the near total collapse of industrial activities in the 1990s, though the KAP aluminium smelter and Podgorica's rubbish tip along the Moraca in Montenegro still cause pollution. It's all generally still within EU standards, and as long as you don't drink from the Drini, swimming along the lake shores and eating the fish is fine.
Nature lovers should bring their binoculars – Lake Shkoder is a bird-watchers paradise, with some 240 bird species inhabiting its shores, including some of Europe's last pelicans. In the water there are 64 types of fish, and on land reptiles, wild boar, rabbits, foxes and even the occasional wolf. The Montenegrin side of the lake is a national park.
The eastern shore of the lake is marshy with dense reeds, and it's difficult to get a glimpse of the lake from the road, which runs well away from the water. The easiest place to enjoy Lake Shkodra is on the steep, rocky western shore, accessible by car, taxi and a very occasional furgon bus.
Driving from Shkodra across the Buna bridge and to the right towards the lake, the stretch from Shkodra to Shiroke (3km) is the most developed part, with many new constructions going up. The centre of Shiroke is peaceful, with a few restaurants along the harbour quay and men fishing for their supper from the promenade. Once past Shiroke, the newly resurfaced road gets narrow and twisty, following the contours of Mount Tarabosh as it plunges down to the lake. There are some well-known restaurants perched on the shore along this stretch (see Taverna Shkodrana and Panorama in Where to Eat) and although it's mostly scrubland and olive orchards ending in large rocks along the shore, there are a few small bays for swimming – the lake water is a very pleasant 27°C in summer.
Six kilometres further down the road you arrive at tiny Zogaj, a tranquil fishing village that has apparently changed little over the past centuries. With about 40 inhabitants (in 60 families and 16 tribes) living off fishing, raising livestock and olive oil production, the village is completely Muslim, and is untouched by modern constructions except for the new harbour building which allows the fishermen to repair their nets in the shade. In the early morning and late afternoon you can see the small boats coming in to land with their catch.
The stone houses are up to three stories high, some of them traditional kulla (tower) type houses, which were built for defence. Each has a deep well with a supply of cold fresh water. The 'zaganjore' women have such a good reputation for hard work and cleanliness that there's even a Shkodra saying referring to it. There are some simple guesthouses here, though none have names or are signposted; simply ask around for dhoma (rooms). The asphalt stops at the village mosque; a track continues on to the Montenegrin border, but unfortunately there's no crossing here. In the distance you can spot some of the small islands in the Montenegrin part of the lake; to get there, you'll have to backtrack to the Buna bridge, cross the border at Muriqan and drive over Mount Tarabosh along the road to Podgorica.
Cyclists with their own bikes can make a 177km grand tour of the lake. As part of an EuLimnos project (a cross-border university cooperation for Lake Shkodra, see www.eulimnos.org), a reasonably detailed map was made in 2005, describing the route from Podgorica via Rijeka Crnojevica, Virpazar, Muriqan, Shkodra, Kopliku and Tuzi, and the sights along it. You may get a copy of the map by contacting the GTZ office in Shkodra. The route is mostly flat, with only the part on the western bank hilly, and uses regular roads – though traffic is low. Bicycle repair shops can be found in Podgorica, Shkodra and Kopliku.
Shkodra Lake boat trips
The Xhenis boat company uses two 60-seat boats (which originally plied the canals of Venice) for tours on the Albanian part of the lake, stopping off at
salve sono stato a scutari a marzo 2012 è vizitato lago di scutari è bellissimo!a scutari ce vicino anche castello Rozafa è una zona meraviglioza non mancano i ristoranti sul riva del lago sopratutto anche un ristorante trattoria locanda italiana con una cucina di altissimo livello.mi sono trovato come in casa.. lo chef italiano con la sua moglie che mi proponevano i piatti freschi di pesce.è da ritornare in quelli parti belli.
The lake of Shkodra is beautiful - I think that it is most beautiful in world.