(2522m) Beginning from Valbona Qender, a ramble up the Kukaj valley brings you to the hamlet of Kukaj after half an hour.  After this the path winds around going up (some of it’s a fairly steep slog) to the the Bjeshket (or meadows) below Rosi, eventually arriving at the stans in Plan where you’re welcome to knock on the door and ask for lunch (500 lek per person would be a fair exchange.  If there’s any attempt to decline, say it’s for the children, and push it into the nearest child’s hand.  This is good Malësori manners!)  From here you can choose to continue on to either of two Qafas that give you tremendous views into Mal i Zi (Montenegro) or for the truly stout of limb, it’s possible to go all the way up to the peak of Rosi.  Thus this one mountain offers beautiful meadows of rioting flowers in June, to the stunning views from the Qafas, and some serious scrambling and climbing on the way to the peak.  The first 3 or 4 hours up, until you commit to climbing Rosi itself, are pretty gentle (for the Accursed Mountains) and for once there aren’t any steep edges to fall off of.  Rosi is particularly good for Botanists, with meadows of the endemic Albanian Lily, wild Fritellaria, orchids and (quite literally) 1,000s of other flowers.

Things to Do on Rosi:

Hiking:

Stanet te Plan: 3 hours up, unmarked, easy.  Stop and have lunch with Sami Hysaj’s family.  Wildflowers in June.

Qafa e Shelegut & Piramida 18: 5 hours up, unmarked, challenging.  Great views over the border into Mal i Zi.  Strange and wonderful endemic flowers (in June).

Maja e Rosit:  7 hours up, unmarked, guide recommended. All of the above, plus a peak!

Other Ideas: