The Blue Eye of Theth is a natural pool of turquoise water found on the outskirts of Theth National Park in the Albanian Alps. It may not be as well-known as its Blue Eye sibling in the south of Albania, but we found it to be a much more enjoyable experience. The cascading Black Drin river (Lumi I Zi) forms the Blue Eye as it works its way down a beautiful valley.
Since most people visiting Theth National Park base themselves in the town of Theth, visiting the Blue Eye of Theth usually involves a 19.5km roundtrip hike. The first 7.5km of the hike is along a road, which you can also drive along if you own a 4×4. Once you reach the town of Nderlysaj, the rest of the path is only accessible by foot and takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour of mainly uphill hiking. We would class the hike to Nderlysaj as easy, but the last 30 minutes leading to the Blue Eye is up a narrow and steep mountain path, which is harrowing in the hot summer sun.
Starting at the centre of Theth near the visitor centre, the hike begins by crossing the bridge to the other side of the river. From there you walk uphill and keep left at the two forks in the road. You will then find yourself walking along a road, alongside the river. Follow the road until you reach Nderlysaj, where you will find a sign telling you to head right towards the Blue Eye.
When you reach the sign “Bar & Restaurant Samuel”, turn left and continue to follow the road. Continue right at the next fork. When you reach Bar & Restaurant Lulash Zelna, continue up the hill on your right.
When we reached Nderlysaj we continued into the village instead of skirting left around it, and we ended up coming across an elderly Albanian man who initially showed us to the other side of the village and then asked for payment to help us reach the Blue Eye. In the end it took us 2 hours and 45 minutes to reach the Blue Eye from Theth.
Even though you can swim in the Blue Eye of Theth, beware that the temperature is arctic cold; usually around 7o Celsius. It is excellent for chilling your beverages in, but if you haven’t brought your own there are locals selling chilled drinks and food on site. You won’t find anyone selling drinks or food between Theth and Nderlysaj. Our return hike to Theth was 30 minutes shorter. Overall, including photos and our stop at the Blue Eye, our trip was around 6.5 hours long.
Other tips for visiting the Blue Eye of Theth
For those who aren’t keen on the long hike, you can organise for a local driver to take you there by 4×4, for around 40 EUR return. They will wait for you at Nderlysaj as you hike to the Blue Eye and back. It would be wise to find others to share the trip with if you choose this rather expensive option.
If you plan to hike to the Blue Eye or to Valbona Peak, you should consider bringing snacks from Shkodër. We visited the only mini-market in Theth just before our hike and found that there was no fresh food available apart from some mouldy peaches. Most B&Bs will make you a packed lunch if you ask.
Vodaphone has 3G signal up until Nderlysaj, and very weak and intermittent signal after that. We suggest you download an offline map prior to setting off for your hike and pre-mark the Blue Eye and Nderlysaj, just in case you take a wrong turn.
Lastly, we got bitten by quite a few midges because we were hiking back at dusk. Although there are nowhere near as many bugs compared to the tropics, it’s worth taking insect repellent if you plan to be hiking at dusk.
Read more on How to Get to Theth National Park and 5 Things to Know Before You Visit Albania
