The Albanian Alps are located in Northern Albania and cover around 8 percent of the country’s territory. They lie north of the Drini River valley, and west of the lower stretch of the Valbona River and feature 13 peaks with an altitude of over 2,500 m, including Jezerca, Ismet Sali Bruçaj (Grykat e Hapta), Kollata, Radohina, Maja e Hekurave, Shkëlzeni and Sheniku. The three protected areas in the
new tourism destination Albanian Alps the Albanian Alps National Park and the newly established Regional Nature Parks of Nikaj-Mërtur and Shkrel constitute the “green heart” of this new tourism region. 115,245 hectares of protected areas turn this destination into a hotspot area for biodiversity of flora and fauna and conserved agrobiodiversity. The three parks feature different characters and landscapes which essentially contribute to the attractiveness of the destination. The Regional Nature Park of Shkrel, recently established in 2015, is also called the door or the entrance gate to the Albanian Alps due to its location in the very heart of the Albanian Alps. An advantage of this Park is its location 10 kilometers in the north-eastern part of the town of Koplik and 20 kilometers away from Shkodra, which makes it easy to reach and has turned it into holiday destination, where Albanians like to spend their weekend. The current visitors mainly come for the fresh air and to relax, even though the soft landscape invites to moderate hikes and can be visited all year round since hiking tourism is not well-established. Guesthouses and small to quite luxurious hotels can already be found e.g. The Albanian Alps National Park, in the process of being established, comprises an area of 86,145.57 ha where about 53 % of the park area belongs to Shkodra Region and 47 % belong to Kukes Region. The park area is characterised by wild rocky formations and high mountain peaks, and quite popular mountain tourism destinations such as Theti or Valbona belong to the parks area. Also the Peaks of the Balkans trail, attracting trekkers from around the world, passes through this national park, which has generated small tourism establishments like small hotels or B&B along the trail. The newly established Regional Nature Park Nikaj-Mërtur (as of 2014) covers 17,500 ha and is often called the last secret of the Albanian Alps because walking through the colorful mountain villages of Nikaj-Mërtur seems like walking through a mountain fairy tale. Due to its remote location and the good conservation, the area is full of diverse nature and living cultures in romantic mountain villages. The centre of the Regional Nature Park is in the village of Lekbibaj, 27 km from the town of Bajram Curri and 12 km from Fierza. Several peaks mark the border of the park: the Well of Gjireve-Brisë (west), the Peak of Upper Bosh-Curraj (north), the Peak of Dren (east) and the Peak of Korja e Mërturit (east).
