"Reached via the popular and strenuous Theth–Valbona route, this high pass is the reward after a steep, heat-baked ascent that can include temperatures in the mid-90s and even nearby wildfires. Hikers described rising through dark forests to emerge onto a “dazzling” pass, then negotiating a long descent where horses commonly bear other walkers’ bags, and finally crossing a dried-up riverbed full of rocks to reach a valley guesthouse—where wine and freshly caught trout restored spirits after the day’s exertions." - Clodagh Kinsella