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Mali i Komjanit

Summary: We were heading into the Gramsh - Grabove area, waiting what the weather would be like. As one year before, while the rest of Albania was nearing a heat stroke, Gramsh experienced major thunderstorms, rendering some of the more difficult access roads impassable.

We therefore had to reorganize, and decided to hike Mali i Komjanit.

Mali i Komjanit is, with about 1850 Meter altitude, not particularly high compared to its neighbors Valamares or - across the Devoll River valley - Tomorri mountain. But Mali i Komjanit stands out and manages to dominate, together with the hugely scenic Split Rock, the Grabove/Lenie area. On top of this, Komjanit offers very interesting hiking and because its somewhat central location, offers great views of the area. Onother gem in this area is the large Lake Dushkut, usuaully well hidden from view.

Kajanit is a little deceiving, as a hike up to its summit appears to be easier than it actually is. The summit is surprisingly rocky, with steep grassy patches and seemingly botttomless drops. Still, there is a faint trail for most of the hike, but be prepared for some airy scramble near the summit.

The Hike: The hike starts at Teqe Dushkut. The shrine that can be reached from the Gramsh-Grabove road by turning onto a little used dirt road, which is in surprisingly good condition. From the Teqe, follow the road for a few hundred meter, until it transform itself into a footpath. Pass under Komjanit mountain and head towards a clearing on the gentle north ridge of Komjanit. Then turn around and follow the ridge, through light forest towards the summit rocks. The summit is still 100 Meter above you, which you reach with some light and sometimes exposed scramble.

Maximum altitude:	1446 meter
Minimum altitude:	233 meter
Cumulative height:	1400  meter
Cumulative length:	42 kilometers
Difficulty	difficult
Time:	5 hours without a camp
Date of this record	July 2013
Download GPS info:

The Drive: The trail coordinates start at the end of the asphalt road south of Gramsh. Continue on the road to Korca for a few hundred meters, then turn left at the signposts for Lenie and Grabove. The road is in reasonable condition (as of July 2013). At waypoint 04, a shssort excursion teakes you to Teqe. Even if you don't intent to hike Mali i Komjanit, the teqe is a short and worthwhile sidetrip. If you continue beyond the Teqe for a few hundred meters, you will get a view of Lake Dushkut below.

Continuing from waypoint 04 on the road to Grabove, the left for at waypoint left takes you to Grabove siperme (upper Grabove) and the Split Rock. The right fork would take you to Grabove poshte (lower Grabove). The road to upper Grabove rapidly deteriorates, and requires a vehicle with good ground clearance. Even then, the road may not be possible when very wet. Soon the Split Rock comes in view. Our trail continues up to an altitude of 1300 Meter, near the Split Rock, which you can explore with caution. The road then continues to Grabove Siperme, which has a little hotel near the trailhead to Valamares mountain (see hike to Valamares summit).

Maximum altitude:	1837 meter
Minimum altitude:	1411 meter
Cumulative height:	663  meter
Cumulative length:	12.1 kilometers return
Difficulty	difficult
Time:	8 to 9 hours hours
Date of this record	July 2013
Download GPS info:

General location and approach: South of Gramsh - turning off the Gramsh-Korca road near the village of Bulçar.

Other Information: Most parts of Albania are very beautiful, but this part remains one of our favorite areas.

 

 

GPS and trailmaps: The map and trailinformation is generated by , based on GPS information collected from the actual hike. Waypoints can be downloaded to a GPS device from Wikiloc. If necessary, use GPSBabel to convert GPS data to different formats. For more hike descriptions by Palmtreetreeproduction, browse this website or visit Wikiloc and search for "Palmtreeproduction". You may also find nearby trails from other authors.

Google Earth: You may also view the trail in 3D by clicking "view in Google Earth" when on Wikiloc. You need to have Google Earth installed on your computer.