back to Albania site    back to hikes and climbs   back to Locations and Travel

 

Crossing Rakshanit and the Subterranean River Gorge

 

Summary: Maja e Rakshanit lies in the shadow of the big four mountains near Tirana (Dajti, Brar, Gamnit and Kruja). Barely topping 900 Meters, it does not seem to be a top destination. This is wholy unjustified, as it makes for a wonderful outing, involving a roundtrip, the most fantastic view of Kruja Mountain that is to be had, and the geological marvel where huge rivers (huge during rainy season) disappear underground. The hole where the river disappears is on is eastern side - to reach it, you have to cross the mountain or hike up through the canyon "with the subterranean river". The return trip leads through a steep gorge, without the river which will resurface far away.

Rakshanit is a flat-topped mountain, which allows for long walks (and bushwhacks). It has a very steep east face, whith paths hewn into the rock. Not many visitors venture here.

 

The Drive:

Maximum altitude:	492 meter
Minimum altitude:	35 meter
Cumulative height:	654 meter
Cumulative length:	15 kilometers
Difficulty	easy
Time:	almost 1.5 hours
Date of this record	January 2012
Download GPS info:	To Brret and Rakshanit Trailhead

 

 

The Hike:

Maximum altitude:	930 meter
Minimum altitude:	325 meter
Cumulative height:	611 meter
Cumulative length:	10.63 kilometers
Difficulty	moderate
Time:	4  hours
Date of this record	January 2012
Download GPS info:	Maja e Rakshanit

 

 

General location and approach: Maja e Rakshanit is the next mountain to the north of Kruja Mountain. We reached the Mountain from the Tirana-Shkoder Highway, which is probably fastest. Alternatively, one can drive to Kruja. The trail markings start at the main road in Kruja town.

 

Other Information: Maja e Rakshanit is flat-topped as Kruja Mountain, though has more vegetation. Several ways around the plateau are possible. WE are certain to have the identified the highest point, which is the most southern summit (google earth is identifying another point, probably because of the higher tree cover, or due to the fact that the actual summit is not very big. Vies to Kruja Mountain are absolutely stunning, especially when you had climbed Kruja before.

 

GPS and trailmaps: The map and trailinformation is generated by www.wikiloc.org, 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.

Images: Click the button at the end of the page to view the slides in full screen