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Off-roading and hiking Maja e Velecikut

Summary: Before visitors hear of Maja e Velecikut, they are likely to hear about Razem, a village off the Boge valley. Razem lies at an altitude of 1000 Meter, and when the Tirana, Shkodra and the beaches in northern Albania are too hot to do anything, some insiders go to Razem to relax in the cool mountain air. The problem has been that, expect for a large communal football pitch, there didn't seem to be too much to do in Razem. For those with an offroad vehicle, here is the opportunity to bash your car to some caves at Velecikut mountain, and then take a hike up to its summit with its stunning views. On a clear day, one can see as far as Shkodra and Podgorica. Those concerned about the paintwork of their car can hike the entire stretch, perhaps taking a few shortcuts. In any case, you are likely to be back for lunch and a dip into the swimmingpool of the local resort.

Drive to the caves on Maja e Velecikut:

Maximum altitude:	1278 meter
Minimum altitude:	1083 meter
Cumulative height:	230 meter
Cumulative length:	6.27 kilometers
Difficulty	moderate
Time:	about 1 hour
Date of this record	July 2011
Download GPS info:	Velecikut Driive

Hike up to the summit of Maja e Velecikut:

Maximum altitude:	1718 meter
Minimum altitude:	1260 meter
Cumulative height:	440 meter
Cumulative length:	1.93 kilometers
Difficulty	moderate
Time:	about 1.5 hour
Date of this record	July 2011
Download GPS info:	Velecikut climb

General location and approach: Razem is off the Koplik-Boge road. The turn is signposted and the road is asphalted up to Razem. There is the luxurious "Natyral Resort" with swimmingpool and sauna, but less pricey options are also available.

Other Information: The resort offers guided tours to some more nearby caves, strawberry picking, and a fire on cool evenings. A guide to Velecikut is possible, but requires prior arrangement. There might be several other routes up Velecikut. The indicated route to the summit goes straight up a steep grassy ridge, which may become slippery in rain. Note that you first approach a "false summit", with the true summit another 10 minutes or so on. Should you wish to visit the caves (which is probably the point when you take the drive), wear long trousers because of the stinging nessels.

Another interesting drive is to Fushe Zez, several kilometers from Razem to the east. The road ends there.

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