High Scardus Trail

High Scardus Trail is a 314 km, long-distance hiking trek across the mountain borderlands of North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania, laid out as 20 daily stages plus short transfer links.

The route links the Shar Mountains (Šar / Šar Planina), Korab, Deshat, Jablanica, and Galicica mountain ranges, with the highest point credited on the main line being Mount Korab (2,764 m), the top peak in both Albania and North Macedonia.

Terrain is remote and navigation-heavy: the trail follows border ridges and passes between settlements, so you should expect long stretches where wayfinding is the main skill to manage rather than technical climbing.

Timing is mid-June through mid-October, with many walkers targeting late June to September to avoid the worst shoulder-season mountain conditions.

Route structure is built around doing the full end-to-end traverse as a point-to-point trek; you can also shorten it into smaller itineraries by combining contiguous stages and skipping others.

Along the way, nights are typically spent in small mountain villages and basic accommodations, including mountain huts and guesthouses tied to the stage endpoints rather than large towns and full-service logistics.

More information: Official website, High Scardus Trail | Guidebook | Trek through the… | Cicerone Press, Walking the High Scardus Trail (Self-guided) - The Natural Adventure