Destination Inspiration Pitch: High Scardus Trail/Western Balkans
Rugged, frontier trekking between Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia
Sharri mountains on the edge of Kosovo
The High Scardus Trail is Europe’s newest transnational long-distance hiking trail, which includes 20 stages between Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. I had the opportunity to photograph a scouting expedition of this project/partnership between the GIZ, Trail Angels (an Austrian sustainable tourism consultant) and various local tourism agencies and stakeholders. The trail offers rugged trekking in an untouched and unspoiled mountain corridor in Europe, while also presenting sustainable development opportunities for, and collaboration between the people of these small countries that have too often been the victims of crises in recent history.
In November, Trail Angels won an award for “Best European Project” for High Scardus Trail at the British Guild of Travel Writers.
The story I want to write would highlight this stunning, underdeveloped region in an area of Europe that is still "wild," and in many places still bears scars from the recent Yugoslav wars. In a positive light, it represents an opportunity for responsible travelers to be among the first to visit these relatively unknown destinations, and to do so in a way that directly benefits the local communities, who for the large part are just now learning the basics of tourism and hospitality. A unique angle I have for telling this story is that I have a lot of experience traveling in the Balkans in general, have been to this trail before (albeit a different side of it), and am excited to see what has changed in the last two years since my first visit.
I would love to discuss a possible story commission, especially in advance of this trip in late June, so I can focus on aspects of interest to you and AFAR for this story. Aside from the photos attached below, and linked above, I plan on capturing more in June that will help to represent the atmosphere of this trail in summer, as my earlier photos are from autumn.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Matt Nelson
Arian Krasniqi, a Kosovar school headmaster and entrepreneur lighting a woodstove as we wait out a thunderstorm in North Macedonia, near the Kosovo border
Outside the resort Arxhena, perhaps the nicest mountain ski resort in the small country
Outside an Albanian village in North Macedonia
A local shepherd in his hut near the Kosovo border
Scouting the trail, or what is left of it…
Trail Angel Stefan Lieb-Lind (left, Germany) with Kosovo Mountain Search and Rescue specialist Deni Hameli (right), who is one of the main partners of the High Scardus Trail
Sharri mountain sheepdog on duty near the Kosovar border.