Cycling around Shkodra/Skadar Lake

The best way to explore Shkodra/Skadar lake region, its beauty, nature, history and culture is by bike. You are slow enough to get in contact with fantastic nature and native people, you are sporty enough to eat after cycling big portions of testy traditional food and you get try from the sun after a sweated environmental friendly driving in an nature reserve. If you are keen to swimm after vigorouse cycle trip, the average monthly lake water temperature in summer is about 21 degrees Celsius.

Situated between Albania and Montenegro, the Lake is in fact a former sea bay that was cut off from the Adriatic when the sea levels dropped, thousands of years ago. Its depth is up to 60 metres, at 41km long and between 370-530 square kilometres, depend on the season. It is a nature paradise. Bring your binoculars and your photo camera with you, because of spectacular Bird-watching possibilities! With some 240 bird species inhabiting its shores, including flamingos and some of Europe's last pelicans. But also in the water and on the land: there are 64 types of fish, and on land reptiles, wild boar, even occasional the wolf. The Montenegrin side of the lake is a national park. On Albanian side its an managed nature reserve since 2005. 

Behind the beauty landscape and rich nature of the lake, the area offers also special historic and cultural sights like the 2.500 years old town Shkodra with the “Rozafa castle”, the monastery islands in the lake on montengrin side and the lively Montenegrin capital, Podgorica.

The following itinerary suggestion will take you around the lake in three days. You will explore both the Montenegrin and the Albanian part of the lake. The route is mostly flat, with only the part on the western bank hilly, and uses regular roads – though traffic is low. If you need - bicycle repair shops can be found in Podgorica, Shkodra and Kopliku.