Korça Alpin, guide for hiking enthusiasts

2023-12-14 22:52:00, Qyteti im CNA

A sport as difficult as it is with adrenaline. Hiking in mountainous areas is one of the sports that many young people have chosen to practice for many years already in the southeast. The association was officially established in 2017, but the many trips to the wonderful nature of the Korça region have started even before this year.

Iljon Thanas, tourist guide, told CNA how the idea of ??organizing and creating the association was born, which remains a novelty for Korça and a good opportunity for those who are passionate about this sport.

"Korça Alpin was not created on a specific date, despite the fact that it was registered as an association in 2017. It was created spontaneously, we were a group of friends who, during the weekends and holidays, went hiking in nature, through mountains, we climbed the peaks of Korça and saw that we had many other friends who wanted to join us by seeing our photos and videos on social networks. Not only friends, but also other unknown people who expressed interest in joining, so we thought of making a better, more structured organization and for 4 years now we have been making organizations in the city of Korça. Later we started cooperation with Pogradec Struga, Librazhdi, Devolli, Erseka and thus we are expanding in the region of Korça and beyond in Albania."

Korça Alpin, guide for hiking enthusiasts

Iljoni singles out the most beautiful areas that have a beautiful nature and terrain to visit. As a national guide, he compares the Albanian Alps with the area of ??Korça.

"As a national guide, I have seen and hiked all over Albania and what I like the most are the Alps, for the nature part, but Korça is not far behind. The region of Korça has very beautiful places such as Valamara, a natural wonder with its lakes, Ostrovica, Prespa, the National Park, Devolli i Sipërm, Gramozi with its lake. So Korça has many attractive places and I can say that it has another advantage, that you can go hiking even in winter. Which you cannot do in the Albanian Alps as the snow makes it impossible. For the other seasons in Korça we can do it in all of them, while in the Alps we can do it in June, the end of October and the beginning of November depending on the climatic conditions."

Educator Eriseld Kalemaj is also passionate about hiking, who has been teaching at the Fan Noli University of Korça for years. Although with a different profession, the passion for this type of sport has been born since the age of 20, while the professor himself shows the pleasure he gets from hiking in the mountains.

Korça Alpin, guide for hiking enthusiasts

"The passion started early when I was somewhere in my 20s. It started as a desire to be active, then gradually started following the paths and looking for more. Then it started as a desire and love for nature, and almost every weekend we do not part with the mountains, the paths, mainly around Korça, but we have also been beyond our region.

The feeling is a release from the suffocation of the tiring, toxic, social, urban life, the weariness is rewarded with a joy, calmness, liberation and extremely positive energy to continue the ordinary life. It is a passion that, in addition to nature, also affects the psychological aspect, renews you, gives you a kind of energy, like a therapy that I recommend to everyone."

The last trip they made for this year was the one to Guri e Capi, and the most special thing about this trip was precisely the snow that started near the end of the hike up the mountain. A very nice atmosphere created, although in low temperatures, but for the 40 participants in this trip it was one of the greatest pleasures experienced.

Korça Alpin, guide for hiking enthusiasts

"It was fantastic, a very beautiful landscape, in winter. But the most fantastic thing was that near the end of the trail a snowdrift caught us and created a really impressive atmosphere that many of the travelers said that we are not going home, we are staying here. We were almost 40 participants, with groups from Pogradec and Struga, it coincided that it was December 10, the day of the autonomous province of Korça, while on December 11, it was the day of the mountains, and these two days were beautiful for us to love nature and our country. Also to be patriots, so we can be true patriots."

CNA viewers will surely be curious to learn about the most beautiful areas the Southeast has to offer. Professor Eriseldi tells us these.

"There are many beautiful places. 10 minutes away from the city we have the "Bredhi i Drenova" National Park, where the natural monument "Guri i Capit" is located, a truly fantastic landscape, a very beautiful nature. Also Ostrovica, Vithkuqi, Prespa with its wonderful lake, Pogradeci with Upper Mokrra, Kolonja, Upper Devolli also a jewel to explore.

There are many of us in the group, 30, 40, 50 people, who are passionate and love nature. Even the young generation is starting to like it, to see it as an alternative to spend the weekend, as an opportunity to break away from the boredom or fatigue of ordinary days. It is an opportunity that serves the individual himself, also for his social life, to be more peaceful, more loving, nature gives this opportunity."

Korça Alpin, guide for hiking enthusiasts

The purpose of creating the association and developing the tourist guide remains simply the promotion of the natural and cultural values ??that Korça has.

"In January we do a planning more or less of what we want to explore, and we have a small core group that deals with exploration, creating new paths by looking at them, mapping and looking at the difficulties, and then we do organization. As for my guide, I want to tell foreigners as much as possible about my country, the cultural, natural and human values ??that this country has and why not promote it as much as possible and bring elite tourists."

The high interest of hiking enthusiasts, as well as local and foreign tourists, has led the staff of Korça Alpin Group to open a bar in the Old Market of Korça, so that those interested can gather in an environment of warm to discuss next trips. January is the month that hiking will be organized, with the place still undetermined, but there will be announcements regarding this trip in the future. CNA makes available the contact number of the tourist guide, to become part of the hikes between the mountains and with the fantastic nature that the southeast offers. +355 69 217 0848/ CNA