Hike the Sharr Mountains in Kosovo & North Macedonia

After the first day one member of our group stated she got out of adjectives to describe the beauty we met and the energetic vibes we were feeling. That's when we began looking fiercely for synonyms to use... until we understood we couldn't find more words ... Be prepared to loose you speech on this adventure and to get overwhelmed by astonishment, serenity and precious silence while diving into pristine, uncontaminated mountain landskapes and been welcome with warmth and unique hospitality after each trekking day in your hotel, guesthouse or fisher's hut😍. The food is delicious, the organisation immaculate, the guides Meto and Uta a rare combination of professionality and human kindness and care💓 I wish you the same luck with the hiking group (All for one, one for all🙌) and the magnificent weather (6 days under an unconditionrd blue sky). This trip is a bless, a therapy, a gift! DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! APPLY, PACK and GO! ENJOY🙌👏

Had a great time hiking in the beautiful Sharr mountains! Meto was our guide and he was very knowledgeable, funny, and patient when we had a million questions or were panting up an ascent. The first two days were a bit tough with skree and ascents but after that your legs & lungs adapt. The terrain changed a bit as well - blueberry and juniper fields for days! The hosts at the guesthouses were lovely and the food was plentiful. Autumn colors were in full swing - I imagine spring/early summer would be stunning with wildflowers in bloom. To prepare yourself: some days have little shade and you'll be sharing rooms/dormitories. It's a bit geared toward extroverts in that way. Note the last day includes a gorgeous surprise... Big thanks again to Meto and Uta

This was a fantastic trip! The guides, Uta and Mehro, were fantastic and managed the group well. The hiking was lovely. The first two days were by far the most challenging with the heat and elevation gain and descent, but each day felt very doable and enjoyable. This trip contained noticeably more hiking and more challenging hiking than another level 4 trip that I took, so it's possible that this trip should be ranked level 5 or the other trip was a very easy level 4. The guesthouses had basic bathroom and bedroom facilities, but each place was clean, safe, comfortable, and had fantastic food and company. I highly, highly recommend this trip!

What an adventure. I booked this looking for something remote, challenging and a bit different, and it absolutely delivered. This route and it's surrounding area is stunning. Wild, rugged and incredibly peaceful and the lack of other tourists made it feel like a proper adventure. It’s hard work, especially carrying a few days of kit, but that’s a big part of what makes it so rewarding. The group were brilliant, the local hospitality was amazing, and Uta and Mehro were fantastic guides throughout. Six days of mountains, good people, great food, cold beers and a lot of walking. What more do you want? Would 100% recommend.

What a trip! I had an absolutely amazing time, the hiking is beautiful, rugged & so untouched - we saw next to no-one on the trail the entire week. Our guides Uta & Mehro were total legends - they took such good care of us all week, were patient & understanding and just great fun to chat to & to be around. The trip is definitely challenging so be prepared for some long days! But you will be rewarded for it at the end of each day by fabulous & varied accomodation - from camping under the stars, incredibly hospitable local guest houses to a 5 star hotel - and fantastic food throughout. I loved learning more about Kosovo & North Macedonia, a region I didn't know much about & hadn't been on my radar previously. They are both beautiful countries & very much feel like they're off the beaten path, so go quickly before they get truly discovered!

This was an incredible trip. Having done Peaks of the Balkans with a friend last year, I was really keen to come back to the Balkans and my favourite landscapes. This was even more rmeote and rugged, with no tourists on the trail. In 6 days we saw one group on horseback, and literally noone else apart from local shepherds. The landscapes are gorgeous and varied, the hiking is challenging but doable for anyone with reasonable fitness. The mixture of guesthouses, camping and 5* hotel is diverse and shows a wide range of local culture. Hospitality in guesthouses and from locals is second to none. Sharr mountains really are magical!

Brilliant adventure its rare in a society of mass tourism to trek on such remore terrain and apart from our group meet hardly any other walkers in 6 days, so peaceful. The huts and lodges we stayed in were so authentic and friendly with amazing food! Challenging but enjoyable and fun . Uta is a really terrific guide so driven and focused with a real passion for the region. As a group we had a lot of fun! Would so recommend this as a unique personal challenge in a stunning untouched area of the beautiful balkans

From the airport pick up to the airport drop off everything ran like clockwork. Uta the mountain guide knowledge of the mountain was just great highly recommend this hike

What a wonderful experience and challenge I’ve just come back from. I booked last minute, just six days before as I wanted to find a remote trek with great people and well organised by experts / professionals. This is exactly what I got, what I wasn’t prepared for was the beauty and wildness of this route, the nature, and a real standout the friendliness of the local people. Whilst I debated booking other treks that would have been less rustic and potentially more comfortable by returning to hotels each evening and with the requirement to carry less kit, what what this experience delivered on hits far deeper and is far more rewarding. The group were truly amazing, a real mixture of ages, backgrounds and nationalities. Everyone got on really well, all got involved and were kind, supportive and respectful room sharing buddies too. Take ear plugs! Huge kudos to the guides, Uta is a living legend, not only were we in the safest of hands with her superb leadership, but she was a constant source of inspiration and hope for the future of her country. Her personal bio speaks for itself. She has a purpose beyond her climbing achievements and strives to make a real difference in the world and to her people. Our second guide Mehrow (sorry about the spelling) was equally impressive and brought a nice balance, he was always calm, patient and ensured the trek was well lead and everyone was supported throughout. The trek is hard and more challenging due to carrying at least three days of kit on your back throughout. I did walk myself fit and by day 4 felt fantastic, blister management is really important, as is being punctual and ensuring your kit is light, functional and faffing is minimised! There really is very little time, you need to be “on it” and focused to make the most of the experience and be a good team member. Expect to be pushed quite hard to stay on time throughout not just the hiking but also in the guesthouses in the evening in the mornings, but there is always time for a nice cold beer and a chat, a debrief and chill out time to bond with your fellow participants. So for me, this is five stars for the Sharr, for Uta and her team and for the countries of Kosovo and North Macedonia. So just book it! Be prepared, be fit enough and throw yourself into the team spirit.

What a fantastic trip of a life time. Our guides Uta and Maroo were simple the best. To pacing the hike walks up over and around the mountains, to the knowledge they shared with us, and the organisation of the time you simple couldn’t fault it. So staying in remote guesthouses, to a 5* hotel. The food along the way was incredible and meeting people for all walks of life.