A via ferrata hangs on a limestone wall above the Shushica gorge, an hour and a half from the bay, and the day ends with a walk along an old water canal and a swim in a mountain river.
Via Ferrata Kuç is a route of steel cables and iron rungs on a limestone wall above the Shushica valley at the village of Kuç, about 64 km and 1 hour 30 minutes by car from Valza Boutique Hotel in Uji i Ftohtë. A guided circuit of about three hours combines the climb high above the gorge, a walk through the woods and a picturesque walk along an old irrigation canal; with pick-up from the hotel it costs about €50 per person.
Via Ferrata Kuç at a glance
- What it is
- A guided climb on steel cables and iron rungs above the Shushica gorge, with a forest walk and a walk along an old irrigation canal.
- Where
- The village of Kuç, in the Kurvelesh highlands, about 64 km and 1 hour 30 minutes by car from Valza Boutique Hotel.
- Time needed
- About 3 hours for the whole circuit; a full day with the drive, the springs, a swim and lunch in the village.
- Best time
- Spring and autumn; in summer start early in the morning, before the rock heats up.
- Cost
- About €50 per person with pick-up from the hotel, guide and equipment; confirm when you book.
- Good for
- Active couples, groups of friends and families with older children who want one big adventure day.
What is the Via Ferrata Kuç like?
A via ferrata, the “iron way”, is a climbing route equipped with a steel cable fixed to the rock and iron rungs where the wall is steepest. You wear a harness and a helmet and stay clipped to the cable with two carabiners the whole time, so you climb real rock with the safety of a rope. It is the easiest way to feel what climbers feel, without being a climber.
The route was built by the hiking company Çeta Hiking, which won a competition for the project with the support of the Tourism Innovation Platform: the first 100 metres were financed by the German development agency GIZ and another 150 metres by the Albanian Development Fund, under an agreement with the Municipality of Himarë. In June 2025 the Prime Minister shared the first images of it, and since then it has become the adventure that people drive into the mountains for.
What makes it unforgettable is where it is. The wall rises straight above the Shushica gorge, so with every metre you climb the valley opens wider below your feet: the white riverbed, the green slopes of holm oak and plane trees, the thin road winding along the river. Guides describe the climb as moderate, exposed in places but never technical, and beginners in reasonable shape do it every week with a guide beside them.
How does the day go?
The whole circuit takes about three hours, and it is much more than a climb.
- Pick-up from the hotel. The guide collects you at Valza in the morning, and the road to Kuç follows the bay and then climbs inland into the valleys of Kurvelesh, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Harness, helmet and a short lesson. At the start, a short walk from the centre of Kuç, the guide fits your equipment and shows you how to move the two carabiners along the cable.
- The climb. Steel cable, iron rungs and limestone, climbing high above the river, with the Shushica gorge opening below.
- The forest walk. The way down follows a path through the shade of the woods.
- The canal walk. The most unexpected part: you walk along the stone edge of an old irrigation canal, with cold water running beside your feet under the plane trees.
- The springs and the river. End the morning at Buronjat e Kuçit (the springs of Kuç) and with a swim in the clear water of the Shushica.
- Lunch in the village. A long, simple lunch of mountain food in Kuç, and back at the hotel in the afternoon.
The moments you will remember
The first look down
Halfway up the wall you stop, turn your head, and the whole gorge is under your boots: the white riverbed, the road shrunk to a thin black ribbon, the slopes of oak falling away on both sides. It is the second when everyone goes quiet, and then everyone laughs.
The flag on the rock
Where the rock is steepest, iron rungs lead past a red Albanian flag tied to the cable. Climbers stop beside it for the photo of the day, with the black eagle on one side and the drop on the other.
Walking along the water
On the way back the path becomes the edge of an old stone irrigation canal: you walk in single file on a ledge one stride wide, under plane trees, with cold water running at your feet and the gorge just beyond the leaves.
Cold water after the heat
Below the village the Shushica runs clear and cold over white stones. After a morning on warm limestone, sitting in the river with the harness still on is the best feeling of the day.
The silence of Labëria
Kuç lies in Kurvelesh, the mountain heart of Labëria, the historical region of southern Albania that stretches from the hills behind Vlorë to Himarë, Tepelenë and the valleys above the Ionian coast. It is a land of shepherds, stone villages and springs, and the home of the many-voiced folk singing, the iso-polyphony, that UNESCO lists as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Far from the crowds of the coast, between the climb and lunch, there is a kind of silence you will not find on the Riviera in August. To explore more of the region, read our guide to Labëria and the inside roads of Vlorë.
Moments from the iron way
Ready to climb
Helmets on, gloves on, the gorge behind you.
The valley below your feet
The Shushica riverbed and its road, seen from the cable.
On the wall
Grey and orange limestone, one step and one clip at a time.
Smiles on the cable
Exposed, but never alone: the guide is always close.
The flag on the rock
Iron rungs where the wall is steepest, and the red flag halfway up.
Along the old canal
The cool, green walk back, with water running at your feet.
Into the river
The best reward: cold, clear water after the climb.
Via Ferrata Kuç in numbers
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250 metres
Of steel cable and iron rungs on the wall
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€50 per person
About the price with pick-up, guide and equipment
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3 hours
The whole circuit: climb, forest and canal walk
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64 km
From Valza by road, about 1 hour 30 minutes
Buronjat e Kuçit (the springs of Kuç), a short stop at the start
Right beside the start of the via ferrata, Buronjat e Kuçit (the springs of Kuç) rise at the foot of the mountain: cold, clear water coming straight out of the limestone, the same karst rock you climb. Kurvelesh is a land of springs, and these are among the best known of the valley. Stop for ten minutes before or after the climb, fill your bottle, cool your face and listen to the water: it is the quietest moment of the day.
Where to eat in Kuç after the climb
Kuç is a mountain village, and lunch here is part of the day: small family-run taverns serve simple food from the highlands, mountain cheese, grilled meat, fresh river fish and bread from the oven, at village prices and with a slowness that suits tired legs. Your guide knows which one is open that day and will take you there, above all outside the summer season.
How do you book the via ferrata?
With a local guide who knows the route well. Our reference is Skejdi Shehu, a local via ferrata guide: send a message on WhatsApp to +355 68 481 3267 with your date, the number of people, their age and whether you would like pick-up from Valza Boutique Hotel. With pick-up from the hotel, guide and equipment, the price is about €50 per person; confirm it when you book. In summer, ask for an early start.
Tell them Valza Boutique Hotel sent you. Mention in your message that you are writing from Valza Boutique Hotel: whenever they can, the organisers give our guests preferred treatment.
Where it is
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Via Ferrata Kuç, parking and start
A short walk from the centre of Kuç, above the Shushica valley.
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Buronjat e Kuçit (the springs of Kuç)
Beside the start of the via ferrata.
What should you wear and bring?
Clothes you can move in and shoes that grip: the rest, helmet, harness and lanyard, comes from the guide.
- Trainers or light hiking shoes with a good grip: never sandals
- Gloves: cycling or fitness gloves protect your hands on the cable
- Light, stretchy clothes: shorts or leggings and a T-shirt in summer, a light layer in spring and autumn
- Water: at least 1 litre each, in a small backpack
- Sun cream and sunglasses: the wall faces the sun
- Swimwear and a small towel: for the Shushica after the climb
- A phone on a strap or in a zipped pocket: for the photos, without dropping it
Tips from our team
- Listen to the guide’s first five minutes. The one rule that matters: one carabiner on the cable at all times.
- Start early in summer. The limestone heats up by midday, and the morning light on the gorge is the best for photos.
- Do not look for speed. Climb with your legs, not your arms, and stop to look down: the view is the point.
- Tie back long hair and take off rings before you put on gloves.
- Check the weather. The via ferrata is not climbed in rain or thunderstorms; keep a second day free if the forecast is unsure.
- Keep the afternoon slow. After the river and lunch, the drive back is the moment to rest; dinner at Eden, our sixth-floor rooftop, is the perfect end to the day.
Is it worth it?
Yes, if…
you want one day of real adventure in the mountains of the south, with a story to tell: a climb above the gorge, a canal walk and a river swim.
Maybe not, if…
you suffer from vertigo or want a quiet beach day: the wall is exposed in places, and the drive takes about 1 hour 30 minutes each way.
Book the morning circuit with pick-up from the hotel, and keep the evening for the bay.
