Beautiful Lake Alltata and Mal Zajs

Not very high-altitude, but a hike in very unspoilt environment with some challenging bits. The hike is very close to Petrelë, and starts at the reservoir of the village Fushas near Baldushk. From there, it climbs to the highpoint of the area, Mal Zajs. Mal Zajs is heavily wooded, and the summit has no views, so you may as well skip it. But then, when will you be as close to it again? We tried two ways to the highest point (waypoints summit 1 and summit 2), and the difference in altitude was one meter. Perhaps you may want to just bushwhack from one to the other, and you may find another point that is yet another meter higher.

From the summit area, the trail makes a big loop to descend to beautiful Lake Alltata (also a reservoir). When you think you are done, you have to climb another 100 meter or more, in an large circle, to finally descend to where you came from.

There is the possibility to shorten the hike. Having descended from the summit pyramid and passed our cautionary waypoints, you arrive on a sort of pass with cross-roads. A wide mule-trail descends to the right, leading back to the reservoir and Fushas. This is the old road connecting Fushas and Pezë, but it is no longer suitable for any vehicle.

The hike, while generally easy, passes some serious drops, mainly due to erosion. Especially the descend from Mal Zajs leads through steeply eroded terrain (see waypoints 'caution'), and the trail is not immediately visible all the time. This makes the hike unsuitable for children.

When reviewing the hike at home on google earth, we saw a possible alternative to the trail sections marked with caution. From the summit area of Mal Zajs, go south-west, until you reach a wider path which you take to the right. It will join the GPS trail below the caution-bit. But we haven't done it, and you should check it out on google first.