Maja e Gaferit

Who wants to climb a mountain that nobody knows and nobody sees? Well, once you happen to see it (as we did when we were climbing Mali i Polisit), you may actually want to hike Maja e Gaferit. Maja e Gaferit is for connoisseurs.

With 1890 Meter, Maja e Gaferit has a respectable height for a central Albanian mountain, and it looks beautiful. It has a 300 Meter high rocky summit pyramid peaking out of a dense patch of forest standing at the edge of a high plateau, with an elegant. straight, grassy couloir (gully) leading right up to its summit.

One of its misfortunes is that it stands in the shadows of Mali i Polisit, which is 80 or so meters higher. The other is the awfully long drive to its trailhead, which might deter anyone but the hardiest off road enthusiasts. Our trailhead was Breshke at 1200 Meter altitude, a village where three families live in summer, and which has no electricity any more. This surprised us, as even remote villages in Albania tend to be connected to the grid.

We started at 6:30 in the morning at arrived at the summit at 9:15 am. Something possessed us and we decided to circumnavigate Maja e Gaferit, even though it promised to be hot. On top of this, Google Earth images proved to be outdated and unreliable, leading to detours and an unexpectedly long day.

Check out the elevation profile, for a better idea of the hike. The rather flat stretch is the hike along an irrigation channel. We have a little doubt about the cumulative elevation gain of 982 Meter, as once imported in Google Earth it shows an elevation gain of 1260 Meter!

One way to make the circumnavigation shorter is to directly ascend to waypoint 03-Pass, when approaching it along the grassy plains. It also should be possible to cut the trail short by directly connecting betwen waypoint 06-Fork and 11-Bjeshke. At waypoint 09-Fork, one could opt to follow the road, which is lower than the foot path or mule trail. The road might not be shorter but allows for more comfortable walking. At waypoint 10-Fork, the left fork is probably the better option.

Considering the long approach, a climb to the summit of Maja e Gaferit and back to the trailhead may be all what you need. For a good Albanian experience, go all the way around the mountain, preferably in the temperate season.

For the road access to the trail head, see wikiloc #4940806.

Another access to Maja e Gaferit is from Sopot, which can be reached by foot within 2 hours from the terminus of the furgon (minibus) going from Elbasan to Gurshpatë and Vilan. This would be a longer walk and a shorter drive.