Shtegu Rrethorë i Gështenjave (Rec Chestnut Trail)

The clearly marked trail is easy to hike for all levels of hikers. This trail takes you through a typical silvi-cultural habitat of chestnuts for 2 to 3 hours. Chestnuts cultivation is important component of the local economy. Many of the locals are involved in collecting, processing and selling chestnuts. The chestnut forest is owned by different families of the region, within which every family pass down a plot of chestnuts to the next generation. This plot is called kashnjet, where only the family of its owner is entitled to collect chestnuts. During the hervest season, the lively atmosphere welcomes the hikers. Some part of the forest is surrended by stone-wall called megja. This is because the locals use the forest also for grazing and keeping livestock during the summer.

From the main motorway, which connects Razëm and Bogë, take right next to the new prison. The trail begins to across the field of medicinal plants, with the hills and the mountains as its background. This trail will take you to the dense forest of chestnuts, with around 30.000 chestnuts tree within 450 ha. Keep on following the trail, you will arrive at the village of Reç. Along the trail, you can see tall chestnut trees with amazing crowns. Their wide trunks suggest that the trees have been there for centuries. In the villages of Reç, Aliaj and Qafe-Grate seem to link with the chestnut forest. This merges the forest with the village landscape. On the left side of the trail, you may notice the monument build to honor the Reci Battle.

From the Bujtina e Reci, the trail continues to ascend with the chestnut trees alongside. After you crossed a water stream, you will reach “Lagjen Qelaj”. Leaving it on your left side, the trail continues uphill until you arrive at “Balaj Koder“. This trail will continue to “Qafe Grade”.

On the way to Qafë Gradës, you can drop in at the “Shpella e Pllumbave” cave. To reach the vave, take the trail on the left, and go along the marked trail on a limestone mountain covered with juniper bushes. This cave exhibits you stalactities and stalagmites. From “Qafe Grada“, take the trail on the right side to reach Doce Village. Between Qafe Grate and Doce village, there is a site called the Tombs of the Turks (varret e turqve). There stand some elements of tombstones, awaiting for further archeological investigation.

In the Doce village, you will find the old cemetery. Turn right at the cemetary and continue the descent along the chestnut trail until you arrive at “Qafe Burge”. Here, take the trail on the right. This trail will take you to Gjonkokaj village. After you passed through the village, you will arrive at the main road. From here, Reci guesthouse is about 500 meters away. The trail goes through the neighbourhood of Mosel (Rec). In this village, the locals cultivate orchards, fruit trees and bee-hives for honey. Along the way, there are two particulaly popular restaurants, where the guests from Shkodra and other area visit. The restaurants are a typical example of culinary tourism, which is widespread in Albania.