Syri i Kalter / Blue Eye from Nderlysa - A tranquil walk with swimming opportunities

The "Blue Eye" (Shqip: Syri i Kalter) is a must see of every visit and one of the most popular walks, still the trail is not completely marked. It's a karst spring fed from an underground source as well as by a gushing mountain stream that enters from the Kapreja Valley.
It shimmers in a beautiful play of colors it owes its name to, and the "Eye" itself as well as the basin further down the river, near the trailhead in Nderlysa, are highly frequented swimming spots.

Either drive or walk to the trailhead, should you be staying in Theth (see separate track) or stay with Dede Nika in Nderlysa. From his place it's a mere 400m to the ruined school, where you can park your car and ascend the little bridge with beautiful views over the basins and the so-called glacial mills behind it. Two improvised cafes have opened here in 2012 and offer refreshments.

Instead of crossing the bridge stay on the right side of the river, cross the gravel field and follow the good mule path up and through the small canyon until you descend again towards the Syri i Kalter. From the highest point you can already see Martin's house on the left (just above the Blue Eye) and some others further up that form the hamlet of Lower Kapreja.

Don't miss the junction for the "Eye"! On your descend the first turn left leads to Martin's house, the second to the "Eye" (it's visible from the path) but you need to cross the river and than stay on a narrow path on the right which involves light scrambling.
If you arrive at the small wooden bridge you've missed it but don't worry there's a second approach route. (Update Dezember 2012: The bridge has been destroyed, so you will have to cross the river by jumping from rock to rock or by utilizing a tree trunk as a bridge)
Walk up on the left after crossing the bridge, don't follow the broader path along the wall to the right.
You cross a tiny stream and watch for yet another left turn, the right trail along the water channel takes you to the beautiful hamlet of upper Kapreja. There's another track called Circle Nderlysa-Kapreja where these route is displayed.

The one way walking time for this track is around 1h but plan to spend more time to be able to fully enjoy the various sights. Beware that temperatures can become quite hot in the valley during the summer, start early.

ZalaZ offers guided and self-guided walks to single summits, tailor made walking holidays and multi-day trekking tours in Montenegro, Albania and parts of Kosovo. Visit our website for more information and get in touch if you have any questions: welcome@zalaz.org