While it might not have the grandeur of the Blue Eye or Grunas Waterfall, Gjeçaj Waterfall offers something that neither does. And that’s the off the beaten track factor.
While everyone who visits Theth has driven past this waterfall, few people will have taken much notice and fewer still know it has a small crystal clear pool at its base.
Here you can swim in turquoise water completely alone and there’s something very special about that. Oh and it’s less than a five minute walk, so if like us, you’ve just taken on the Theth-Valbone hike and are looking for something a little leisurely, this one’s for you.
That cold water is all but guaranteed to soothe any residual aches and get you ready for the next adventure.
Here’s how to find it.
Visiting Gjeçaj Waterfall
Where to park
The trickiest thing about visiting Gjeçaj Waterfall is that it doesn’t have a car park and it’s located right off the main road into Theth.
There is a lay-by big enough for a few cars to park beside it, but know that you are parking here at your own risk as some of the drivers in Theth are a bit crazy!
I think it does help that it’s right beside a bridge which every single driver has to slow down to cross so people don’t tend to hurtle along this stretch of road. We parked our car here and everything was fine, but just be aware that there is no proper car park.
The coordinates for the lay-by are: 42.397735, 19.765858. Alternatively, you could hike up from town or take a taxi if preferred.
The walk to Gjeçaj Waterfall
Distance: 70m (including walking from the lay-by)
From the lay-by you head a few seconds along the road to the bridge, you can already see the top of the waterfall here.
There is no set path and the area around the waterfall is unkempt with rubble and rocks, however it’s not difficult to reach the falls as long as you don’t mind a bit of uneven terrain.
You can walk off the bridge and into the rubbly area via the left or right side. The left side (with your back to Theth) is a bit looser but smoother while the right side is more rocky and rubbly. Both sides lead to the rock platform in the middle.
You can climb up onto the rock platform and then up onto the next one. This is easy, especially as there are some handily placed large rocks that mean there are no big step ups required.
You will then see some piping on the right. You can walk up the little gravelly ‘path’ on the western side of the creek for a few steps and you will come to a large rock beside a cascade.
Trail on the western side of the creek
Foothold on the western side
There are two very good footholds you can use to climb up the side of the rock. I found it easy to climb up but was less sure when climbing back down.
On the way down I didn’t use the same route and went to the right of the water instead which I found easier as a descent route, it’s more climbing down and across some small rocks, rather than having to rely on the footholds of the larger rock.
Trail on the eastern side
Having said that, most people will climb down the original rock without a second thought!
The final few steps once you’ve climbed the large rock is up a small grippy bit of rocky track and then you will arrive at the foot of the waterfall.
The whole walk probably takes less than 5 minutes!
Swimming at Gjeçaj Waterfall
Even though we visited on the last day of September and the flow of the falls was minimal, Gjeçaj Waterfall was still a beauty.
The water even when in shadow was so incredibly blue and the clarity is superb. You can see every little stone that makes up the base of the pool.
The water is very cold but still warmer than the Blue Eye. Entering the pool is easy as you can step off the rocks and into a shallow part of the water.
At the deepest point it was chest height on me so I could have a little swim, but most people will probably just go for a plunge.
Though it is small and humble by comparison to say Grunas Waterfall I found the experience of swimming here entirely alone very special.
You can hear the occasional car pass by on the road below, but no one stops and that gives you the feeling you’ve found your own little secret spot.
For us the day after hiking the Theth Valbone route (twice!) it was exactly what I needed. A little dip in sensational turquoise water without having to expend any energy!
Where we stayed in Theth
We have been lucky enough to visit Theth twice and stay in a few different accommodations (unsponsored incase you were wondering because these reviews are going to be glowing!), here are our favourites:
Villa Ujëvara e vogël
The setting of Villa Ujëvara e vogël is jaw-dropping. And that is not hyperbole.
You are surrounded on all sides by the glorious Albanian Alps and I think I bored Joe silly by exclaiming every few minutes he needed to look at the view again because a horse had wandered onto the lawn or there was a slight change in the light on the mountain tops.
It is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most glorious settings we have ever stayed in.
We lucked out by being able to book what I think is their nicest room (well one of two anyway). It’s a sort of chalet style with a sofa, fireplace and single bed below, and a large comfy bed above in the loft area (accessed via steep stairs).
The bathroom was large and had an actual partition that didn’t flood the room - a rarity in Albania! I was in love with the room and wished we could have stayed longer.
The breakfast and dinner were very good, some of the best food we had in any guesthouse in Albania. They also allowed us to leave our car after we checked out as the Theth Valbone hike is located just a few minutes walk from their property.
The cons, which honestly didn’t bother me, were that electricity is hit and miss, we always had it but sometimes it was weak (think it takes about 10 minutes to boil the kettle). Additionally the bathroom sometimes had a funky drain smell.
Oh and I should address the generator issue, if you’ve been researching Theth at all you will hear a lot about the generators. Villa Ujëvara e vogël has one but if you are in the glass chalet or close to it you are very far from the generator so you honestly barely here it and it goes off around 10pm.
I am extremely noise sensitive and I was ok with it. If you don’t want to splurge on the glass chalet room, ask for one nearby to make sure you are as far from the generator as possible.
You can see the reviews and prices here:
Valter & Drita's Guesthouse
The rooms at Valter & Drita's Guesthouse are very cute, with lots of wood panelling, a real fireplace and beautiful views from the windows. The building itself is postcard worthy, utterly charming and surrounded by the most exquisite mountain views.
The bed is large and comfy and the breakfast is hands down the best we had in 2.5 months in Albania - the variety and quality was second to none. Those little pumpkin feta bites are addictive!
The host, Gjon, is also a lovely guy and very knowledgable, you can learn alot about Albania and he would go out of his way to help you if needed.
The cons are the bathroom is a wetroom (or ours was, they may not all be) but it did dry very quickly so honestly that isn’t too much of a bother and we could hear the generator more than I would have liked, but again it goes off at night at which point it’s totally silent. The electricity goes off sometimes but that’s just Theth and it’s better to come assuming you won’t have it at all times.
You can see the reviews and prices here:
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