Peaks of the Balkans emergency & health guide: hospitals, rescue numbers and border permits

Rescue numbers by country

None of the three countries has a mountain rescue service like those in the Alps. A rescue is organised through 112 and the police and can take many hours; the nearest hospitals (Peja, Berane, Shkodër) are 1 to 3 hours by road from the trail. Carry travel insurance that covers hiking and evacuation, and do not walk the remote stages alone.

Rules to know

• Cross-border permits: the trail crosses the borders away from any checkpoint, so you must apply to the border police in advance. You need three permits: Dobërdol to Milishevc (into Kosovo), Kuçishtë to Babino Polje (into Montenegro) and Vusanje to Theth (into Albania). The official site asks for at least 15 days' notice; apply 2 to 8 weeks ahead with a passport scan and your exact dates. Kosovo (Kosovo Police, ragip.bunjaku@kosovopolice.com) and Albania (border police in Shkodër, drkmshkoder@asp.gov.al, or Kukës) reply by email and charge nothing. Montenegro (border police in Plav, stgpplav@gmail.com) charges a small fee, paid at a bank or post office, and you collect the stamped permit at the border police station outside Plav. Guesthouses and agencies such as Zbulo can apply for you for a fee.
• Carry your passport and the permits (printed and on your phone) on every stage. A permit is not a visa: if you need a visa for any of the three countries, get it first.
• Money: guesthouses in the mountains take cash only. Albania uses the lek (euros are widely accepted in Theth and Valbonë), Kosovo and Montenegro the euro. Carry enough cash for several days: there are no ATMs in the summer villages.
• Camping outside organised sites is not allowed in Montenegro, and Lake Hrid (stage 8) is a strict nature reserve where camping is forbidden. In Albania and Kosovo many guesthouses let you pitch a tent for a small fee.
• Shepherds in the summer villages and katuns keep large dogs with their flocks. Keep your distance from the sheep, do not run, and call to the shepherd if a dog comes at you.
• Water: most stages have springs or streams, but not all water is safe. Carry a filter or tablets and 1 to 2 litres.
• No mines are known on the marked trail, but cluster bomblets from 1999 were cleared in the mountains above Peja as recently as 2024. Stay on the marked path near the borders and never touch metal objects.
• Season: the trail is usually walkable from mid-June to September. Earlier and later, snow can make the passes dangerous and most guesthouses in the summer villages are closed.

Before you set off, the Peja Tourist Information Centre (+383 39 423 949) and the Plav Tourist Organisation (+382 51 250 151) give advice on the Kosovo and Montenegro sections; the official trail site answers at info@peaksofthebalkans.com. Much of the trail has no mobile signal: carry a map or GPS track, a headlamp and a first-aid kit, and tell your next guesthouse when you expect to arrive.

Nearest hospital for each stage

Hospitals

Clinics and doctors

These health centres treat minor injuries and illness during their opening hours. They are not hospital emergency departments, and the mountain villages have none at all.

Pharmacies, cash and supplies

• Pharmacies: Plav
• ATMs: Valbonë, Plav, Theth
• Shops: Kuçishtë, Plav, Theth
• Bus stops: Kuçishtë, Theth

Pharmacies are only in the towns: Plav (on the trail), Gusinje, Peja, Bajram Curri and Shkodër. There are none in the mountain villages, so carry a first-aid kit, blister care and your own medicines. Carry cash for the whole trek: Albania uses the lek (euros are widely accepted in Theth and Valbonë), Kosovo and Montenegro the euro, and guesthouses rarely take cards. ATMs are in Plav, Gusinje, Peja and Bajram Curri, with one or two in Theth and Valbonë.

Pharmacies, ATMs, shops and stops: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hospitals and health centres checked online.