On and off-road through the Balkans

Each trip I take begins with a countdown, and this time it went like this. Luckily, I don't have to cross off each day on the calendar: I have an app on my phone that shows me how many days until that very special date. I try to plan each trip to include some national holidays, so I can spend as many days a year on my motorcycle as possible.  

My plan was to leave in May, and I had lots of ideas with regard to destinations. We opted for Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia. As a result of international restrictions due to the pandemic, whether or not we would be able to complete our trip had been in doubt for a long while. We wanted to create an unforgettable off-road route. This time, exceptionally, I was not involved in its creation, but usually when I’m doing the planning, I use the www.alltrails.com site and OSM maps, supported by satellite imaging to increase my chances of being able to get a real understanding of the rideability of the mapped route. I don't know exactly what the other team members used, but they put together a great off-road GPX route in the countries we had chosen as our destination. The start was finally postponed to June, due to the huge amount of snow at the top of the passes. I didn't know at the time that the snow would surprise me anyway! 

Preparing the motorcycle  

Before starting a trip, I personally check the mechanical condition of my motorcycle and carry out the necessary maintenance. I check the operation and degree of wear of the main components and replace them when needed. In addition, every year I carry out a series of preventive maintenance operations, including changing the engine oil and replacing the fork oil seals and wheel bearings. When I travel, I save the maintenance manual of my motorcycle in pdf format on my cell and I bring a toolkit that allows me to disassemble more or less everything. I always bring spare bearings, a chain breaker tool with a spare connecting link, and above all, spare inner tubes. 

I pay close attention to the weight of my luggage – which must be as light as possible – and this time I managed to take just 56.5 liters with me for three weeks, including camping equipment, a gas stove, clothes, various utensils and a bit of food. It took months, if not years, to find the perfect equipment, through a process of changing and buying better and lighter tools and accessories. When packing my bags, I always take everything I need to be self-sufficient and to ensure that I can rely on my own resources if it comes to that.  

I attach all my equipment to the passenger seat with great care, ensuring that it is as central as possible, and not leaning to either side. I know that other solutions such as saddlebags lower the center of gravity of the motorcycle, but I decided to go for this solution based on my personal experience. Once, I found that I was unable to untangle myself from the motorcycle alone after falling, due to the fact that the saddlebags were too bulky. 

A solitary departure and a reunion in Serbia 

Finally, the day of departure arrived! The motorcycle was finely tuned, the baggage was ready and lashed on. Due to a number of reasons related to my work, I had to begin my vacation before the rest of the team. I didn't want to waste a minute of my time off, so I left alone a few days earlier. We planned to meet somewhere along the way.  

After a few days of meandering through Romania on my own with my tent, it was time to meet my group. I was traveling through countries where the telephone network is very expensive; luckily, my friends had brought a satellite phone and I could use the internet by connecting to free Wi-Fi at gas stations.  

In the end, we did it: We met at sunset near the border between Serbia and Kosovo, sharing warm hugs, smiles and jokes. Then, we set off to find somewhere to pitch our tents and spend the night.  

There were ten of us in total, nine men and one woman, each with their own motorcycle. We decided to spend the night in Serbia, so as not to waste time crossing the border at dusk – a border that is marked with a dotted line on all available maps. And there's a reason for this: Kosovo is the youngest country in Europe, and its independence is not recognized by all nations across the globe. Its official currency is the euro, despite the fact that the country is not a member of the European Union. 

The real adventure began the next morning. We had breakfast, took our tents down, packed our luggage on our motorcycles and finally uploaded the previously prepared GPX route onto my cell app. For navigation, I use the OsmAnd+ app. In my view, it is the best app for offline navigation, and for uploading and saving GPX routes. I always carry two smartphones: I put one of them on a holder by the handlebars, while I keep the other one in my pocket as a backup and to take photos. In addition, I always have a motorcycle sat nav with me, but to be honest, I almost never use it. 

We got to the border; the crossing took a bit of time, due to heavy traffic and lots of red tape. Anyone entering the country with a vehicle is obliged to purchase additional insurance at a cost of 10 euros. We each chose a different entry lane; as such, we decided to meet at the nearest gas station so as not to waste time. We were all kitted out, each motorcycle had a full tank: We were ready to go. After around 15 kilometers, we left the asphalt road and that’s when our real journey began. 

Kosovo off-road, a land of surprising beauty 

During our exploration of Kosovo, we passed through Serbian and Albanian villages, where the flags of both of these nations were flying. In some of these villages, we found that we could pay in Serbian dinars, while in others it was euros. However, no matter where we were, everything felt safe and the people were very friendly. 

We started to travel around Kosovo counterclockwise, along the route we had mapped out on dirt roads. At first, the weather was not at all good – it rained continuously for two days. We had to wear extra rain gear and skip some of the stretches that had been made too challenging by the mud. Luckily, most of the roads were rocky and the water drained right off, so we didn't have to make many detours. We spent all of our nights outdoors, surrounded by nature. The principle was quite simple: The place we chose for our camp had to be on our route, and there had to be a river or lake nearby, or simply a beautiful view and wood for a campfire.

The nature of Kosovo surprised and thrilled us. I didn't know it was so mountainous and I was a stranger to its breathtaking landscapes. It was just stunning. Its natural beauty and wild character seduced me, along with the fact that it is not a very popular destination. All this means that it is more or less completely unexplored, especially the places we visited along our off-road route. 

I will never forget one of the unbelievable – and less than positive – experiences that I had here. At that precise moment, there were only three of us. We often separate into small groups for safety reasons, or divide ourselves according to our skill level and the motorcycle we’re riding. The route that I and the others in my group had chosen was taking us higher and higher. We weren't sure which way to go, because at that moment, the GPS route was slightly different from the track that actually lay ahead of us. We had to cross a pretty wild river, and then eventually our route became clear: We were back on track. 

Adventures and misadventures between snow and torrents of mud 

We reached an altitude of 1,900 m above sea level, and huge snowdrifts appeared before our eyes. Unfortunately, we couldn’t cross them with motorcycles like ours, and the road continued to climb more and more steeply towards the summit. We had to give up and go back. Heading down, I fell into the deep river from before, which was already a serious challenge on the way out. My friends immediately dived in and helped me lift my motorcycle. The water was up to our knees. Luckily, no water got into the engine and I was able to continue my journey even though I was soaked to the skin. However, a few hours later, it became clear that this would only be the beginning of the misadventure... 

Coming back down, we discovered that the road we had traveled a little earlier no longer existed: It was now a moving mudslide. I don't know how it happened, but one of my friends didn't notice, and ended up in a very bad situation. Their motorcycle got stuck in the fallen trees, and was being carried away by the mud, which kept on flowing. The situation was so dangerous that two of us had to fight to get the motorcycle out of the mudslide, while the third kept a close eye on how things were developing, ready to warn us in case things got worse and we needed to make a sudden escape. We switched roles in rotation to share the load, and to get the motorcycle out as fast as possible. After a huge effort by everyone, we miraculously managed to rescue it. The other two had the choice of whether to try to come across too, or to go back and wait for the snow to melt. After a few more hours of fighting, we all managed to get over to the other side. We were safe. Even now, I can't forget our shouts of joy – I don’t think I’ve ever received such heartfelt hugs and high-fives in my entire life. 

Kosovo is a beautiful country, with kind people who speak English very well. As I have learned, this is due to the emigration from the country, before the war. The situation forced them to leave their homeland and adapt to a foreign environment. Once peace returned, they were able to come back home, and they did not forget what they had learned.

Finally, Albania, and other misadventures 

At that point, Albania was waiting for us. We were planning to cross it off-road, of course. One of the places we were absolutely set on visiting was the village of Theth, which can be reached by two roads. It can either be accessed along an asphalt road from the west or via a few pretty challenging dirt roads from the east. Out of curiosity, we tried the route from both sides and stayed overnight in the village campsite, where the view from the tent in the morning was simply extraordinary. Albania is also a beautiful mountainous country, rich in greenery, with crystal clear waters that flow in rushing streams. The village is also located on the TET (Trans Euro Trail), which I often use on my enduro motorcycle trips. 

Unfortunately, I had to split up from my friends in Albania. While crossing one of the passes, I was driving on the left side of a narrow road and at the last minute, I noticed a huge stone hidden by vegetation on the side of the road. I had just enough time to lift my left foot off the peg to avoid crushing it. The impact was so powerful that the stone bent the crash bar, which in turn hit the engine, or more specifically, the alternator cover. The engine began to leak oil. Luckily, one of my friends had some Poxilina epoxy with them. We pulled over the motorcycle, cleaned the cover to remove the oil and sealed it properly with liquid metal – all this at about 2,000 meters above sea level, literally in the middle of nowhere. Since then, I always carry Poxilina with me. 

I reached my destination at the end of that day only thanks to my friends. I thought it through calmly in my tent alone that night, and in the morning I decided to leave the group. Even a small fall could have caused the part with which we had repaired the engine to detach again. So, I decided that I would finish my journey alone, taking asphalt roads. Of course, I didn't go home right away. For the next six days, I continued to tour Albania and Macedonia alone, constantly monitoring the condition of my repair. 

This trip has been an amazing adventure for me. In addition to the beautiful landscape, all the situations I encountered made it more interesting and gave me a real feeling of the true spirit of travel, convincing me that there is no situation that is unsurpassable. The Kosovars and the Albanians are very kind, helpful and selfless. They passionately support and welcome travelers. Back home, I managed to debunk an urban legend: I confirmed that you can enter Serbia from Kosovo even if you entered Kosovo from a country other than Serbia.  

In total, I spent 19 days away from home, covering 5,200 kilometers. For ten days and 3,900 km I was alone, and for the remaining nine days, I was accompanied by a fantastic team of fellow travelers. Together, we crossed the most remote areas of Kosovo and Albania, only accessible on an enduro motorcycle. I’d like to thank the whole team for the great company and the wonderful moments we spent together. It's definitely been my most extreme motorcycle trip so far, and I wouldn't mind it staying that way for a while.