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Stage 1: From Prishtina to Peja

Komaran

For safety reasons (to avoid the heavy traffic around Prishtina and the airport) the actual ride will start from the village of Komaran. You will be bussed from Prishtina to the start line.

Drenas

Drenas, or Gllogovc, is a small industrial town, where the main industries are nickel mining and limestone quarrying. The Drenas region is historically the poorest in Kosovo, with the majority of the population depending on subsistence agriculture to get by. If you're already looking for a drink, try the Restaurant Kalaja, picturesquely located in the old stone railway station built in 1930.

Skenderaj

Impoverished by the combination of high population density, poor land and low levels of industry, Skenderaj, and the Drenas region more widely, were a key area for enlistment into the Kosovar Liberation Army (KLA). As a result, over the course of the 1998-99 conflict 40% of all houses in the area were destroyed. There is still plenty of evidence of this for you to see as you cycle through this small town.

Istog/Istok

The beauty of the Mokra Mountains provides a stark contrast to the heavily scarred town of Istog. Largely destroyed during the war, there are many burnt out and collapsed buildings to be seen here. It may, or may not, be hard to believe that electricity only reached the town for the first time in 1948, when the nearby hydro-electric plant was opened. The town is also well known for the Trofta Fish Farm – a successful example of a recent privatization scheme.

Drenushë

Although there's not loads to see in Drenushë, it might be worth stopping, or at least slowing down to take a look at the Orthodox Church of St Nicholas. Originally built in the 14th Century, it later collapsed, but was lovingly rebuilt by a local villager named Cvetko, in 1592. As you continue along the road to Peja, keep your eyes open for the Orthodox Monastery and Bishopric dedicated to the Virgin Hvostanska.

Peja

Close to the Montenegro border, this town of around 80,000 inhabitants straddles both banks of the Bistrica River. The town's location at the foot of the Accursed Mountains provides an impressive backdrop. For over 400 years from 1346 the town was a major religious centre of medieval Serbia, and home of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The Peja Patriarchate still stands, and is made up of four frescoed churches as well as a library and a treasury. Other sites in and around the town include the Bajrakli Mosque which was built by the Ottomans in the 15th Century, and the spectacular 23km long Rugova Canyon full of undiscovered waterfalls, springs and caves.

Alternatively rest your weary legs at the Banja e Pejes (natural hot springs) 13km to the North, or one of the open air swimming pools at the edge of town. Peja was heavily bombed by both NATO and the Serbs during the conflict of the 1990s, when most of the Albanian population fled the town. Now they are back, and determined to build their town back up to its former glory. Keep your eyes open for some of Kosovo's best remaining kullas – the fortified tower-like town houses.

There are several options for dinner tonight. Most tourists head for the San Remo, Al Forno, Tirona, California or Victoria restaurants near the town centre. For a bit more atmosphere and to meet some locals, try the Londra Restaurant close to the Long Bazaar. There's entertainment while you eat, at the favourite of popular singers - Sofra Pejane Restaurant, near the old youth centre. If you just can't wait, you can get your hands on some fast food at Lino's, Belu, Sayonara, or Te Bardhoshi Hamburger. And if you can't decide Friends Bar-Restaurant has a wide range of options including local, international and fast food dishes.

Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Back to Home

The Map

Distance

Distance	Section	Cumulative
Komaran
Drenas	6 km	6 km
Palac	14 km	20 km
Skenderaj	4 km	24 km
Burim	33 km	57 km
Drenushe	12.5 km	69.5 km
Arbnesh	8 km	77.5 km
Peja	8.5 km	86 km

Images