Valbona, Upper
Kayak spot · Albania
Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
53Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: Wind 3 kn gusting 13, Air 9 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Mon 2 · 53 out of 100
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tue 3 · 48 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 5°C
- Rain
- 9 mm
Wed 4 · 50 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 5°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 51 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 50 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 54 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 8°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 56 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 146, fair
- Mon 253, fair
- Tue 348, fair
- Wed 450, fair
- Thu 551, fair
- Fri 650, fair
- Sat 754, fair
- Sun 856, fair
- Mon 953, fair
- Tue 1060, good
The spot in three facts
- Grade Vat its hardest
- Moving waterthe water
- Best Jun–Aug7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 46, fair | 2 kn | 14kn | 3°C | 0.6 mm |
| Mon 2Nov | 53, fair | 4 kn | 20kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 48, fair | 3 kn | 16kn | 5°C | 9 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 50, fair | 3 kn | 14kn | 5°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 51, fair | 3 kn | 12kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 50, fair | 2 kn | 10kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 54, fair | 3 kn | 11kn | 8°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 56, fair | 3 kn | 13kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 53, fair | 3 kn | 17kn | 7°C | 1.5 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 60, good | 4 kn | 23kn | 10°C | 0.6 mm |
Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Jun–Aug
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for expert paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.
Map
put-in, take-out, its town
Valbona, Upper on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Valbona, Upper
More kayaking near here
2 places
- Valbona, Lower 9.4 km away
- Canoe Entry 11 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Valbona, Upper
A river section on the Valbona, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade IV to V, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. None within 10 km, the nearest 31 km away. For expert paddlers the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, February and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Tropoje.
- River Valbona
- Grade Grade IV to V, on the international scale.
- Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
- Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
- Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 31 km away.
Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,230–US$2,340 each
about US$1,230–US$2,340 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to TGD, estimated from distance and season, changing at CDG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$549–US$1,130 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$228–US$382 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$127–US$234 |
| Total | about US$1,230–US$2,340 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Tropoje
29 min by car · 14 places to stay
About Tropoje its beds, food and every spot near it
Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 19h 30m
About 19h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → TGD, changing at Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), then 1h 25m by road
Flights ORD → TGD on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Tropoje · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Tropoje · GetYourGuide
River level
River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 25 km.
Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits