Albania’s hidden treasures, with rugged mountains and ancient ruins, rank among the top travel destinations for 2024. Isabella Kwai from The New York Times shines a light on the Accursed Mountains in northern Albania. This remote mountain range boasts glassy lakes and miles of untouched trails, enchanting hikers seeking serenity among its peaks.

Once reachable only with a four-wheel drive, northern villages like Theth are now accessible by a narrow but paved mountain road, although drivers may still need to wait for a passing cow or two. Visitors can stay with locals in guesthouses or farm stays to get a glimpse of rural life before hiking the Valbona Pass within a national park encompassing some 200,000 acres to gaze across wildflower-strewn valleys and see shepherds tending to their flocks.