Lake Koman (Albanian: Liqeni i Komanit) is a reservoir on the Drin River in northern Albania. Lake Koman is surrounded by dense forested hills, vertical slopes, deep gorges, and a narrow valley, completely taken up by the river. Besides the Drin, it is fed by the Shala and Valbona Rivers. The lake stretches in an area of 34 km2 (13 sq mi), its width being 400 m (0.25 mi). The narrowest gorge, which is surrounded by vertical canyon walls, is more than 50 m (0.031 mi) wide. The reservoir was constructed between 1979 and 1988 near the village of Koman with a height of 115 m (377 ft).
The combination of specific topography and hydrological conditions have contributed to the formation of different habitats.[3] The golden jackal, red fox, european badger, eurasian otter, beech marten, european polecat are the primary predatory mammals. A high number of bird species have been observed in the region, including the common kingfisher, common quail, grey heron, eurasian wryneck, great spotted woodpecker and black-headed gull.
The Lake Koman Ferry operates daily on the lake from Koman to Fierza. The ferry connects the city of Bajram Curri to the region of Tropojë. The journey takes about two and a half hours and is also popular with the foreign tourists. Smaller boats bring people and goods to remote villages, which are often far away from the lake, but can only be reached by water
Shala River, The Shalë (definite Albanian form: Shala) is a river flowing inside the Albanian Alps in northern Albania. Its source is in the Albanian Alps, near the village Theth, close to the border with Montenegro. The Shalë flows generally south through the municipal units Shalë, Shosh and Temal. It flows into the Koman Reservoir, fed and drained by the river Drin, near the village Telum. It has a length of 37 km from the source at the top of Radohina to Dri, it springs at the source of Shtraza at the top of Theth village, at the foot of the top of Radohina, from where it descends down through the valley of Shala, from Thethi, Ndërlysa and Musha, from Breg-Lumi to Porta e Shalës (Gorge of Rrshqëm), through Lotaj and in the valley of Shoshi, while its discharge goes to Lesniqe in Dri (today Lake Koman) . It is a mountain river with an average drop of 22 meters in one kilometer.
Shala River is distinguished by its crystalline water, with an average annual flow of about 34 m³ / sec. The maximum inflows reach in November with 52m3 / sec, while the minimum inflows in August in which it reaches 9m³ / sec. The Shala River is rich in a variety of fish, but the most widespread is trout, which grows only in freshwater.
The cool blue color of the water is characteristic of this river, the steep cliffs that surround it, seem to touch the sky by hand. In the river Shala there is a rare beauty, where it is difficult to say only in words. The Shala River in the years of democracy has become a tourist destination for both foreigners and locals, from where many visitors describe it as the pearl of the beauties of Koman and Albania.
