Description:
Theth National Park (Albanian: Parku Kombëtar i Thethit) is a national park in northern Albania. Established in 1966, the park covers 2,630 ha (26.3 km2) and is centred on the Albanian Alps, encompassing the larger portion of Shala Valley. The park was established to protect various ecosystems and biodiversity and the cultural and historical heritage of the region. It is dominated by high terrain, with a wide variety of natural features including valleys, rivers, mountains, waterfalls, dense forests and several rock formations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the park as Category II. Notably, the region has been also identified as an important Bird and Plant Area. In 2017, Theth has been further declared a Protected Historic Center.
Theth village sprawls across the upper Shala Valley and is trapped on four sides by numerous two-thousanders such as Radohima in the west, Arapi and Poplluka in the north and Jezerca in the east. Standing at 1,795 m (5,889 ft), the Valbona Pass leads a mountain path in the west, which separates the park from the Valbona Valley National Park. Like most of the Albanian Alps, the park is dominated by limestone and dolomite rocks and shows major karst features such as the Grunas Canyon and the southern wall of Arapi, which is considered the highest rock face in the Balkans.
