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The route to the Hidden Cave
“Even the hero fell for it!” was one of the Tirana variety theatre’s most famous lines in ’96. Actor Skënder Sallaku said it in the comic parody “Our Little Tale: The Old Men and Greed”.
Koço Devole played “the Hero”, who brought bread to the old men. But he himself, consumed by greed and curiosity about what he might find and gain by visiting the “Hidden Cave”, ended up a prisoner of regret, just like the other lamenting old men, played by Vegim Xhani and Vasillaq Vangjeli.
That was precisely the cave we visited with the group this week. It was known by the same name as in the comedy, the “Hidden Cave”, and lay around 24 kilometres southeast of Tirana. At first, the route was the same as the one to the “Cyclops’ Eye” in Skutërrë, near Krrabë.
We stopped in the village of Krrabë and then began the hike to the Hidden Cave. The route was like the one to the “Cyclops’ Eye” until we left the village, where we turned right rather than towards the river. It was a somewhat longer and more tiring walk than the one to the “Eye”.
As we walked, we were told that we were crossing the boundary between Tirana and Elbasan. The dividing line coincided with a former military base that bore the marks of the raids of 1997.
Indeed, as we reached the part where you climbed the hill leading to the cave, we noticed the Elbasan road to the southwest. On the climb, with an elevation gain of around 450–500 metres, looking across to the other side, we could clearly make out cars on the new motorway disappearing into a hill opposite, where the Krrabë Tunnel was. 
The climb offered beautiful views all around, while nature welcomed us with a small oak wood. At this point we were told that we were getting close to the cave. After around 2 and a half hours of walking, quite unexpectedly we saw a small crack in the ground, darkened by its depth and the vegetation around it.
Inside the cave
“Here we are!”… At first, I must admit, it was a little disappointing. Looking at that small crack in the ground, you thought: “They call this a cave?!”
But after the first steps inside, the depth and breadth of the “Hidden Cave” left you speechless. More than 150 metres long, with wildly changing terrain and spaces over 17 metres high, it stirred the urge to explore, mixed with fear.
The darkness and the noises inside, along with our talk of possible bats, reminded me of Jim Carrey as Ace Ventura in When Nature Calls, who had a phobia of these creatures.
The stalactites and stalagmites in the cave were enormous. In fact, for much of the way you had to scramble between them. There was water activity in places too, with trickles audible as they fell onto the stalagmites.
The strongest impressions came when you reached the end, where an enormous chamber opened up in complete darkness. All sorts of thoughts went through your head in there. “How could this whole enormous cave have formed?!
What if there are animals, reptiles or predators?! What if an earthquake shakes the place and everything falls?” Thoughts, of course, born partly of imagination and partly of fear.
We spent quite some time exploring the cave, so much that when we came out we realised we had taken no care at all and were fairly filthy. Seeing the cave’s small entrance again as you left, you reconsidered your first impression and felt real pleasure that it had not been what you expected.
On the way back, tired as we were, we remembered the parody with Koço Devole. We certainly were not heroes like “the Hero”, because the “Hidden Cave” had not imprisoned us in greedy regret and lamentation. 
Photographs by Fatjon Kapllanaj and Discover Albania Club.