Sotirë and the waterfall
Waterfalls are nature’s most beautiful sculptures, and Albania is fortunate to have plenty. If you have not visited them, or do not know them yet, I can name a few: the waterfalls of Grunas in Theth, Bogovë in Skrapar, Vinjë and Peshturë in Kurvelesh, Valbonë, Shëngjin in Tirana, Selcë in Malësi e Madhe, Belë in Kukës, those in the Osum canyons in Skrapar, and many more in remote parts of the country.
I have managed to see some of them up close, and I can tell you that I have never seen anything quite like Sotirë Waterfall. That is why you simply must visit it!
Dubbed “Albania’s Niagara” for the enormous rush of water formed by two nearby springs, this waterfall lies 19.4 kilometres south of Gramsh and is one of the most spectacular. This natural gem takes its name from Sotirë village, 5 kilometres away. Its source is groundwater from Mount Tomorr, which extends around 6 kilometres further south.
The road from Gramsh and the trail
But getting to Sotirë Waterfall is not an especially easy journey. It takes around 4 hours in total. A two-hour journey of 80 kilometres from Tirana through Elbasan to Gramsh can easily be made in any car.
The road is good! But for the 15 kilometres to Sotirë village, it is best to have a high-clearance vehicle, as there is no proper road. In one stretch, you even have to cross the bed of a stream that joins the Tomorrica River.
From Gramsh to the village takes around 1 hour by car. Once you reach Sotirë, the rest of the journey to the waterfall can only be made on foot and takes around 1 hour at a normal walking pace.
On the way to Sotirë, you notice how hard residents work to withstand both soil erosion and difficult economic conditions. Those hardships have driven most of them to move away. Yet the few who continue to live there are hardworking and friendly.
They grow lavender and sage. They never ask, “Who are you? What do you want here?” Instead, they always ask, “How was your journey?” or “What did you think of the waterfall?”…
On my last visit to Sotirë, a couple from Preshevë made an impression on me. They had come especially to see the waterfall, travelling 500 kilometres from there. I can assure you they left with plenty to remember!
Reaching the waterfall
After 5 kilometres of walking through eroded ground and terrain made extremely slippery by its clay soil, the end of the trail takes you up a lush green hill. From there, you can already hear the roar of the waterfall. Once you have climbed the small hill, a meadow appears, facing a mass of rock.
Two large streams pour forcefully from that rock, one on the left and another further to the right. The first falls directly from the ridge, while the other emerges from a fissure halfway down the face.
From the hill, another path leads easily down, and all that remains is to immerse yourself in what you can see with your own eyes. The sun is the key to that experience. Do everything you can to visit before the afternoon, because once the sun passes behind the rock face, the magical mixture of blue and green darkens, and the cold water sends a chill through you.
Interestingly, I was told that local people also call the waterfall emerging from the rock face “Burimi i Kuçedrës”, the Kuçedra’s Spring. Why? The flow often decreases or increases suddenly, inspiring folklore to explain it through a monstrous creature that might live inside the rock.
Sotirë Waterfall is also perfect for camping. The meadow I described above is open enough for many tents. From it, you can gaze at the waterfall to your heart’s content.
So, with these images and this modest piece, I recommend a visit as a must for those of you who love nature, and waterfalls in particular. This gem was designated a natural monument years ago.