The Summit of Mali i Ostrovicës

Hardly anyone seems to know where Ostrovicë Mountain is. There is even wild disagreement on various maps as to its altitude or the highest point of its long summit ridge. From all the mountains in the south of Albania, Ostrovicë must rank among the most remote, certainly among the most beautiful, and also among the most challenging peaks.

In spite of its very impressive height of 2362 Meter, Ostrovicë seems to hide in the vast hinterland between Korca, Gramsh, and Corovode. The best view of it can be had from Korca area, or better from the resort in Dardhe near Korca.

For those inclined to scale the mountains of Albania, Ostrovicë however remains unmistaken. While many mountains of southern Albania look like a loaf of bread, perhaps with a little pyramid on top, Ostrovice is a long jagged ridge that seems impossible to traverse save for serious and fully equipped rock climbers. Even the hike to only its main summit is a steep undertaking.

Access to Ostrovicë's main summit is best from the hamlet of Marjam (see seperate trail on how to reach Marjam, at trail number 3424561 or http://de.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=3424561). There are no facilities in Marjam, and one should be prepared to camp after having asked for permission. A 4WD vehicle is required to reach Marjam.

From the base of the summit pyramid, at about 2000 Meter elevation, we followed the north-east ridge leading directly to the summit, often climbing through the steep grassy slopes to its left (southern) side. To the left of our route is "Ric's Ridge", less steep but considerably more exposed and requiring more nerve than our route. See relevant trail published by Zbulu.org.

For our return we selected the north ridge, a very steep descent. To return to Marjam, we completed a figure 8 trail, along pleasant meadows and cattle trails.

The ascent to Ostrovicë's summit from Marjam takes about 4.5 hours.