The Most Amazing Road in Albania

Steep climbs and descents, glorious lake and mountain vistas and corner after incredible corner await on Albania’s SH71.

It’s not a surprise as such, but it certainly exceeds my expectations. Earlier in the day, I’d headed down from Tiranë to Leskovik, following the Vjosa River. Like the river, it’s a flowing drive, but today it hasn’t exactly been exhilarating.

Travelling north again towards Korçë on the SH75, it starts to look more promising as the road weaves its way upwards into craggy hills before emerging into a more lush landscape of meadows and forest. Smooth tarmac snakes through the trees, and linked bends are interspersed with longer straights. Again, it’s all very pleasant, but my heart’s not yet pounding.

I drive straught through the city of Korçë without stopping to explore this “cradle of Albanian culture” that mixes Ottoman-era architecture with a more modern Italian style and a thriving cafe society, no doubt fuelled by the students attending its university. The SH3 runs almost arrow-straight across the plateau, before I take the turnoff for the SH71 to Maliq, passing the ruins of its sugar beet industry. Crumbling concrete structures line the roadside, a fading memory of the town’s agricultural past.

Soon the road begins to wend its way up, loosely following the Devoll River, before a 180-degree U-turn forces a sudden increase in altitude, the road taking a more dramatic course that’s cut into the hillside. Now the surface is less stable; at points, asphalt gives way to gravel without notice, and I’m grateful for the raised ride height and suspension travel of the Mazda CX-30 I’m driving. Ever higher the road climbs, teasing progressively more promising views of the Albanian Alps. From a high point of around 1,000 metres, the road begins its wild descent with switchback following switchback.

A concentrated effort is needed to repeatedly spin the steering wheel one way, then the other, but there’s a major distraction as Moglica Lake comes into view and an urgent photo stop is required. Images duly captured, it’s back to the fray with the SH71 providing a continuously curving challenge all the way down to the lake’s edge. It’s certainly my most memorable drive of 2026.

There’s some respite at the bottom, but as the road tracks the river back up towards Elbasan, it follows its meanderings, so it’s not like I can set the cruise control. For that, I have to wait until the return run into Albania’s capital Tiranë on the A3.

It’s been a long day, more than ten hours on the road, but it’s been worth it just for those miles on the sensational SH71.

Words Nik Berg‍ ‍Instagram
Photography Dave Smith / Mazda & Nik Berg