Maja e Muleqithit

When it is getting hot in summer, you want to look for shorter hikes that can be combined with interesting approaches and still offer a great outdoor experience. Cukalit is one these destination.

Mali i Cukalit is the major mountain to the East of Shkodra and north of the Vau i Dejës lake and dam. It has two summits. Maja e Cukalit (see wikiloc #7262943) is the summit seen from almost Shkodra and the coastal plains. Maja e Muleqithit is more to the west, not directly visible, but 14 Meter higher. This puts the summit-collecting hiker into a dilemma, as you do not want to leave the mountain without having been on top of both.

The two summits are separated by a high altitude grassy valley called Fusha e Liqenit - indicating that it used to be a place of a lake. It is about 400 meter elevation gain from the Fushe to either of the summits.

Our strategy was to drive to the Fushe arriving in the afternoon (see wikiloc #7262786), climbing Maja e Cukalit in the evening, camping in the fresh mountain air, and climbing Maja e Muleqithit in the morning of the next day. In July, the sheep had not yet moved in, and the meadows were strewn with flowers. A major hazard was the abundance of strawberries, that made you forgetting the time.

You may have to climb only 400 Meter or so, but be ready for a serious bushwhack. We believe there must be easier ways to climb Muleqithit, but this would require detailed local knowledge, and most likely an approach from the backside (eastern side) of the mountain. Still, our route is probably the shortest. Be prepared to fight your way for an hour or so through undergrowth, brambles, profuse vegetation, karstic deadfalls and mantraps of all sorts. Recoup your energy, if you hike in July, with the seemingly never-ending supply of strawberries.

Once you clear the woods, there is an exhilarating climb up a steep grassy slope to the summit. Our return way is longer, but involves less bushwhack.