The tunnel mouths
Openings cut into the cliff beside the road through the gorge, some at road level and some above the crash barrier.
Destinations
Communist Military Tunnels
Cold War tunnels in the cliffs of the gorge road north of Kruje, and the abandoned military base above them, about 10 minutes from town.
10 min Drive from Kruje
3 tunnels On the route
Guide required Access
Torch Bring one
About
Cold War relics on the road out of Kruje.
In Tirana and Gjirokaster the big Cold War bunkers are museums now, with lighting and ticket desks. Around Kruje they were left where they stood. On the mountain road north of town, past the rock of Shkembi i Vajes, tunnels are cut straight into the limestone cliffs at the edge of the road, and further up stands an abandoned military base.
The base still has its long barracks blocks, its service roads and a row of bulk fuel tanks, one of them collapsed. The concrete shell of a guard post sits in the pine forest nearby. Nothing has been restored and nothing is signposted.
Inside, the tunnels are bare concrete corridors, unused for more than thirty years, with water dripping from the old ventilation shafts. They date from the decades when Albania under Enver Hoxha expected invasion from every side and dug in accordingly.
Practical Info: About 10 minutes by car north of Kruje. The tunnels are unlit and unmaintained, so go with a guide and bring a torch.
What to see
What survives.
There is no visitor centre and no signage. What you see is the structures themselves, in the state they were left in.
The interiors
Bare, unlit concrete corridors. Bring a torch: a phone screen is not enough for the deeper sections.
The base
Barracks blocks, service roads and rusting bulk fuel tanks on open ground beside the mountain road.
The guard post
The roofless concrete shell of a guard post in the pine forest, with the trees grown up around it.
On the ground
Visiting safely.
None of this is maintained, so how you visit matters more here than anywhere else around Kruje.
-
Go with a guide
The tunnels are unmarked and unlit. A guide knows which ones are safe to enter, and explains why they were built.
-
Bring a proper torch
There is no lighting inside. A head torch leaves your hands free on uneven floors.
-
Wear clothes you do not mind ruining
Mud, rust and low ceilings. Leave anything you care about in the car.
-
Add Shkembi i Vajes and Ballabanec
The rock of Shkembi i Vajes is on the way up and the old plane tree of Ballabanec on the way back into town. Our tour covers all of it in about two hours.
Plan your visit
Best time to visit
The tunnels stay the same temperature all year. What changes is the walk to them and the state of the ground.
Spring
April to May
Growth comes back fast, and the approaches get overgrown and muddy.
Summer
June to August
Easy walking, and the tunnels are cool on hot days.
Autumn
September to October
The best access of the year: the undergrowth has died back and the ground is firm.
Winter
November to March
Wet, cold and dark early. Possible with a guide, but the least rewarding time to go.
Getting there
How to reach the tunnels.
The tunnels and the base are on the mountain road north of Kruje, about 10 minutes by car from the centre, past Shkembi i Vajes.
There are no signs, paths or marked entrances, and the interiors are unlit and unmaintained. Go with a guide, and only go inside where they say it is safe.
Bring a torch and footwear you do not mind getting wet and muddy.
Nearby
More places close by.
Qafshtama National Park
Black pine forest, limestone peaks and the Queen Mother's Spring, 20 km from Kruja on the road to Burrel.
Shkembi i Vajes
The cliff above Gryka e Vajes, where Kruja remembers ninety young women who chose the drop over capture.
Droja River Canyon
A limestone gorge 4 km north of Kruja, with waterfalls, deep green pools and a stretch protected as a natural monument.
See the tunnels with a guide.
The history is the reason to go, and a guide is the safe way in. Ask us and we will arrange it.