About the route
Maja e Çikës, given as 2,044 or 2,045 m, is the high point of the Ceraunian Mountains above the Albanian Riviera. This route starts at Qafa e Llogarasë, the pass on the road between Vlorë and the coast at Dhërmi, climbs through the pine forest to Maja e Qorrës (2,018 m) and follows the open Çika ridge to the summit.
One way it is 7.8 km with about 1,320 m of climbing; there and back the same way it is about 15.6 km and 1,640 m, which the DIN 33466 rule puts at about 10 h 45 min of walking. A published round trip gives 16.1 km and 1,546 m. That climb over a long day is what makes it very demanding. Separately, 27 % of the line runs on slopes steeper than 30° in our elevation model, which describes the ground, not today’s conditions.
Above the forest the ridge is open: there is no shade, and you should carry all the water you need from the pass. Weather on the ridge can turn quickly. Buses on the coast road cross the pass, so you can reach the start without a car; check times locally. Leave a trip plan before you go.
How we got the numbers
Distance and climb come from the line itself: heights from the Copernicus GLO-30 elevation model (30 m), sampled every 30 m and smoothed with a running median of five samples, because in forest the model measures the top of the trees, and climbing counted once the height has changed by 3 m. These are the figures the app shows. Expect them to differ from a GPS track by 10 % or so.
Walking time follows the DIN 33466 rule used by the German and Austrian alpine clubs, without breaks. Difficulty comes from the whole outing (there and back): the climb and that time, one level up when 30 % or more of the line is on slopes over 30°.
27 % of the line itself runs on slopes over 30° in the elevation model; slopes above it are not counted. This describes the terrain, not today’s conditions, and it is not an avalanche rating.