Have you ever dreamed of riding an adventure bike through the stunning landscapes of the Balkan Peninsula? Well, you’d be in luck. Adventure Country Tracks (ACT) — Europe’s answer to Backroad Discovery Routes — has released a beautifully shot, feature-length video in preparation for its newest tracks through Montenegro and Albania, scheduled for release in January. 

Adventure Country Tracks resemble Backcountry Discovery Routes in that each provides adventure and dual-sport riders with self-guided, off-road routes that support local communities and businesses, and the twinning is no coincidence. The ACT series was inspired by Touratech USA’s BDR success, which led Touratech in Europe to join forces with Sena and other partners, creating routes with similar objectives. 

There are key differences: BDRs are usually longer and feature more rugged routes through the expansive backcountry of the U.S. ACTs, on the other hand, navigate stricter land-use regulations in Europe, so are often shorter in distance, and emphasize a region’s history and cultural richness. Lastly, ACT routes should not be confused with the hardcore Trans-European Trails (TET) network that’s suited more for lightweight adventure bikes.

This brand-new ATC route through Montenegro and Albania covers 1,150 kilometers (715 miles) spread over six days, starting in Montenegro’s Durmitor National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its dramatic peaks, glacial lakes, and pristine alpine scenery. It ends near Leskovik, Albania, close to the border with Northern Greece. With more than 50 percent of the distance being off-road — and often through very rugged terrain — the route is rated as appropriate for experienced riders, especially the demanding final stage, which some may want to split over two days for a more comfortable finish.

As the hour-and-fifteen-minute film begins, we meet a group of 12 riders, including celebrity rider Charley Boorman, known for the Long Way series, filmed with his riding pal, Ewan McGregor. Their motorcycles are a varied lot, and you’ll see examples of adventure bikes from BMW, Ducati, Honda, Husqvarna, KTM and Yamaha. 

As is typical for ACT routes, there are two track options: one easier and geared toward cultural exploration and one more challenging, emphasizing the riding experience. In the film, riders draw tokens from a bag each morning, which divides them into two groups, with each group taking a different route option. The day features a mix of well-paved but extraordinarily narrow and tightly twisting roads, alongside rock-strewn off-road tracks.

Each day is defined by its overall distance and the percentage of off-road and on-road riding. Day One of six immediately impresses with the expansive beauty of the Montenegro highlands experienced through 180 km (112 miles), with 52 percent of the riding on unpaved surfaces. The day was rated as “Medium” in difficulty, and it’s worth noting that the entire Montenegro and Albania route, nicknamed “Montebania,” is rated as Medium or Hard, and the ACT organization strongly recommends that anyone undertaking this adventure ride be properly-trained and ride in a group.

The scenery in these first sections is breathtaking, as the riders skirt the edge of towering mountains on tracks no wider than a walking path, then dip down into valleys where they meet locals and feral horses heavy with foals. By Day Two, the group crosses into Albania and the rating for this day is “Hard” and the stony, steep paths show you why the day’s stats say 32 percent off-road, yet that computes to 49 percent off-road in “time and feel.” 

As with any group ride, we can relate to the inevitable hold-ups, get-offs and mechanical issues that punctuate any hardcore adventure ride. Another tricky bit about riding in these two countries is that the native languages (Montenegrin and Albanian) are quite unique, and English is not always spoken. Hiccups aside, you can feel the group bond with every twist and turn. 

A rainy Day Three takes the group on a wonderfully old-school ferry as they travel 220 km (137 miles) from Shkoder to Rreshen. The two-hour crossing of Lake Koman, a gorge with towering cliffs, is undoubtedly the day’s highlight. The off-road tracks made more challenging by the rain, include one particularly grueling section nicknamed “Hellbania”—a deeply rutted downhill stretch littered with sharp, loose rocks.

The accommodations and stops recommended for this ACT, a sampling of which are shown in the film, offer a diverse and intriguing range. Options include chalet-style cabins, modern hotels, and B&Bs, while food stops vary from local hole-in-the-wall eateries to historic pubs and roadside stands. 

The morning of Day Four offers a mix of dangerously broken asphalt tracks and freshly paved, glossy-smooth sections, the latter giving the group a chance to enjoy some fast-paced riding. It’s fascinating to see how quickly infrastructure is developing in Albania, with sections of the route that were unpaved when recently mapped now either fully paved or in the process of being upgraded. The day’s off-road portion, dotted with knee-deep puddles perfect for splashing, made up 63 percent of the day’s ride. 

Albania’s controversial history is reflected in the 750,000 silo-shaped bunkers scattered across the landscape the riders travel through. These cement and stone structures are relics of a dark period lived under the paranoid, isolationist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha (1944–1985), who ordered them built so that ordinary citizens might act as civilian military in case of an imminent invasion, which turned out only existed in their ruler’s mind. Due to its isolationist past, Albania often feels several steps behind other countries in the region.

By Day Five, which offered 50 percent off-road over the 200 km (124 miles),  the bikes are appropriately filthy as ATC riders find themselves on a nasty section of very steep loose rocks that have the bikes tipping over like dominos. Getting the stuck riders going again results in showers of large stones for the spotters, causing the narrator to add that if you don’t want “gravel for breakfast,” there is a nice paved alternative that allows you to avoid that section. 

Albania feels very inviting in the film, whether it’s throttling along a thin, winding ribbon-like track through a wild landscape, a stop at a tiny, family-run market or a dip in a cold, azure-blue pool, and it’s really no wonder BMW held its 2022 GS Trophy in this country, and there can be no doubt many of the tracks curated in this ATC were also ridden by the international teams competing that year. 

Day Five brings a special treat as the crew checks into a five-star hotel in Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its unique Ottoman-era architecture. The finery adds a sense of celebration to the evening—this being the final overnight before the riders part ways at the end of Day Six. The night is filled with toasts, storytelling, and laughter—the true fabric of any great adventure ride.

The final day brings this ATC adventure to a crescendo as the riders journey through the wilderness of Hotova-Dangelli National Park, where the landscape shifts from mountainous to Mediterranean. The day’s ride covers 185 km (115 miles), but the off-road sections are rated Hard+, presenting some of the toughest technical challenges of the trip. Among them is “Hellbania 2.0,” a rocky, technical two-track made especially perilous by a sheer cliff on one side — definitely not a ride for the faint of heart.

By the end of this film, you’ll be ready to jump on a plane to the Balkans to experience this six-day ATC ride for yourself — exactly what the organizers are hoping for. Like the BDR, the ACT provides all the resources you need to plan your trip, including information on rental agencies that supply adventure and dual-sport bikes. Although unlike the BDR, the ATC does require a membership purchase to download the GPS tracks.

And don’t forget the other ATC routes waiting to be explored, including a five-day route through Croatia, so close in proximity to Montenegro, it could easily be added for an extended adventure. Or as an add-on to the South, there is a five-day route in Greece to consider. 

For further inspiration for far-flung adventures, grab some popcorn and settle in. In addition to the feature-length video on the Montenegro-Albania tracks, there are also captivating feature-length videos showcasing ACT rides in Croatia, the UK, the Pyrenees (Spain), and Portugal.

Photos by ActionLens/ACT

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.