Kllokot, hot springs in the Morava valley

Kllokot is small, and if anyone outside the region has heard of it, it’s because of the banja, its spa. I’ll stick to what the sources support, and be clear about where the information runs out.

A municipality of four villages

Kllokot (in Serbian, Klokot) sits in the valley of the Binačka Morava between Viti and Gjilan, in the Gjilan region as OpenStreetMap draws it. The 2024 census gave it 3,041 residents, against 2,556 in 2011, which puts it among the few municipalities in Kosovo that are growing. There are only four settlements, Gërnçar, Kllokot, Mogillë and Vërboc.

The village figures come with an error worth flagging. ASK’s settlement table gives Vërboc 3,041 people in 2024 and the municipality 304, two cells swapped. ASK’s own municipal table confirms that Kllokot has 3,041 residents, 1,606 men and 1,435 women, and taking the other three villages away leaves Vërboc with 304, 172 men and 132 women. It adds up both ways, so that’s the figure I give, with the caveat that the sum is mine. In 2011 it had 278, so it has barely moved.

By mother tongue, the 2024 census splits the municipality between 1,700 Albanian and 1,329 Serbian speakers. Both are official languages across Kosovo, and the basics are in my guide to Kosovo languages.

The Roman site at Vërban

Kosovo’s official heritage list (DTK) has no entries under Kllokot municipality. But the record for the Roman site at Vërban, filed under Viti, puts it right beside the Kllokot Banja, on an alluvial terrace on the banks of the Morava, in very fertile land and close to springs of hot mineral water. The location, the record says, was no accident. The standout find is a bust discovered beside the banja, which the DTK presents as a piece of local Dardanian sculpture.

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The spa, without official details

In the photo, also from Commons, you can see the banja building, red brick with round porthole windows and a glazed entrance. What I can’t tell you is what facilities it offers, whether you can use them without staying, when it’s open or what it costs, because I found no official source. Ask on site, or book knowing exactly what’s included. And since your GHIC doesn’t apply in Kosovo, any treatment is a matter for your travel insurance.

Fitting it in

OpenStreetMap places central Kllokot about 6 km from Viti and about 13 km from Gjilan in a straight line. Partesh, another tiny municipality, is close by too. Official bus timetables didn’t turn up in my searches, so the car is the practical option, on the right. Bear in mind the FCDO’s warning that many minor roads are in poor shape and that night driving is best avoided.

ASK doesn’t publish accommodation figures for Kllokot alone, only for the region, 39 establishments and 3,760 beds in 2025. I’d base myself in Gjilan and stop in Kllokot on the way to Viti and Letnica.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Gjilan and pick one that fits your day.

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