Malisheva, the low-key gateway to the Mirusha waterfalls

Some municipalities are known for one place, and Malisheva is the one with the Mirusha waterfalls. I don’t say that dismissively, because it’s what will bring almost any traveller here. But before you drive straight through, it helps to know where you are and what the municipality has in its own right.

A big municipality in the middle of Kosovo

Malisheva (Malishevë; in Serbian, Mališevo) sits in central Kosovo, and OpenStreetMap places it in the Prizren region. According to the ASK census, 43,888 people lived here in 2024, across 44 settlements, compared with 54,613 in 2011. That’s one of the steepest falls in the region, although the main town, with 3,849 residents, grew over the same period.

What strikes me is how spread out people are. Banjë (3,523) nearly matches the main town, and Llashkadrenoc, Carrallukë and Bellanicë each top 1,700. This is a municipality of villages, not of a town.

The waterfalls, shared with the neighbours

Mirushë, the village that names the Mirusha waterfalls, is a Malisheva settlement with 691 people in 2024. But the natural monument isn’t Malisheva’s alone. The Institute for Spatial Planning’s 2013 plan for the area divides its 598.4 ha between Klina, Malisheva and Rahovec. I mention it because online you’ll read that the falls are in one municipality or another, and the official answer is all three.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Prizren before prices climb.

What has a heritage record

The state heritage register has four entries for Malisheva. Three are 19th-century and Ottoman, the old mill at Banjë, pictured at the top, the village bridge at Bubël and the ruins of the Bubël bridge mill. The fourth is an archaeological site at Banjë, an early medieval burial mound from the 9th century.

These are modest pieces, the sort that show how rural life worked, and to me that’s the interest. The Banjë mill, with its millstones, is what I’d stop for on the way through. Other rural buildings, such as the stone tower houses, are covered in my guide to kullas in Kosovo.

The warning not to skip

According to the UK Government, Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever is present year on year in Kosovo, and the Malisheva area records the most cases. Ticks spread it, and the risk rises in summer and in the countryside. It’s no reason to stay away, but it is a reason for long trousers, repellent and a tick check after any walk. Your GHIC isn’t valid in Kosovo, so travel insurance matters. Practical details are on healthcare in Kosovo.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Prizren and choose by the reviews.

Making it work

Public transport has no official timetable that I could find, so I’d come by car, driving on the right. From Prizren, Malisheva and Mirusha fit into a day. If you’re coming from the west, the official Mirusha plan puts the Klina to Gjakova road along the edge of the monument. The surrounding area is on the Prizren region page.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Prizren before prices climb.