Vusanje, home of Oko Skakavice and the Grlja canyon

Vusanje is the village where the easy road ends and the wildest part of the Prokletije begins. It had 716 people in the 2023 census and is the second-largest settlement in Gusinje municipality, with a cadastral area of almost 50 km² according to Gusinje Tourist Board. For me it’s the best short outing in the area, because in a small space it packs water bursting from rock, the mouth of a canyon and the way into one of the Prokletije’s great valleys.

Oko Skakavice, where the water starts

Gusinje Tourist Board describes Oko Skakavice, also known as Savino oko, as one of the most powerful springs in the Prokletije, a karst spring hidden among trees at about 1,000 metres, with very cold water, around 5°C at the surface. It’s the birthplace of a river with several names and a strange course, which the board likens to a wilful creature that appears, sinks and changes its name. The image above shows Oko Skakavice in autumn.

The national tourist board fills in the rest. The Skakavica emerges from the spring and forms a 15 metre waterfall at the mouth of the Grlja canyon, and in Vusanje it joins the Vusanje stream to become the Grlja.

The Grlja canyon, the gate of hell

The national board gives the Grlja its own page. It’s 500 metres long, 50 deep and 2 to 7 wide, drops 65 metres from entrance to exit and takes about five hours to get through. It was discovered in 1982, and locals used to steer clear of the entrance, which they pictured as the gate of hell. At the mouth, the waterfall plunges into a huge cauldron with a 4 metre deep pool, followed by five sets of falls, pools and narrows.

The board is blunt about the conditions. Water below 5°C, many hours inside, stretches where no daylight reaches and you need a torch, and slippery, unpredictable ground. It recommends early autumn, when the water is lowest. I wouldn’t attempt it without a canyoning guide who knows the area.

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

The Ropojana valley and its lake

From Vusanje you enter the Ropojana valley. Gusinje Tourist Board places Lake Ropojana 12 km from Gusinje town, near Vusanje and Oko Skakavice, and counts it among the Prokletije’s glacial lakes. National Parks suggests cycling there, about 23 km there and back via Ćosovići and Vusanje, with 290 metres of climbing on tarmac and gravel.

Above the valley rises Bjelič, with three summits National Parks puts at 2,534 metres (Zla Kolata), 2,528 (Dobra Kolata) and 2,525 (Rosni vrh). According to OpenStreetMap, Zla Kolata and Lake Ropojana both lie in Gusinje municipality. For the climbs, see the guide to the Prokletije; the valley is also part of the Peaks of the Balkans, according to Plav Tourist Board in Plav. If a route crosses into Albania over the mountains, you need advance permission from the border police.

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

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