Kosovo Tourism

Phenomenon of bifurcation in Kosovo

Bifurcation is a natural phenomenon where a river divides into two branches and flows in different watersheds sea. Recognized only two such cases. One case is in Kosovo where the river divides into two branches bifurcation. One joins Lepenci River which then flows into the Vardar river which ends in the Aegean Sea and the other branch flows into Sitnica River which flows into the Ibar River and then ends in the Black Sea. Another case of bifurcation appears Orinoco River in Brazil.

Ferizaj

Ferizaj is a city and municipality in southern Kosovo, located approximately 38 kilometers (24 mi) south of the capital Prishtina. Founded and named after the local hotelier Feriz Shashivari in the 19th century, the city was renamed Uroševac on the occasion of its annexation to Serbia in 1913. Ferizaj is the third most populous city in Kosovo, after Pristina and Prizren. It is the administrative center of the homonymous district. The central city postal codes include 70000, 70010, 70030 and 70040.The municipality covers an area of 345 km² (133 sq mi), including the city of Ferizaj and 45 villages. It is largely an agricultural plain. Its population is estimated at 108,690.

How to get there

By plane

Several European airlines have started to offer direct flights from their hubs to the International Airport of Prishtina , (PRN, www.airportpristina.com) is 15km west of the city centre. Examples are British Airways, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, SWISS, Belle Air, Croatia Airlines, Air Berlin and Austrian Airlines. Adria Airways has a regional hub in Pristina.

By Bus

From Montenegro, you can enter through Rozaje to Peja (approximately 2.0 hours). From Macedonia, you can take a bus to Prishtina (approximately 2.5 h)There are a couple companies offering buses from Istanbul via Skopje. From Albania, you can enter through Prizren on a nice new road; gone are the days of the "nightmare" 10 h mountain ride. The trip from Tirane costs 10€ and takes 4 h, with two stops.

By Train

From the 2nd October 2007, Kosovo Railways started with the new line Prishtina – Peja – Prishtina for the passenger transport. Kosovo Railways (KR) also offers passenger transport in and out of Kosovo.

Internal transport

For the internal transport, KR has the following daily trains: Fast Train (IC)– which operates every day in the line Peja – Prishtina – Peja (05:32-07:50-12:10) Freedom of Movement Train (FoM) – which operates every day in the line Hani i Elezit – Fushe Kosova Regarding the international transport KR has a regular train called the Fast Train (IC) which moves once a day in the line Prishtina – Skopje – Prishtina

By Car

To enter Kosovo, the validity and acceptance of the International Motor Insurance Card is in doubt. At the border you will need to pay €30 for an insurance extra which will cover you throughout Kosovo for two weeks. Ensure also that you have your vehicle registration and a power of attorney from the owner if the car is not yours. 

DokuFest

The International Documentary and Short Film Festival, is the largest film event in Kosova. The Festival is organized in August in the picturesque and historical town of Prizren which attracts numerous international and regional artists.DokuFest, International Documentary and Short Film Festival, is the largest film festival in Kosovo. Each year the festival fills the cinemas and improvised screening venues around historic city center of Prizren with a selection of more than 200 hand picked films from around the world. The festival is known for its lively atmosphere, the amazing enthusiasm that grasps the  city and its people and also for more than 150 volunteers working for the festival. Documentary photo exhibitions, debates, master classes and lively music events are also part of the 9 days festival.

Prishtina

(Albanian: Prishtinë or Prishtina) is the capital city of Kosovo. Preliminary results of 2011 census puts population of Pristina at 200,000. The city has a majority Albanian population, alongside other smaller communities including Bosnians, Roma and others. It is the administrative, educational, and cultural centre of Kosovo. The city is home to the University of Pristina and is served by the Pristina International Airport. The main language you will hear in the street is Albanian. English is widely spoken in the 3 square kilometre space in the centre of town where internationals and those working for international organizations predominate. However, most people from Prishtina, especially young people speak at least a little English so can more than likely get by. Navigating around the city is easy - the city centre is small and walk able.

Prizreni

Picture a charming Balkan city. A city draped along thebanks of a shallow river and backed by towering green mountains, a city linked to the coast and the interior by ancient trade routes, a city dotted with elegant old buildings constructed over many centuries, a city covered by snow in the cold winters and by dust in the hot summers, a city that has seen many different people and rulers come and go, a city that has seen destruction and restoration many times over, a city that has survived and overcome adversity, a city that is now looking firmly to the future. Prizren is this city. As Kosovo’s ‘cultural capital’ with many summertime festivals and the prettiest city centre of the country, Prizren has what it takes to make an interesting destination for foreign leisure and business travellers. This old city with its young population is a great place to visit, be it on a quick stopover en route from Pristina or Skopje to the Albanian coast, or on a longer trip taking in the beautiful mountainous surroundings. Prizren’s delightful city centre is the best-preserved and most picturesque in Kosovo, with a good collection of religious and profane buildings and quaint residential quarters, all within close range of each other. The city’s long tradition of religious and ethnic tolerance is apparent in the close proximity of Catholic and Orthodox churches,mosques and tekkes, many of them hundreds of years old. A full day will allow you to see many of the sights reviewed here,though it’s recommended to call ahead to check.

White Drini

Drini i Bardhë is a river that runs through the Dukagjini plane. It derives at Rusolia mountain, from the source at Radavci cave; at a 586 m elevation thus creating a beautiful waterfall on its way down to the plane before joining Drini i Zi near Kukës town. The two rivers then create the Drini River, which was also known as Drillon River during antique age.

Famous Ura e Shenjte (Holy Bridge) is also located on the banks of this river.

Gadime Cave

Gadime Cave, also known as Marble Cave, is a karst limestone cave in the village of Gadime e Ulët, in the municipality of Lipljan in Kosovo. Much of it is still unexplored. The cave was found in 1966 by a villager, Ahmet Diti, who was cutting stone.

Rugova Mountains

Rugova Mountains are located in the north-western Kosovo. This is the region within the "Accursed Mountains", also known as the Albanian Alps. They were declared a national park in 2013. Rugova Mountains are ranked 4th place in winter sports by the International Ski Federation. People here also walk in nature, dealing with mountaineering, and organize outdoor picnics.

In Rugova has many caves, waterfalls, glacial lakes, high peaks and tunnels. The highest peak is Hajla (2403 m), then Volujaku which is almost as high. Peja can be seen from the top of the Pass of the Cuckoo. Red Stone Peak (1522 m) also offers exceptional views.

Rugova is 93 km away from Pristina. It covers an area of 20,330 hectares. River "Lumbardhi" pierce the mountain in half, creating the valley and gorge. 85% of the territory is covered by forests, 15% is the lawn. The ground is rich with limestone and steep slopes and deep ravines, narrow and erosion. Mountain sites are with a slope of 15 ° -30 ° but occasionally they reach 45 ° -90 °. The terrain is made up of various forms numerous karst such as caves, natural tunnels, waterfalls, glacial lakes etc.

Brezovica

Brezovica has gotten its fame around the world and especially in tourism fraternity owing to its being a home to one of the best Ski resorts, there is a main Sky Resort found in the region known as Brezovica ski resort, otherwise there are some other ski resorts just nearby owing to the type of weather around, many tourists around the world frequent the region to explore the ski resorts fraternity, the existing ski resort mainly with a name of Brezovica covers a larger area, many world tourism excursions heads to the location for purposes of Mountains and ice activities, there are many trails where different icing activities can take place while here, the Brezovica is known for its Ski activities around the world.

Hotels in Kosova

Swiss Diamond Prishtina  www.sdhprishtina.com

Grand Hotel Prishtina     

Hotel Prishtina

Hotel Victory

Hotel Sirius 

Hotel Royal

Hotel Ambasador

Cultural

For those who are interested only visiting the cultural or historical buildings we offer a Cultural Day tour also.  For those who wants to visit the main and the old and the most important Monasteries and Churches, Mosques, Tekkes ,Hamams ,Old bridges, Caves and Castles around Kosova you can pick what you want to see and visit.

Churches and Monasteries:

• Deçan Monastery       (1327-1335)
• Graçanica Monastery (1321)
• Peja Patriarchate         (12th  century)
• Church of Our lady of Lejvis –Prizeren (9th to 11th century)
• St. Nikolla Church – Prishtina   (17th century)


• Mosques and Hammas :


• Sinan Pasha Mosque –Prizren   (1615)
• Fatih Mosque –Prishtina  (1461)
• Bajrakli Mosque –Peja  (15th century)
• Hadum Mosque –Gjakov (16th century)
• Sultan Murat’s Türbe   (1850)
• Gazi Mehmet Pasha Hamam- Prizeren (1575)
• Shejh Emin`s tekke –Gjakova  
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• Old bridges and Castles:
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• Stone bridge –Vushtri    (15th century)
• Tailors bridge- Gjakova   ( 16th century)
• Sacred bridge
• Stone bridge – Prizren  (16th century)
• Prizeren Fortress                       
• Novo Berda Castle                   
• Gadime cave    (discovered 1969)

   

Republic of Kosova

Kosovo has a surface of 10.908Km². It is surrounded by mountains with a central plain divided into two valleys, with the Kaçanik Gorge running down the center. The mountains are as high as 2.000m on the Macedonian and Albanian borders. The highest mountain is Gjeravica near Deçan, which is 2.656m and the lowest point is Vermicë in Prizeren at 295m. Prishtina itself is just over 600m. Around 41 % of cultivable land is forest, the remainder is arable. Crops grow include barely for the beer, some wheat and vegetables (peppers, potatoes, carrots, cabbages ect). There are two main valleys- the Dukagjini Valley which has better irrigation and is slightly warmer, so it`s better for growing vegetables and vines, and the Kosovo Valley which is good for potatoes and orchards in the southeast. Kosovo is unusual for a place of its size in being almost entirely self-sufficient in water. It`s rivers run into the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea and the Adriatic. The main rivers in Kosovo are : Drini i Bardhë (122km long) in Peja region, Sitnica (90 km), Bistrica e Pejës (62km), Morava e Binçës (60km), in the Gjilan area, Lepenci (53km) near Ferizaj and Kaçanik, Ereniku (51km) near Gjakova, Ibri (942km) near Mitrovica and Bistrica e Prizrenit (31km) near Prizren. 

Waterfall of Mirusha

Waterfall of Mirusha is one of nature beauty of Kosovo.It is situated near of Klina in river of Mirusha.Just over an hour outside of Pristina, Mirusha Falls puts you in mind of a (really cool) old-fashioned swimming hole.  Internationals and locals alike flock to the calm natural pool in the summer months.  It’s a bit hard to find the first time, but once you find it, you’ll be back again and again.  There are some tables and chairs on decks and a little drink stand near the water.  Some brave souls jump from the top of the falls (not recommended).  Hikers also enjoy walking around the area.  It’s a wonderful way to spend a hot summer day.