Maja e Thatë

Maja e Thatë
Northwest view of Maja e Thatë from Rupa trough (Albanian: Lugu i Rupës)
Highest point
Elevation	2,406 m (7,894 ft)
Coordinates	42°28′06″N 19°52′08″E / 42.46833°N 19.86889°E / 42.46833; 19.86889Coordinates: 42°28′06″N 19°52′08″E / 42.46833°N 19.86889°E / 42.46833; 19.86889
Naming
Translation	Dry peak (Albanian)
Geography
Maja e Thatë Albania
Parent range	Albanian Alps, part of Dinaric Alps
Geology
Age of rock	Triassic
Mountain type	Dolomite rock, Limestone
Climbing
Easiest route	Rock climbing

Maja e Thatë is a 2,406-metre-high (7,894 ft) mountain peak of the Albanian Alps (Prokletije) in Albania. It is located within Valbonë Valley National Park, roughly 2 km (1 mi) northwest of Valbonë and rises more than 1,500 m (4,921 ft) above the village. The mountain’s southern and western lower slopes are relatively rich in beech and pine forests, while the higher slopes consist of very steep dolomite and limestone rock walls, suitable for mountaineering and rock climbing.

Maja e Thatë has an elevation of 2,406 m (7,894 ft) and is located northwest of Valbonë village, in the district of Tropojë, Kukës county, in Albania. It lies within the massif of Kolata, in the eastern part of the Albanian Alps (Prokletije) mountain range. Maja e Thatë rises above the village of Valbonë by more than 1,500 m (4,921 ft), but being surrounded by higher peaks within its massif and because high-altitude mountain passes connect it with them, Maja e Thatë’s topographic prominence is insignificant.

The mountain pass Qafa e Rupës (Qafa e Kuqe) at 2130 m elevation, northwest of Maja e Thatë, detaches it from Maja e Rosit (2524 m), while the tectonic-erosive mountain pass of Rrethi i Bardhë (Albanian: Qafa e Rrethit të Bardhë) in the east detaches Maja e Thatë from Maja e Lugut të Ujit (2482 m), which is part of Kolata block. Glacial activity north of the mountain has created several small cirques in its surrounding troughs (Albanian: Lug): Lugu i Rupës, which stretches along east-west direction and Lugu i Persllopit, northeast of the mountain, along SW-NE direction. The shortest trail connects its nearest village, Valbonë with Maja e Thatë through Lugu i Rupës. The mountain can be reached from Vusanje in Montenegro through the mountain pass of Persllopi (2039 m), which is part of the border between the two countries, which subsequently continues with Persllopi trough (Albanian: Lugu i Persllopit) west of Kollata mountain (2555 m) until the feet of the rocky northeastern face of Maja e Thatë. The peak seems insurmountable from the northeast owing to its very steep rocky faces, which start directly from the trough surface.