The Ultimate Guide to Traveling the International Qafë Thanë

Qafë Thanë is an international mountain pass at an elevation of 1.000m (3,280ft) located on the border of Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia.

Qafë Thanë

Set high on the southeastern Albanian mountains, the pass links Korçë County, in the Southern Region of the Republic of Albania, and the Southwestern Region of North Macedonia. The pass is the main route between both countries.
The road to the summit, also known as Kafasan or Čafasan, is totally paved. Part of the international E852 motorway, the road is called SH9 (in Albania) and A2 (in Macedonia). The drive has steep sections, hitting a 7% of maximum gradient through some of the ramps.

Located on the shores of Lake Ohrid, the pass is 15.9 km (9.87 miles) long, running south-north from a crossroad on the paved SH3 Road (in Albania) to Struga (a popular tourist destination on the shore of Lake Ohrid, in the south-western region of North Macedonia).